New name for former Geelong Private Hospital site

The new name and future plans for the former Geelong Private Hospital site have been revealed.

Geelong hospital’s ‘Building B’ at the former Geelong Private Hospital site has been renamed the Youang Surgery Centre.

The name was selected by the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Corporation, inspired by the building’s views of the You Yangs across Corio Bay and the Wadawurrung language term “Ude Youang”.

The You Yangs name comes from Aboriginal words Wurdi Youang or Ude Youang, according to historians and traditional owners.

Barwon Health CEO Frances Diver and Wadawurrung man Ash Skinner at the renaming of the old Geelong Private Hospital site. Picture: Alan Barber

The Geelong Private Hospital closed in 2018.

The site was recommissioned to support the pandemic response and more recently to increase Barwon Health’s surgical capacity.

Short stay surgical and medical beds opened in August, bringing overnight patients back to the site for the first time since the Geelong Private Hospital closed.

Refurbishments at the Youang Surgery Centre have added four new operating theatres, 13 specialist consulting rooms and 40 new beds.

The initial refurbishment of the facility was made possible by a Percy Baxter Trust donation to fund the purchase of 55 hospital beds and 100 mattresses, as well as funding from the State Government as part of a pandemic response plan.

Dr Simon Williams, clinical director surgery and critical care and Barwon Health CEO Frances Diver, in the new Youang Surgery Centre. Picture: Alan Barber

Barwon Health chief executive Frances Diver said the Youang Surgery Centre was key part of responding to the need to “catch up” elective surgery.

Data released by the Victorian Agency for Heath Information showed Geelong hospital’s elective surgery waitlist was at 2453 patients at June 30.

While the waitlist was a reduction from 2650 at March 31, it was much higher than the 1789 in June 2021.

University Hospital Geelong’s Building B (the former Geelong private hospital site) has been renamed the Youang Surgery Centre. Picture: Alan Barber

“Recommissioning the building as the Youang Surgery Centre means we now have extra

dedicated surgical and medical beds and theatres, which has a flow-on effect to create more capacity throughout the whole hospital,” Ms Diver said.

“Activating the Youang Surgery Centre will provide for approximately 5500 theatre procedures and 10,000 outpatient appointments each year and will significantly improve access to services at the hospital.

“This is the first time overnight patients have been admitted to the Youang Surgery Centre since the site was occupied by the former Geelong Private Hospital, and it’s taken a lot of innovative planning to refurbish the building for this purpose.”

Originally published as New name for former Geelong Private Hospital site