The emergency department mental health, alcohol and other drugs hub – at Barwon Health’s University Hospital in Geelong – is one of six new hubs being delivered across the state.
The six hubs are part of the Victorian Government’s $32 million investment to better support Victorians experiencing urgent mental health, alcohol and drug issues.
Welcome to our latest new Footscray Hospital project newsletter. In this issue:
The last piece of façade has been installed, marking the completion of the exterior of the hospital.
Work continues on the internal services and fit-out of the hospital. Let's take a look at what's been happening over the past few months.
The 57-metre footbridge was craned into place over Ballarat Road, connecting the hospital to Victoria University.
Façade installation is complete on all five buildings on the new Footscray Hospital site. The façade includes all pre-cast panels, glass, and screening.
Advanced structure works, including roof cladding, are underway on Hospital Street, with glass now being installed.
Hospital Street is the link between the main hospital building and sub-acute buildings on the ground floor.
With landscaping underway, site sheds on the corner of Geelong and Ballarat Roads have been removed to make way for works in this area.
Plant rooms housing a variety of equipment to run the hospital are nearing completion on the main hospital (inpatient unit tower) and sub-acute hospital buildings.
Footscray locals and construction enthusiasts of all ages stopped to watch the installation of the pedestrian footbridge over Ballarat Road in March.
Spanning Ballarat Road, the 57-metre-long elevated footbridge, weighing 120 tonnes was carefully craned into place. The footbridge now provides a direct link between the hospital and Victoria University.
The bridge links to Victoria University’s research and education centre dedicated to health and medical training. This includes research and learning facilities for students studying:
Ongoing works on the bridge will include a concrete pour and façade works. This will involve additional traffic impacts. More information will be provided to neighbouring residents in advance.
Congratulations to Multiplex and all those involved in the planning and successful installation of the bridge. Watch the bridge being lifted into place!
New Footscray Hospital pedestrian footbridge connects health and education
Tommy (7) was up at the crack of dawn, Lego crane in hand and ready to watch the new pedestrian bridge be lifted into place.
The Lego technic build included 2,590 pieces, eight electric motors and was completed the night before the bridge installation – a rapid and epic build!
The new Footscray Hospital will house a 10-metre-long hand-woven tapestry, designed by First Nations artists Maree Clarke and Mitch Mahoney.
Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung) and Mitch Mahoney (Boonwurrung/Barkindji) collaborated on the design, incorporating microscopic images of river reeds from the Maribyrnong River and skeletal drawings of local native flora and fauna.
Plenary Health New Footscray Hospital Project Chair, Kelvyn Lavelle, said: 'Mitch and Maree have designed a tapestry that will greet the public and staff with a striking visual connection to the local landscape, community and history of the west.'
Working closely with master weavers from the Australian Tapestry Workshop, Clarke and Mahoney’s artwork will be transformed into a three-dimensional tapestry spanning 4.2 x 10 metres, making it one of the largest tapestries ever produced for a public hospital in Victoria.
The new Footscray Hospital tapestry is the second major tapestry that forms The Premiers Suite, a partnership between the Tapestry Foundation of Australia, the State Government of Victoria and the Australian Hotels Association to fund the production of major tapestries in new hospitals in Victoria.
The tapestry is a collaboration between Plenary Group, the official arts partner for the new hospital, Footscray Community Arts, the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and the Tapestry Foundation of Australia, in collaboration with the Victorian Health Building Authority and Western Health.
The Western Health Graduate Program Awards were held in March, with nursing and midwifery staff recognised for their studies and ongoing learning.
Presenting two Plenary Health ICU nursing scholarships valued at $10,000, Chair of the New Footscray Hospital Project, Kelvyn Lavelle congratulated the graduate nurses on their achievements.
'Congratulations to Mawite and Axel on their commitment to their continued nursing studies, developing their knowledge and providing best care for their patients.'
During the five-year construction phase of the new hospital, Plenary Health will award $50,000 in ICU scholarships to Western Health nurses to support health outcomes in Melbourne’s west.
Now in its fourth year, the annual scholarships are part of Plenary Health’s partnership with the Western Health Foundation during the delivery of the new Footscray Hospital.
Nursing scholarship recipient Axel D’emmerez de Charmony said: 'Beyond the incredible financial support, this scholarship represents recognition of my dedication to becoming a critical care nurse and a vote of confidence in my ability to excel in this demanding field. It frees me to focus on studies, gaining deeper knowledge and hands-on experience to become a highly skilled critical care nurse.'
