Sarah Courtney,Minister for Health
The health, safety and wellbeing of Tasmanians is the Government's number one priority as we continue to work through the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I am very proud to be part of a Government that accepted possession of the Royal Hobart Hospital's K-Block in March.
The $689 million RHH Redevelopment is Tasmania's largest ever health infrastructure project and we are proud to have delivered it for the Tasmanian community.
The Government and the THS have delivered on opening new and permanently funded beds in K-Block, following commissioning earlier this year.
There are now more than 50 beds that have opened since K-Block was commissioned, including:
- 15 permanent General Surgery beds
- 13 permanent General Medicine beds
- 5 permanent Paediatric/Adolescent beds
- 8 permanent beds in the expanded Transit lounge
As well as these beds onsite at the Royal, we have opened 12 new Hospital in the Home beds this year – an innovative model delivering acute-level care in a patient's home.
There is more to come, with recruitment for staff ongoing which will allow additional beds to progressively open.
The RHH has also made the operational decision to open additional General Medicine beds during the winter period, delivering additional capacity for our system when it is needed.
I'd like to thank all staff at the RHH who've worked very hard amid a challenging period to get these new beds up and running.
