No. 26

$8.5 MILLION TO ENHANCE CRITICAL CARE CAPACITY 

The ACT Government will invest more than $8.5 million over four years to expand and develop critical care services in the ACT.

Health Minister Katy Gallagher said $5 million would be provided for additional intensive care capacity and $3.5 million for clinical equipment.

“This initiative will provide additional capacity and fund an additional Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed at Canberra Hospital to continue to meet the growing demand for trauma and complex care in the ACT,” Ms Gallagher said.  

“This builds on our previous investment of $2.767 million to provide a 30 per cent increase in ICU capacity at the Canberra Hospital which is the major tertiary referral and trauma hospital for the ACT and the surrounding region and part of the NSW intensive care network.

“The $5 million provided over the next four years for additional intensive care capacity will ensure that the people of the ACT continue to be able to access these essential services when needed and that our ICU services have the capacity be able to respond effectively to increases in demand.”

Ms Gallagher said the ACT Government had also allocated $3.5 million over three years for the purchase of clinical equipment for the expanded Intensive, High Dependency and Coronary Care Unit at Calvary Hospital.

Ms Gallagher said this initiative would contribute to the expansion and development of critical care services in the ACT.  

“It will enable the purchase of major clinical equipment items to support the redevelopment and expansion of the Intensive, High Dependency and Coronary Care facilities at Calvary Hospital,” she said.

“The initiative includes the development and implementation of an Intensive Care and Coronary Care clinical information management system at Calvary and at the Canberra Hospital, to support clinical assessment of patients.”