Congratulations to all Western Health nursing award recipients.
Hundreds of people braved the rain for WalkWest, hosted by the Western Health Foundation, on Sunday 7 April. Plenary Health and Multiplex entered teams and sponsored the event, more than $145,000 toward the purchase of two extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machines for Western Health.
Welcome to the latest Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) newsletter, VHBA In Brief.
In this issue:
Subscribe to our mailing list to keep up to date on our announcements and project updates.
The 2024/25 Victorian Budget is investing more than $1.7 billion for health infrastructure projects across the state.
This includes more than $1.6 billion in upgrades and expansions for Austin Hospital, Northern Hospital and Monash Medical Centre.
The Engineering Infrastructure Replacement Program will receive $40 million over two years and $35 million will be invested in Victoria’s Medical Equipment Replacement Program.
The Mental Health Capital Renewal Fund will also deliver $10 million in priority infrastructure upgrades for mental health services.
Read about the funded projects
The new Footscray Hospital now has a direct link to Victoria University, following the installation of a new footbridge.
Spanning Ballarat Road, the 57-metre-long elevated footbridge was carefully craned into place.
Once complete, it will connect the new hospital’s education and research centre with Victoria University’s Footscray Park Campus, boosting access to education and research opportunities.
Watch the installation of the new Footscray Hospital footbridge
The $223.5 million stage of the Latrobe Regional Hospital expansion in Traralgon is now complete.
The multi-stage project has increased capacity and services at the hospital. Now Gippsland families will have the world-class care they need, closer to home.
Look around the expanded Latrobe Regional Hospital
See our latest project updates and milestones:
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The Victorian Government is expanding the capacity of the emergency department at Casey Hospital.
The expansion will support the treatment of an extra 52,000 presentations each year.
The expansion is part of a $280 million investment to boost the capacity of the emergency departments at both Casey Hospital and Werribee Mercy Hospital.
Casey Hospital is one of five Victorian public hospitals set to provide a specially designed children’s emergency department zone.
in public hospitals
in public hospitals
in energy efficiency and solar
in electricity costs to date
The Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA) supports hospitals to save energy and water. Saving energy and water benefits the environment and reduces costs.
For new buildings, VHBA's sustainability guidelines set a NABERS 5-star design target and minimum standards. They also allocate a proportion of the budget for sustainability. Sustainability initiatives supported include:
In existing hospitals, VHBA is investing $40 million in energy efficiency and solar. To date, VHBA investment has delivered some $1.2 million annual savings and avoided around 5,500 tonnes of greenhouse gases. The program has also supported energy audits at 43 health services, with initiatives being implemented.
The Victorian Government has committed to net zero by 2045. Public buildings play a large part in this. By publishing ratings, we are transparent about the environmental performance of public hospitals. The ratings are also an incentive to improve performance over time.
In 2022-23, Victorian public hospitals spent $170 million on energy and water. An improvement of 1 per cent could deliver $1.7 million in savings and free up funding for other things.
The rating mirrors the efforts of VHBA's energy efficiency and solar program. Providing health services with solar improves their energy ratings. It also helps them reach their sustainability goals.
Read more about Victoria's NABERS Public Hospitals ratings for 2022-23.
You can learn more about our environmental initiatives on our dedicated environmental sustainability page.
Victoria has set a new standard for sustainable healthcare.
The Victorian Government has unveiled the latest NABERS Public Hospitals ratings for water and energy efficiency for the first time. Publishing this data marks an environmental milestone in Victoria's healthcare sector.
NABERS stands for the National Australian Built Environment Rating System. It rates the environmental performance of public buildings by measuring energy and water use. Then, it compares them to other, similar public hospitals. NABERS uses a star rating system. Six stars represents superior performance.
Victorian public hospitals achieved an average NABERS rating of 4.1 for energy. This represents 'high performance'. They achieved an average rating of 3.9 for water, or 'market standard'.
Notably, 62 per cent of hospitals received above-average ratings for energy and water. Three hospitals earned a 6-star 'market leading' energy rating. Thirty hospitals secured a 5-star 'superior performance' rating. For water, 13 hospitals achieved 6-star and 29 hospitals 5-star ratings.
