The Victorian Government is investing $384.2 million to deliver the Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment.
Transforming services at the hospital, the redevelopment will give the Warrnambool and surrounding community access to world-class healthcare facilities close to home. A new multi-level tower will deliver a bigger emergency department, more operating theatres, an extra 22 inpatient beds and dedicated areas for pathology services and dialysis. With more families choosing to make south-west Victoria home, a new paediatric unit will also provide specialised care to children and young people.
Construction in late 2022 of a new off-site Regional Logistics Distribution Centre, will make way for the redevelopment on the Base hospital campus. Located on Cooper Street, Warrnambool, the Regional Logistics Distribution Centre will provide goods, equipment and linen services to the Warrnambool Base hospital as well as other public health services in the region.
Early works on the hospital tower are scheduled to begin in the first half 2023, with construction of the hospital tower set to start in mid-2024. Early works will involve installing the infrastructure required to service the new tower, decommissioning and relocating existing services and decanting of the existing hospital.
The Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment will deliver:
Warrnambool Base Hospital redevelopment aims to achieve the following benefits:
The redevelopment will improve patient triage within the emergency department, reducing emergency and surgery wait times and enhancing safety for both staff and patients.
Modern facilities, amenities and equipment will support the delivery of enhanced care and patient wellbeing.
Increased service capacity will provide more access for people living locally, reducing wait times and enabling patients to access more clinical support services closer to home.
The redevelopment will create around 800 jobs during construction and contribute directly to the local economy. In future a larger base hospital will also mean more on-going jobs for clinical and non-clinical staff at South West Healthcare.
Warrnambool is the largest city in Victoria’s south-west region. Due to its size, prominent profile, and its service mix, it facilitates the highest share of demand in the region.
With a growing elderly population and high demand for mental healthcare services, the demand for hospital beds is expected to increase by approximately 30 per cent over the next 20 years.
The redevelopment will deliver a multi-storey tower which incorporates a new emergency department, a new suite of operating theatres, an additional 22 inpatient beds, a dedicated paediatric unit, and a bigger and better basement carpark.
The first stage of the redevelopment will involve enabling works to relocate the regional supply and linen services to a new offsite Regional Logistic Distribution Centre. This will create space at Warrnambool Base Hospital for the main hospital redevelopment. The early design of the RLDC on Cooper Street was led by architects Silver Thomas Hanley and engineering consultants Lehr Consultants International.
Construction of the Regional Logistics Distribution Centre site on Cooper Street, Warrnambool is expected to commence in late 2022.
Early works on the hospital tower are scheduled to begin in the first half of 2023, with construction of the hospital tower set to start in mid-2024. Early works will involve installing the infrastructure required to service the new tower, decommissioning and relocating existing services and decanting of the existing hospital.
A Request for Tender process will be undertaken in 2023 to appoint a builder for the construction of the main works of the hospital redevelopment.
The redevelopment will create around 800 jobs during construction and contribute directly to the local economy. Once constructed a larger base hospital will also mean more on-going jobs for clinical and non-clinical staff at South West Healthcare.
We’ll work closely with the community to minimise disruptions to neighbouring residents and businesses wherever possible.
The project team is committed to keeping the community updated on the project’s progress. More information will be provided before construction begins.
In conjunction with the Victorian Health Building Authority, South West Healthcare are working in partnership with:
to deliver this redevelopment project.
A Request for Tender process will be undertaken in 2023 to appoint a builder for the construction of the main works of the hospital redevelopment.