50 extra beds, 48 additional doctors for new WCH, under Labor

More beds and doctors will be included in an expanded new Women’s and Children’s Hospital if Labor wins the March state election.

An extra 50 beds and 48 doctors will be included in the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, under a Labor state government.

The Opposition announced on Monday that if it wins the March state election, it will inject $100m into the new hospital, to be built on the western side of the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Port Rd, for an additional 50 beds. This will include cancer and mental health beds.

It will also spend $31.6m for 48 extra doctors, including 17 senior specialists, at the existing hospital before the additional staff move across to the new facility once it is open in 2027.

A further $6.2m has been pledged for 12 specialist nurses to boost cancer and mental health services.

The announcement forms part of Labor’s commitment to opening at extra 300 hospital beds across the health system, to help fix ramping.

Sami Glastonbury with son Frank, 8, and Labor Leader Peter Malinauskas near the site of the new WCH on Port Road. Picture: Michael Marschall

Frank Glastonbury, 8, attends many appointments at the existing Women’s and Children’s Hospital, having been born blind and with a heart condition and epilepsy.

Frank said the plan for the new hospital was “really good”.

His mother Sami Glastonbury, 41, of St Morris, said the extra beds planned by Labor were critical.

She said last year Frank needed to immediately undergo a series of neurological tests but a bed wasn’t available at the current hospital so they were forced to present at the emergency department.

“He needed to be seen immediately and I think (the delay) was … a good 24 hours,” she said.

“To put that into perspective, for neurological conditions, he was having a cluster of seizures, so very, very scary.

“So we’re a huge advocate for anything that’s going to improve or expand care for not only our son but we also know … there’s so many more families (affected).”

Tanya Edwards spoke on behalf of her friend Sarah and her son Hugo, 7 who was diagnosed with a stage four brain tumour in January 2021.

She said Sarah and Hugo moved from Adelaide to Perth in November last year because of a lack of beds at the existing Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Ms Edwards said the move was sparked by an incident at the North Adelaide hospital in which a bed wasn’t available for Hugo and he instead had to go to the emergency department where he picked up a potentially deadly virus.

“The extra beds would absolutely make a huge difference because you’re not going to get people then landing in the emergency department, getting stuck there and can’t flow through to the wards,” she said.

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas said Labor would “build a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital with more beds – providing more care for more women and kids for generations to come”.

Opposition health spokesman Chris Picton said: “Labor will build extra capacity now, rather than having to come back in a few years’ time when costs are likely to be much more expensive for taxpayers and there will be disruption in expanding a hospital already underway”.

Health Minister Stephen Wade said the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, under the Liberals’ plan, would have the capacity to treat an extra 21,400 patients a year compared with the current site.

Originally published as 50 extra beds, 48 additional doctors for new WCH, under Labor