The new Footscray Hospital on 89 Ballarat Road opened earlier this morning. In this massive move, patients from the original hospital on 160 Gordon Street are steadily being transferred to the new location. The first patient transfer started at 7:30am this morning, and the final patient is expected to arrive at 7pm tonight. Around 180 patients are being transferred, making this one of the largest hospital moves in the history of Victoria. To safely support this huge move, members of the public are asked not to visit either the original or the new Footscray Hospital today, unless they are in need of emergency care. The Emergency Department in the new hospital is now fully operational.
New Footscray Hospital
Over 4,500 staff have completed 22,000 hours of training in preparation for the move. The new hospital has 200 beds more than the original location, with over 500 beds, including same-day, multi-day, critical care, sub-acute, drug and alcohol, and mental health services. The new Footscray Hospital will also treat an additional 15,000 patients each year. It will see roughly 20,000 more people in the Emergency Department each year.
Services such as the Emergency Department, surgery, ICU, coronary care and mental health will begin.
Radiology services will be faster for patients, with three premium CT scanners. There’s also an expanded MRI capacity, increasing from one to three machines.
The new hospital is also home to Victoria’s first fully public pathology service. Supporting Western Health’s network, this allows for faster and higher quality testing and diagnosis for patients.
In addition, there’s an increased amount of consultation spaces, allowing for easier access to specialist care.
Footscray Hospital is also now connected to Victoria University via a footbridge over Ballarat Road. Students will be trained in this new health and education space, providing more opportunities to learn skills, conduct research and boost their employment pathways.
You will find the new hospital at 89 Ballarat Road, Footscray VIC 3011. You can access the Emergency Department at 20 Geelong Road, Footscray.
To learn more about it, click here.