- Cook Labor Government delivering new service to oversee State-wide care and co-ordination for women, newborns and children's health in Western Australia
- Additional $95.4 million for 19 neonatal beds at Perth Children's Hospital, plus two new rooms, to minimise mother and baby separation
- Upgraded services to include increased paediatric expertise at Fiona Stanley Hospital
- and an expansion to the Newborn Emergency Transfer Service
- Forms part of New Women and Babies Hospital Project, which is delivering a new maternity hospital at Murdoch and massive expansion of maternity and gynaecological services at Osborne Park
- Cook Labor Government investing a record $5.5 billion into health infrastructure to ensure Western Australians can access healthcare when and where they need it
The health and wellbeing of Western Australian women, newborns and children will be strengthened with a dedicated new Health Service Provider to launch in July 2027.
Under the new service, Child and Adolescent Health Service will merge with King Edward Memorial Hospital and the new Women and Babies Hospital to bring State-wide responsibility for maternity, neonatal and child health under one organisation.
The reform in health governance follows extensive clinical consultation in 2023 and 2025 for the New Women and Babies Hospital Project.
As part of the upgraded services, two new rooms at PCH will be created, allowing mothers who require hospital care and whose babies need to be transferred to the hospital for urgent, highly specialised care to stay with their newborns. The new rooms are in addition to 19 new neonatal beds at PCH.
A dedicated Newborn Emergency Transfer Service (NETS) hub will also be established at the new Women and Babies Hospital, along with a small expansion of the existing NETS service at PCH. NETS operates a mobile intensive care unit which transfers about 1,100 sick newborns and young infants each year from their birth hospital to another hospital for urgent care.
Additionally, paediatric capability at Fiona Stanley Hospital will be enhanced to support integrated care with the new Women and Babies Hospital and to increase the number of paediatric specialists available to residents in Perth's south and east.
The Cook Labor Government is also prioritising a new masterplan for the QEIIMC precinct, which houses more than 40 stakeholder organisations and is attended by thousands of workers, patients and visitors each day.
Master planning work for the nationally-recognised health, education and research precinct will consider current and future needs of the 2.5 hectare site to ensure it continues to deliver key services in the most efficient and effective way.
The Cook Labor Government continues to deliver its record $5.5 billion health infrastructure pipeline, the biggest hospital building program in our State's history.
This pipeline includes the New Women and Babies Hospital Project, which is delivering a generational transformation of maternity services and care for women and babies through a brand-new maternity hospital in Murdoch and a huge expansion of maternity and gynaecological services at Osborne Park Hospital.
As stated by Health Minister Meredith Hammat:
"Our government is committed to the delivering the very best public healthcare for Western Australians, and our new Women and Babies Project will transform care for women and newborns north and south of the river.
"Following consultations with clinicians and Western Australian families, we've identified a need to align our State-wide maternity, neonatal and paediatric services under one umbrella.
"A new dedicated health serviceprovider will provide enhanced coordination and oversight, and support continuity of care for families from pregnancy, to birth and the childhood years.
"We're also further bolstering our public health resources by exploring new models of care at Perth Children's Hospital, strengthening our Newborn Emergency Transport Service, and upgrading paediatric services at Fiona Stanley Hospital.
"This is a transformative project that will benefit Western Australians for many, many generations to come."
As stated by Health Infrastructure Minister John Carey:
"Construction of both the new Women and Babies Hospital in Murdoch and the expansion of Osborne Park Hospital are now well and truly underway, as part of our government's record $5.5 billion health infrastructure program.
"We're now able to make progress on additional services at Perth Children's Hospital with an expansion of neonatal services at PCH, and rooms for mothers whose newborns require time-critical care.
"While we are building this generational infrastructure, we also continue to look ahead and plan for the future through the master planning work at QEII, to ensure this world-class precinct continues to be fit-for-purpose."
