New Footscray Hospital

The new Footscray Hospital will provide:

• more than 500 inpatient beds
  including same-day, multi-day, critical care, sub-acute, drug and alcohol, and mental health services
• acute facilities
  including an emergency department and mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub
• specialist facilities
  including cardiovascular/angiographic, operating theatres, procedural and endoscopy spaces and associated recovery spaces
• clinical support spaces
  including medical imaging, pharmacy, central sterile services department, outpatients, mortuary and pathology
• car parking
  to cater for patients, visitors, staff and other hospital users
• teaching, training and research spaces.

The new Footscray Hospital aims to achieve the following benefits:

More patients treated

• approximately 200 more beds than the existing Footscray Hospital
• approximately 15,000 more patients treated every year
• approximately 20,000 more people seen by the emergency department every year.

Local jobs

The project will create an estimated 177 new jobs during construction, including 70 apprenticeships, traineeships and cadetships.

Additionally, the project will employ more than 2,000 people at peak construction. It will be built with more than 90 per cent local content, meaning more materials, services and equipment will be sourced from local businesses.

Reduced wait times

The project aims to reduce wait times across the emergency department, elective surgery and outpatient clinic services.

Better patient outcomes

The new Footscray Hospital will provide high quality facilities that support and promote Western Health’s innovative practices in improving health outcomes.

With an increase in surgical capacity, the new Footscray Hospital will be Western Health’s main surgical site, providing all surgical sub-specialties.

Central location in the inner west

The new Footscray Hospital’s central location, close to the heart of Footscray and next door to Victoria University’s Footscray Park campus, aims to position the inner west as a leading health, education and research precinct.

The current Footscray Hospital, located at 160 Gordon Street in Footscray, was built in the 1950s. It is a tertiary teaching hospital with 311 inpatient beds.

The hospital is operated by Western Health and provides a range of inpatient and outpatient services, including:

• acute medical and surgical care
• intensive and coronary care
• sub-acute care
• related clinical support services
• mental health services
• drug and alcohol services.

Acute adult and adolescent mental health services are provided on site by Mercy Health and Orygen respectively.

Melbourne’s west is growing, with the population predicted to grow by 60 per cent in the next 20 years. As the population grows and ages, demand for healthcare services continues to increase.

The New Footscray Hospital will help meet the changing and growing health needs of Melbourne’s west.

We value community input and are committed to keeping the local community up to date as the New Footscray Hospital Project progresses.

Issues such as car parking, the need for green and outdoor spaces and public transport access are key priorities identified by the community, which have been carefully considered in the development of this important project.

Learn more in the New Footscray Hospital Project Consultation report: the next people’s hospital.

Further information sessions will be held as the project progresses. To contact the New Footscray Hospital Project Team, please email nfhenquiry@health.vic.gov.au.

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to receive the latest news about the new Footscray Hospital project.

Virtual engagement room

The award-winning new Footscray Hospital virtual engagement room closed on 31 May 2022.

Live for six months, the room was created to give the community the opportunity to learn about the project during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

It included a 3D tour of the hospital designs, interviews with the builders and the opportunity to contribute to a time capsule that will be placed on the site of the new Footscray Hospital.

A ‘community corner’ also shone a spotlight on the community that helped shape this once in a generation investment for Melbourne’s west.

An accessible version of the virtual engagement room continues to be available on our website.

A community consultative committee has been established for the new Footscray Hospital. This provides a forum for members of the local community to participate in the project’s development through open dialogue and consultation.

The consultative committee includes:

• foundation members from key local organisations such as Western Health and Maribyrnong City Council 
• thirteen community members.

Chaired by Katie Hall MP, Member for Footscray, committee members have been selected across gender, age, interests and background to ensure a diverse representation. The consultative committee will meet on a regular basis for the life of the project.

The members of the consultative committee are:

• Katie Hall, MP for Footscray (Chair)
• Russell Harrison, CEO Western Health
• Tara Frichitthavong, Maribyrnong City Council
• Tanya Druce, Manager, Aboriginal Health at Western Health
• Tina Skliros, Project Director New Footscray Hospital Project, VHBA
• Jo D’Arbry, community member
• Geoff Dunstan, community member
• Siew Lan (Janice) Stielow, community member
• Nick Calafati, community member
• Rachael Ball, community member
• Ken Keogh, community member
• Khang Chiem, community member
• Elwyn Davies, community member
• Sara Coward, community member
• Sarah Roberts, community member
• Craig Rowley, community member
• Melissa Urie, community member
• Edith Pringle, community member.

