New era of care

Dr Cindy Hastings (right) and staff at the new Nepean Hospital Emergency Department  

The new emergency department at Nepean Hospital opened at 8am on Thursday 2 February, completing Stage 1 of the $1 billion redevelopment, and all patients have been safely relocated to the new state-of-the-art facility.

The community can access the new ED 24 hours a day 7 days a week, via Gate 7 Somerset Street, Kingswood. 

The new purpose-built ED has been co-designed with staff, patients and consumers and will deliver world-class, 21^st century healthcare for the local community. 

Director of Nepean Hospital’s Emergency Department, Dr Cindy Hastings, said staff had been working tirelessly to prepare for the complex move, and a thorough commissioning plan had been developed to ensure the safe and smooth transition. 

“Relocating our emergency department was a big undertaking, but the safe transfer of patients and our service was a task our staff embraced and dedicated themselves to,” Dr Hastings said.

“With thorough planning in place, our relocation to the new tower ran incredibly smoothly and patients who presented for emergency care continued to receive high-quality, exceptional care throughout our move.”

Dr Hastings said the move was a monumental occasion for many staff who were involved in the planning and design of the new ED.

“There was a real buzz amongst staff throughout the first day in the new ED. We also had great feedback from patients who were excited about the new space and its contemporary design.

“We are incredibly excited to be in this new space that will better support the world class care that we provide to our patients.”

In March 2022, construction was completed on the new 14-storey tower and over 25 hospital departments, wards and services have since moved into the tower. 

Stage 2 of the Nepean Hospital Redevelopment is already underway with a main works contractor appointed to construct a second clinical services building on the hospital campus. Enabling works and construction are on track to start in early 2023.