Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion

The Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion has delivered:

• a new emergency department including 28 additional emergency department cubicles
• a dedicated children’s emergency department
• a refurbishment of the existing emergency department areas, including resuscitation bays, general cubicles and short stay units
• improved internal wayfinding
• better traffic management, flow and congestion across the Monash Medical Centre Clayton campus precinct.

The project will also add a six-bed mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub.

The Monash Medical Centre emergency department expansion aims to achieve the following benefits:

Support growing needs

• Monash Medical Centre is forecast to experience a significant increase in presentations over the next decade. An expanded and improved emergency department and access facilities will be required to accommodate the increased needs of the community. It is also needed to efficiently support Monash Medical Centre and Monash Children’s Hospital as tertiary referral centres for adult and paediatric care.
• The expansion aims to deliver expanded and improved facilities and enhanced service delivery to meet the needs of the growing local community.

Contemporary care

• This project will support Monash Health to implement new contemporary models of care and to better segregate adult and paediatric care.
• The expansion will support Monash Heath to maintain a seamless transfer for patients requiring emergency surgery, critical care or paediatric inpatient care.
• It will establish separate adult and paediatric short stay units. These units can provide a quiet and calm environment for patients who require extended observation and care for up to 24 hours, but who will not require admission to a multiday bed.
• It will introduce new state of the art technology and equipment.

Urgent mental healthcare where and when it’s needed

The mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub will allow more emergency patients experiencing mental health, alcohol or other drugs issues to be assessed, treated and monitored by specialists before being discharged.

The hub aims to reduce the impact on the acute treatment cubicles within the emergency department and to allow patients to be seen and treated faster. Implementation of the hub is subject to a delivery model being finalised.

Building on the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System

The investment in the mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub builds on the work of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System’s 74 recommendations to transform mental health support and care to make it accessible, flexible and responsive.

The hub will deliver emergency facilities that support safe and modern emergency care, providing more support for Victorians presenting at emergency departments who need dedicated clinical care.

Sustainable design

The project aims to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment with design features and processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient.

Upgraded access

• The expansion is designed to upgrade access into the Clayton site for staff, patients and visitors.
• There is segregation of traffic for emergency vehicles and other vehicle and pedestrian traffic flows.
• The expansion has also delivered a dedicated emergency department drop off area for patients and visitors.

This project is being delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in partnership with:

• Monash Health
• Lyons (architect)
• Kane Constructions (builder).