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

• Western Health
• Plenary Health consortium
• Victoria University.

The project will be delivered as a public private partnership under the Partnerships Victoria framework.

The Victorian Government is working closely with Western Health to ensure the best health outcomes are achieved for the community in Melbourne’s west.

The new hospital is being delivered as a public private partnership (PPP). This involves bringing together a private consortium to design, construct, finance and maintain the new hospital over 25 years.

On 10 March 2021, following an extensive tender process, the Plenary Health consortium was officially awarded the contract to deliver the new Footscray Hospital with the parties successfully achieving financial close on 11 March 2021

The Plenary Health consortium comprises:

• Plenary Group as sponsor and investor
• Multiplex as builder
• Honeywell and Compass as the facilities and maintenance managers
• Sojitz Corporation as investor.

The design team is led by Cox Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership.

The new Footscray Hospital will continue to be a public hospital. The health service providers will continue to be Western Health, supported by Orygen and Mercy Health which provide mental health services.

Construction began in March 2021 and is on track to be completed in 2025.

When will the new hospital open?

The new hospital is expected to be operational in 2025.

Who is building the new hospital?

On 10 March 2021, following an extensive tender process, the Plenary Health consortium was officially awarded the contract to deliver the new Footscray Hospital.

The Plenary Health consortium comprises:

• Plenary Group as sponsor and investor
• Multiplex as builder
• Honeywell and Compass as the facilities and maintenance managers
• Sojitz Corporation as investor.

The design team is led by Cox Architecture and Billard Leece Partnership.

What will the hospital look like?

The design of the new Footscray Hospital has been carefully considered to create a welcoming atmosphere and features a large green open space (‘Village Green’) and services such as childcare, gymnasium, pharmacy, general practice and cafes. The hospital’s main entry is located on Ballarat Road and the emergency department is accessible from Geelong Road.

To view the design images, go to our gallery.

Will the hospital be a public hospital? Who will operate the new hospital?

The new Footscray Hospital will continue to operate as a public hospital.

The health service providers will continue to be Western Health, supported by Orygen and Mercy Health, who provide mental health services at the current Footscray Hospital.

What will the new hospital deliver?

The new hospital will provide more than 500 beds and enable Footscray Hospital to continue to play its role as a large acute and subacute hospital for Melbourne’s west. There will be more outpatient, palliative care and mental health services ensuring the community can access quality care, close to home.

Specifically, the new facility will provide:

• more than 500 inpatient beds
  including same-day, multi-day, critical care, sub-acute, drug and alcohol, and mental health services
• acute facilities
  including an emergency department and mental health and alcohol and other drugs hub
• specialist facilities
  including cardiovascular/angiographic, operating theatres, procedural and endoscopy spaces and associated recovery spaces
• clinical support spaces
  including medical imaging, pharmacy, central sterile services department, outpatients, mortuary and pathology
• car parking
  to cater for patients, visitors, staff and other hospital users
• teaching, training and research spaces.

Additionally, the site has provided a unique and exciting opportunity to create a leading health and education precinct. As part of the project, staff and students at Victoria University’s Footscray Park campus will have a direct connection to the new hospital via a footbridge over Ballarat Road, where Victoria University will have dedicated education and research facilities.

How is the Victorian Government partnering with Victoria University?

In partnership with the Victorian Government and Plenary Health, Victoria University Polytechnic is the project’s lead skills and training partner.

The new Footscray Hospital will create jobs for apprentices and opportunities for skills training and employment for many workforce roles, including healthcare, with strong links to Victoria University Polytechnic.

The new Footscray Hospital is located opposite Victoria University’s Footscray Park campus.

A footbridge over Ballarat Road will link Victoria University to the new Footscray Hospital giving direct access to Victoria University’s dedicated education and research space.

Victoria University’s education and research space has facilities and opportunities for nursing, midwifery, allied health and paramedicine students to further strengthen healthcare in Melbourne’s west.

What is a PPP?

The new hospital is being delivered as a public private partnership (PPP). The PPP model involves bringing together a private consortium to design, construct, finance and maintain the new facility over 25 years.

The PPP model will drive innovation, best practice and value for money for the new Footscray Hospital while enabling Western Health to focus on the important job of delivering the best quality public health care to the people of Melbourne’s west.

We have an excellent history of hospital PPP projects here in Victoria, notably:

• the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre
• the Royal Women’s Hospital
• the Royal Children’s Hospital
• Casey Hospital
• more recently, the new Bendigo Hospital.

How many jobs will the project create?

