The Admissions and Patient Flow Unit will deliver patient services in K-Block by Christmas this year with the move of major inpatient services expected in February 2020.
The collocated and coordinated, admissions and departures services will begin delivering services from their ground floor location. This will include reception services, the waiting area and cashier.
Clinical services will be delivered from the ground floor transit lounge where there will be 12 recliners, four bed spaces, a consulting room and treatment room.
The project’s builder has provided a revised construction program that forecasts Practical Completion in late September 2019; a month later than previously forecast.
The RHH project team has taken the precautionary view that there remains a risk this could occur closer to end of this year.
Given the revised completion date, the Secretary of the Department of Health has provided advice to Government on the most appropriate pathway forward and time frames for operational commissioning.
Patients will receive health care in K-Block when it is certified as a fit-for-purpose building constructed to the required standards and staff are ready and able to deliver services in the new state-of-the-art facility.
The move of major inpatient services is now planned for February 2020.
This will provide the much needed time to support staff so they are ready to safely occupy K-Block without unnecessary disruption to hospital services, well in advance of next winter.
There is a great deal of work to do.
The process of commissioning a new hospital is complex, and requires significant preparations and focus on a wide range of tasks including planning the movement of services, staff orientation and training in the new building, the testing of clinical scenarios and new models of care.
This time frame will importantly avoid high impact periods including extended leave periods when there is greater reliance on casual staff.
Find out more about patient services on K-Block's ground floor - Patient Services in K-Block.
03 Jun 2019