New day surgery theatres, cancer centre, fertility clinic in plans

Burnside Hospital is planning to build a major new facility over the road connected by an air bridge with day surgery theatres, cancer centre, fertility clinic and more. See the artist renders.

Burnside Hospital has lodged huge expansion plans which will see a major new three-storey building with operating theatres, cancer treatment centre and a fertility clinic built across the side road.

The new building fronting Kensington Rd would be joined to the existing hospital by an airbridge over Moore St, Toorak Gardens.

It comes a year after the not-for-profit Burnside Hospital acquired the Sportsmed Hospital business at Stepney in a move which virtually doubled Burnside’s capacity.

The project is valued at $65m however many more millions of dollars of medical equipment would be installed such as state-of-the art imaging equipment.

The rear view of the proposed Burnside Hospital Health Precinct.

Burnside Hospital (right) with artist impression of planned new facility across the road.

If approved the facility would welcome its first patients in early 2027.

It would have two new day surgery operating theatres able to cater for up to 3500 procedures a year, complementing the five theatres in the existing hospital.

It also will offer comprehensive cancer care, increasing the hospital’s chemotherapy treatment services by a third and providing a linear accelerator for radiation treatment.

A new fertility clinic with capacity for freezing embryos would complement Burnside Hospital’s maternity unit.

The centre will have expanded diagnostic imaging and pathology services. Several medical specialists will relocate from the existing hospital into larger rooms and other specialists are expected to lease rooms.

Burnside Hospital Health Precinct development.

Burnside Hospital chief executive Alan Morrison said there was growing demand for healthcare offered by the hospital.

“There is a nationwide financial crisis impacting private hospitals, and communities get hurt when their local hospitals have to cut back services or close their doors,” he said.

“We’re determined that won’t happen to Burnside Hospital. It’s why we acquired the Sportsmed Hospital business last year to create Burnside Hospital Stepney and it is why we are creating our new Health Precinct.

“With the range of services it will provide, including two new operating theatres and a procedure room, specialist consulting rooms, radiology, cancer treatment, pathology and a new fertility clinic, we will be meeting the growing demand for quality healthcare in Adelaide’s east and underscoring our ability to care for our community for decades to come.”

Burnside Hospital Health Precinct development.

Burnside Hospital Health Precinct development.

The development application comes a month after Planning Minister Nick Champion approved a zoning change to allow a medical and allied health centre up to five levels high at the nearby corner of Kensington Rd and Portrush Rd, which was previously limited to two storeys.

Burnside Hospital’s planned new building will have three levels of underground parking for up to 200 cars, and consultation has been ongoing with neighbours.

Partly glazed windows and slatted louvres will ensure rooms looking east look up to the Hills rather than down into neighbours’ properties.

Around 200 jobs will be created during construction and the facility will support more than 70 professional healthcare and support roles.

The hospital owns the land and will partner with Cambridge Medical Property in the plan which eventually will see the developer own the building while the hospital will have a 25-year head lease and multiple further leasing options.