The project will create an estimated 177 new jobs during construction, including 70 apprenticeships, traineeships and cadetships.

Additionally, the project will employ more than 2,000 people at peak construction and be built with more than 90 per cent local content, meaning more materials, services and equipment will be sourced from local businesses.

The new hospital is expected to create over 250 new jobs once in operation and attract new investment through ancillary and specialist health services relocating to the area.

Construction impacts

Will nearby residents and businesses be impacted by construction?

The new Footscray Hospital is a major construction project. It is expected there will be some temporary impacts that will affect the local community.

Temporary impacts are likely to include:

• increased vehicle and people movement in the area
• changes to access
• localised noise and vibration
• dust.

These impacts will be regularly monitored and minimised wherever possible.

We are committed to keeping the community informed of project progress and will notify neighbouring residents and businesses in advance of any major construction activity through door knocking (where appropriate) as well as emails, newsletters, construction notifications and public displays within the area.

Who can I contact about construction impacts?

If you have any questions or wish to speak to a member of the project team, please contact:

The New Footscray Hospital Project team

• Victorian Health Building Authority
• nfhenquiry@health.vic.gov.au
• (03) 9999 1985

What are the work hours?

Works will take place between the hours of Monday to Friday 7.00am - 8.00pm and Saturday 8.00am - 6.00pm, consistent with Maribyrnong City Council bylaws.

Wherever possible, noise generating activities will be scheduled during the day to minimise impacts to residents and businesses.

Some out-of-hours works will be required throughout construction and will be subject to After Hours Permits being granted by the Council. Neighbouring residents and businesses will be notified in this instance.

When will construction be finished?

Construction of the new Footscray Hospital is expected to be complete in 2025.

We will work closely with neighbouring residents and businesses during this period to minimise construction impacts where possible and to understand any issues or concerns as we build the new Footscray Hospital.

What road and pedestrian changes will be in place during construction?

To ensure the safety of the community, there will be some changed conditions to pedestrian and traffic movements during construction. You can read more about these changes here.

Other temporary road and lane closures will be required at times during construction. When road closures are required, the community will be notified prior to work beginning.

How will traffic congestion around the site be managed?

There will be an increase in traffic around the construction site throughout the project.

From August 2021 - February 2022, there will be temporary increase in truck movements as cranes and other equipment are mobilised to the site.

Trucks delivering cranes will utilise arterial roads and avoid the use of residential streets.

Traffic controllers will be in place to manage movements in and out of the site as required. Impact to traffic flow, particularly on Geelong and Ballarat Roads, will be minimised where possible.

Will there be changes to public transport around the site?

To ensure the safety of the community during construction, the Victoria University/Ballarat Road bus stop has been temporarily relocated until construction is completed in 2025. The bus stop is now situated approximately 250m west along Ballarat Road, adjacent to the Footscray Park Bowls Club.

The existing Footscray Hospital

Why can’t the new hospital stay on the existing site?

The current Footscray Hospital was built in the 1950s and needs to be rebuilt to ensure we can continue to deliver high-quality health services to this growing community for many years to come.

Building at a new site means there will be far fewer disruptions to the operations of the current hospital while the new facility is being constructed.

The new location also provides an unprecedented opportunity to create a new health, education and research precinct for Melbourne’s west.

What will happen to the existing hospital site?

Following relocation to the new site (corner of Ballarat and Geelong Roads), the current Footscray Hospital on Gordon Street will be decommissioned. The future use of the Gordon Street site is unknown at this time.

Relocation of services to the new Footscray Hospital will occur once the new facility is complete (scheduled to occur in 2025). This provides time to bring the community, government and local organisations together to determine the best outcome for Footscray.

What are you doing about the state of the existing hospital while we wait for the new facility?

The government provided funding for works at the existing hospital in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 State Budgets to ensure it can continue to provide safe and high-quality care to patients while we deliver the new hospital.

These works include:

• upgrades of fire, mechanical and ICT services
• maintenance and repairs to the façade of the south and north blocks
• renovations of ward bathrooms
• replacement of the backup power generators.

The New Footscray Hospital Project has been recognised by these awards programs:

• 2023 Australian Design Awards
  Gold: Architecture - Community & Civic
   
• 2023 Australian Design Awards
  Silver: Digital - Government Services
   
• National Infrastructure Awards 2022: Infrastructure Partnerships Australia
  Government Partnerships Excellence
   
• 2022 GOV Design Awards: Driven x Design
  Gold: Architecture - Community & Civic
   
• 2022 Partnership Awards
  Best Healthcare Project