News
Wollongong Private Hospital Reinvents Day Surgery in the Digital Age
Jul 02, 2018
Less than three years since opening, Ramsay Health Care formally announces plans to expand Wollongong Private Hospital with the construction of a new standalone day surgery and separate cardiac catheter lab. The multimillion dollar project, which has received approval from the NSW Ministry of Health, will see the development housed on Level 5, within the current hospital footprint.
The purpose-designed day surgery development features:
- One operating theatre
- One endoscopy suite
- One cardiac catheter lab
- Additional preoperative bays and improved waiting areas
- Streamlined layout enabling efficient patient flow between admission, theatre and recovery stages
Future growth has also been considered with the addition of a second catheter lab shell and third operating theatre shell integrated into the day surgery design, as well as plans for further inpatient beds on level 5.
Upon completion, high turn-over day procedures such as ophthalmology, gastroenterology, endourology, dental, facio-maxillary and minor orthopaedic surgery will move from the main operating theatres on Level 1. General cardiology and interventional cardiology procedures will be performed from a dedicated cardiac catheter lab within the new surgical centre.
With current theatres operating at capacity, the separation of day and cardiac procedures from the main theatres also allows Wollongong Private Hospital to grow and enhance its services in other areas of high acuity such as interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, orthopaedics, upper GI and neurosurgery.
Wollongong Private Hospital CEO, David Crowe, said the redevelopment was necessary to meet increasing patient demand and it gave the hospital a unique opportunity to enhance patient experience. “Wollongong Private Hospital has gained fast momentum since our opening just two and a half years ago. We’ve invested millions of dollars in new technologies, including the gold standard da Vinci Robotic system, and have successfully established Wollongong Private Hospital as the market leading facility in the region. The new day surgery will provide yet another appealing proposition to patients, negating the perceived need to travel to Sydney for surgery.”
Mr Crowe said, “The redevelopment presents us a once in a lifetime opportunity to reengineer our day surgery patient experience from the ground up. Our goal is to offer a highly efficient, patient-centred day surgical centre, achieved through implementation of an innovative new digital solution. Patient flow will be streamlined from referral, through to admission, with little to no wait time for patients on the day of their surgery.”
Relatives tasked with collecting their loved ones following surgery will also benefit from a reduced waiting time – a patient tracking system will allow relatives to check the progress of a patient’s surgery and time pick-up accordingly.
Despite the use of digital technologies, day surgery patients will notice improved customer service with the appointment of a day surgery ‘concierge’ who will personally usher patients through the admission process.
Construction of the new Wollongong Private Hospital Day Surgery has commenced, with the new theatres and catheter lab expected to be in operation early 2019.