WCH Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to get $20m upgrade after losing teaching accreditation

The WCH Paediatric Intensive Care Unit lost its teaching accreditation, but a $20m boost in Thursday’s budget aims to restore it to the highest standards.

The Women’s and Children’s Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) will get a $20m upgrade after The Advertiser revealed it had lost its teaching accreditation following a scathing assessment.

Thursday’s budget will have $20.1m for the work, as part of the next round of $27m of sustainment works in 2023-24, while planning is underway for the new $3.2bn WCH due to open in 2030-31.

The extensive upgrades including greater equipment storage space, dedicated clinical work space and break areas for clinicians follow recommendations for improvements by the College of Intensive Care Medicine in its training accreditation review late last year.

New Women’s and Children’s Hospital 2023 Master Plan Picture: Supplied

The review revealed the PICU is understaffed, overcrowded and obsolete, causing burnout among exhausted doctors and nurses.

The Advertiser has since revealed the WCH neonatal intensive care unit only received “conditional accreditation” following an inspection by the Royal College of Physicians, and a progress report on recommended improvements is due to be provided to the College by the end of this month.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the investment would ensure the most vulnerable children were cared for in the most appropriate setting.

“Our hardworking clinicians do a tremendous job, and we want to ensure they are able to continue delivering high-quality care within modern and safe infrastructure over the coming years while the brand new hospital is being built,” he said.

Health Minister Chris Picton said: “The PICU does an amazing job of caring for very unwell children and this funding boost will ensure it continues to do that while work gets underway on building a bigger and better new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”

Artist impression of the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Women’s and Children’s Health Network chief executive Lindsey Gough said she took matters raised by the College seriously.

“Our senior management and PICU staff have been working closely on our workforce and sustainment to address the recommendations outlined in last year’s training accreditation review,” she said.

“Our immediate priority is ensuring the work outlined in our action plan addresses the key concerns raised by the College, and that it’s carried out so we can continue to deliver the best outcomes for South Australian mothers and babies.

“Just this week, we have commenced construction as part of our stage one works that forms part of a redesign of the current PICU to create additional space. This will create two new equipment storage spaces and two separate meeting areas, as well as the relocation of a PICU staff break area to a dedicated, purpose-built space.”

Originally published as WCH Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to get $20m upgrade after losing teaching accreditation