Multimillion-dollar upgrade for Bankstown Hospital emergency department

Patients at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital’s emergency department can expect reduced waiting times when a $25 million upgrade is complete.

An artist’s impression for the new ED at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

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Work on the new $25 million emergency department at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital is expected to start at the end of the year with the NSW Government claiming it will cut down on waiting times.

The new department will have more beds — no exact numbers have been officially given — Patients will still be able to access the current emergency department while construction is going on.

The new ED is expected to be ready in early 2021.

According to the Bureau of Health Information’s latest report, at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital less than half (47.2 per cent) of triage 2 emergency patients were seen within the recommended time from January to March, compared to 55.1 per cent for the same period last year.

Triage 2 are emergencies such as chest pain and severe burns.

The new emergency department at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital will have extra beds.

The report said 59.9 per cent of all emergency patients were treated on time, compared to 69.8 per cent for the same period in 2018.

The upgrade ED is in addition to plans for a new Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

The government has earmarked $1.3 billion for that project.

No date or location has been announced yet, although Canterbury Bankstown Council wants it be built in the CBD near the new Western Sydney University.

East Hills state Liberal MP Wendy Lindsay, releasing the design plans for the new ED, said it would be a first class facility for the community.

Wendy Lindsay: I am very impressed with all the work that has gone into these designs. Picture: Robert Pozo

“Alongside the site plan, these new visuals give the community a sneak peek at how their new emergency department will look, from the inside out,” Mrs Lindsay said.

“I am very impressed with all the work that has gone into these designs, which follows a long process of planning and consultation involving South Western Sydney Local Health District, hospital staff and community groups.”

The new ED will include more treatment spaces (beds), faster initiation of treatment, reduced hospital stays due to additional ED short stay unit capacity and best practice arrangements for mental health, paediatric and bariatric patients.

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