Curtains go up on hospital theatre precinct

It is lights, cameras, ACTION, in the RHH’s new operating precinct as perioperative services go live in K-Block including the first surgery today.

K-Block’s five new operating theatres, procedure room and angiography and cardio catheterisation lab will open increasing operating theatre capacity to 14 theatres.

The precinct includes dedicated orthopaedic, trauma and neurosurgery theatres.

Clinicians will have access to advanced images or imaging information on-screen, in the theatre, real-time. New audio-visual equipment not previously available at the Royal Hobart, will bring high-resolution, imaging information into theatres like x-rays, CTs, and imagery from angiography and the cardiac catheter labs.

K-Block’s angiography and cardiac catheterisation procedural suites have state-of-the-art imaging technology that will improve the quality of imaging and new x-ray technology and will be safer for patients and staff.

Patients will experience minimally invasive interventions and get clinical treatment faster with procedural suites collocated with operating theatres on level 4 of the new inpatient facility.

The new precinct across level four of A, C, D and K-Blocks has modern facilities including:

  • 14-bay holding bay where patients await surgery
  • 25 Post-Anaesthetic Care Unit (PACU) recovery bays including three isolation bays where patients are monitored immediately after surgery and are transferred to an inpatient ward or Short Stay Suite (SSS)
  • 19 SSS trolleys supporting extended recovery with next day discharge (and 12 chairs in  C-Block) where patients complete their recovery and are assessed for discharge on the day.
Theatres rely on large quantities of equipment and consumables and the precinct includes a very large sterile stock room for this purpose.
The operating theatres are supported by the Central Sterilising Department (CSD) on level 5 with its state-of-the-art loan-set  equipment room, electronic instrument tracker and robot that will take instrument trays to the steriliser.

Go-live schedule:

16 June 2020                           K4W PACU (Recovery)

17 June 2020                           CSD and Holding Bay

18 June 2020                           K4E Theatres - first operation scheduled in K-Block, theatre 14

23 June 2020                           K4E Theatres – second theatre to be commissioned, theatre 12 and K4W SSS

29 June 2020                           Cardiac cath lab

Early July 2020                        Angiography suite and all theatres commissioned

The schedule is subject to change based on COVID19 and operational commissioning priorities.


30 Jun 2020