Sarah Courtney,Minister for Health
Staff working in the Royal Hobart Hospital's Central Sterilising Department (CSD) will have a safer, healthier workplace with an ergonomically designed new unit and Australia's first CSD robot.
From this week, K-Block's new CSD will begin cleaning, disinfecting and sterilising reusable medical instruments and equipment.
Automated vehicles will support staff by delivering around 100,000 packed hospital instrument trays to the new sterilisers. This will help to reduce staff injury by removing the need for repetitious lifting.
This is the first time any hospital in Australia has used the robot.
These are more exciting additions to the RHH as our staff adjust and familiarise with the new infrastructure, including modern equipment and architecturally-designed areas.
Staff health and safety has been at the forefront of the CSD design which includes height-adjustable sinks and workstations.
The modern CSD has significantly more space than the old unit and has equipment new to the RHH including an automated chemical dosing system, de-boxing area, dedicated state-of-the-art loan-set equipment room and electronic instrument tracker.
CSD is an infection-controlled, restricted area in K-Block Level 5.
CSD and operating theatre staff amenities are also provided on K5 including change rooms, lockers and staff room with kitchen facilities.
The CSD supports the existing nine operating theatres and inpatient and outpatient services in the RHH and five new operating theatres, procedure room, angiography and cardiac cath lab in K-Block along with several other health facilities in Hobart.
The CSD has three precincts: the dirty area that includes the decontamination areas, washers and dryers; the clean area which includes storage, assembly areas, sterilisers; and the cooling and sterile stock area.
The Lynx robotic automated guided vehicle robot was developed by Omron in conjunction with Atherton.
The partnership of medical manufacturers/suppliers Atherton and Device Technologies Australia delivered $2.8 million in new CSD equipment including two robots, for K-Block.
We want our patients to have access to the best possible care available especially as we continue our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic
I would like to thank all staff for their hard work in continuing to get this amazing facility operational which will deliver better outcomes and support for patients.
