Uploaded on 2015-06-13 by SteveWallace

Due to the growing and ageing population, the ACT Government (an Australian mainland territory) is spending more than $1B expanding and upgrading hospital facilities. In order to keep services continuous and integrated, new hospital buildings are being built on the site of the existing Canberra Hospital - a public, tertiary hospital. The hospital provides services to the local territory (ACT) and also higher order services to a surrounding region of the separate state of NSW. As you can see above, a helicopter rescue service for the region is based here. The health funding and other arrangements between the ACT, NSW and the Australian federal government are complicated. The impact of the expanded and upgraded hospital and the inter-governmental arrangements mean that very few patients from the region need to travel 300km to the NSW state capital Sydney any longer for any hospital services - a very positive impact for patients and families. On the left of the photograph is the new women and children's hospital (previously only a clinic located elsewhere), closely integrated to all the other hospital services if needed. There are also a new regional cancer clinic and expanded mental health facilities. ACT Health is trying to take this opportunity to make services and building design more patient-centric and hence more flexible - hospital buildings thus have the potential to be thought of as physical and sometimes software systems. Immediately neighbouring, but not shown, is a private hospital - once again it is conveniently located if very complicated services, only available in a tertiary hospital, are needed. ![][2] The second photograph (taken from the other end of the campus) gives an indication of the large size of the hospital. The impact of such a large 24/7 campus on the surrounding suburbs can be significant. Fortunately, about half the campus is surrounded by parks or ovals (some shown) and a school (so out-of-hours impacts do not arise). Nevertheless, parking, helicopter flight path and other restrictions have been imposed to help maintain amenity in the neighbourhood. Due to its vital service, the occasional helicopter noise is generally accepted by nearby residents. [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14341826127305484.jpg [2]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14341851979938431.jpg