North West Private Hospital to have 52 per cent more beds, more carparking under new expansion plan

A Tasmanian hospital has unveiled massive expansion plans that would see its total number of beds grow by more than 50 per cent and its carparking availability grow by nearly 25 per cent. See the pictures >

North West Private Hospital, Cooee. Picture: Healthe Care

Healthe Care, the owner of Burnie’s North West Private Hospital, a 53-bed facility that provides the region’s only birthing service, has unveiled plans for an expansion of the hospital, involving an additional 28 beds and 41 carparking spaces.

The development application over the hospital, which is located at 21–23 Brickport Rd, Cooee, and is co-located with North West Medical Centre, University of Tasmania, and North West Regional Hospital, is being advertised by Burnie City Council.

According to a report by planners Urbis, submitted in support of the application, “The expansion will facilitate an additional 34 beds (and remove 6 for a net gain of 28... including nine surgical beds) over 2,087 sqm of additional gross floor area.”

The addition of 28 new beds would represent an increase of about 52 per cent to the hospital’s patient capacity, with 53 beds currently.

Render of a proposed expansion to North-West Private Hospital at Cooee, which is co-located with North West Regional Hospital at 21-23 Brickport Rd. Picture: Burnie City Council/ HSPC

Ten beds located adjacent to the new wing would be “refurbished”.

The majority of the new beds would be located in rooms that are “located on the perimeter of the built form to maximise access to natural light and outlook”.

Other major additions to the hospital would include two courtyards, new back-of-house and staff areas, and an additional 361 sqm catheterisation laboratory.

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Carparking spaces at the hospital would also increase by about 25 per cent under the plan, from 168 to 210, while additional motorcycle and bicycle spaces would also be demarcated.

According to the Urbis report, the “majority” of the expansion would be located above the existing carpark, at the north west corner of the existing private hospital.

“The proposed expansion will incorporate complementary materials and colours to existing built form,” the report’s author said.

“The proposed built form has been designed to be an expansion of the existing hospital and will appropriately respond to the topography and constraints of the site.

“The proposed building is located over the existing carpark, taking advantage of the flat terrain to limit any potential landslip impacts.”

A smaller expansion, involving the creation of seven new beds, was submitted and approved in 2018.

According to North West Private Hospital’s website, the facility, owned by national provider Healthe Care, which has 17 facilities across the country, has been servicing the community since 1988.

It delivers approximately 1000 babies per year, both for public and private patients, as the region’s only birthing service.

Other services delivered at the hospital include general medical, surgical, obstetrics and gynaecology, mental health and palliative care.

Parallel to the private hospital’s expansion, the state government said in April it had committed $61m, including $40m for a new mental health precinct, to North West Regional Hospital as part of a 20-year masterplan to revitalise the region’s public health system.