Perth Children's Hospital Increases Bed Numbers

The WA State Government has announced the capacity of its new children’s hospital has been increased from 274 beds to 298 beds in order to meet the revised demand forecast for 2021.
The hospital, which will be named Perth Children's Hospital, has been reconfigured to deliver an extra 24-bed surgical ward.
Premier Colin Barnett said the extra ward would be created at a cost of $35million. Mr Barnett said the $1.2billion hospital would serve as the hub of Western Australia’s paediatric network for the most complex and critical cases.
 “The key clinical and research areas at PCH will be 52 per cent bigger than that at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), including an Emergency Department (ED) which will be 88 per cent bigger,” he said.
The Family Resource Centre is more than three times the size of that in PMH, providing vastly improved facilities for patients, their parents and siblings. Three out of four rooms would be single rooms.
“PCH will be one of the best paediatric hospitals in the world.  I"t will combine leading-edge technology and medical equipment, and family friendly design, including big recreation areas for patients and their siblings, bedside accommodation for families and family resource lounges,” the Premier said.  
Health Minister Kim Hames said the expanded capacity at PCH was part of the Government’s program to boost the total number of paediatric beds across the metropolitan area to just over 400. 
“PCH will be supported by six other public hospitals - Fiona Stanley Hospital, Midland Public Hospital, Joondalup Health Campus, Peel Health Campus, Armadale-Kelmscott Memorial Hospital and Rockingham General Hospital - all with dedicated paediatric beds,” Dr Hames said. 
“It is important that there are paediatric beds in the suburbs, close to where families live, to provide convenient and high-quality health care for less complex medical cases. “The new Fiona Stanley Hospital will have 29 paediatric beds and a dedicated paediatric ED, while Midland Public Hospital will have 12 paediatric beds.  "Between them PCH, Fiona Stanley Hospital and Midland Public Hospital will deliver 339 new paediatric beds that will be among the best in the world.” 
Dr Hames said the latest modelling used the most up-to-date population figures and actual 2011-12 paediatric inpatient activity.
“PCH, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Midland Public Hospital and expansion at existing hospitals will take the total capacity to just over 400 paediatric beds - the very latest modelling predicts that we will need 399 beds for 2021,” he said. “We have capacity for further expansion at both PCH and the other hospitals to cater for paediatric demand beyond 2021.” 
The Premier said Perth Children’s Hospital had been chosen as the name after careful consideration, in recognition of the original name of WA’s children’s hospital when it opened in 1909.  It was renamed Princess Margaret Hospital in 1949.
 
“This will be a new hospital for a new generation.  In naming it Perth Children’s Hospital, we acknowledge the role it has played in our city and State; the lives of thousands of children and families; and the traditions and excellence that started more than 100 years ago,” he said.