New North Canberra Hospital moves a step closer

ACT Chief Minister and Minister for Health, Katy Gallagher, today released the report on possible sites for a new north Canberra sub-acute hospital, which identifies the University of Canberra as the preferred site.

"This Government is planning for the future and making record investments in all aspects of health care," the Chief Minister said.

"This is an exciting project as it will be the first time that the ACT has had a specialised sub-acute hospital.

"The new hospital will enable sub-acute services to be provided in a purpose built, contemporary facility with the focus on these services, without the pressure created by emergency care needs," the Chief Minister said.

"If the UC site was to be selected for the new hospital, the potential benefits to the University, the Government and the broader community could be significant, by attracting more students to Canberra and providing recruitment and training opportunities for our health workforce.

"I am determined to ensure that the investments we make deliver broader economic benefits to the Canberra community by creating linkages with business, industry and educational facilities. This will help us to continue to work towards delivering a truly strong knowledge-based city," the Chief Minister said.

The Report on Site Selection for the New North Canberra Sub-Acute Hospital identifies four potential sites including the Calvary Hospital Campus, the University of Canberra, Gungahlin Town Centre, and Block 12 Section 78 Nicholls.

The report assesses the four sites against a range of criteria including size, topography, environment and heritage, access to facilities such as other hospitals, transport, compatibility with the Territory Plan, and opportunity costs.

When assessed against the selection criteria, the University of Canberra has been identified as the best site for a new hospital. The main benefits of UC include the available land, the proximity of the site to Calvary Hospital, and the collocation with the Faculty of Health (Nursing and Allied Health) which could assist the ACT with training and recruitment of our workforce and provide opportunities for collaboration and research.

"The ACT Government has already invested upwards of $600 million in new state-of-the-art health and hospital facilities. Right now we have a new Women's and Children's Hospital, two new community health centres in Belconnen and Gungahlin, an adult mental health unit, and a new cancer centre all under construction," the Chief Minister said.

"Further work is now underway around the scope of the project, financing options, design of the hospital and environmental analysis. $4 million was allocated through the 2011-12 ACT Budget to progress this work."

The Report is available to the public on the ACT Health Directorate website www.health.act.gov.au/northsidehospital. Feedback can be provided by emailing HospitalPlan@act.gov.au until Friday 2 March 2012 prior to a final decision being taken by the ACT Government.