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The $1.5 billion new Footscray Hospital has officially opened its doors, marking a major milestone for healthcare in Victoria – and a long-awaited moment for the thousands of families who rely on it.
As you’d expect, opening a new hospital is a huge logistical feat. According to the Victorian Government, around 4,500 staff have undergone dedicated training to prepare for the transition, ensuring the shift has been as seamless (and safe) as possible. The new hospital officially opened on Wednesday, February 18, with the former emergency department closing its doors, thousands of staff settling in to their new digs, and around 180 patients carefully transferred on day one alone. Core services – including ED, surgery, ICU, coronary care and mental health – are now up and running at the (architecturally impressive) new site.
Once fully operational, the new hospital will house more than 500 beds – 200 more than the previous site – and treat an additional 15,000 patients each year. For Melbourne’s booming western suburbs, that means faster care, closer to home.
The facilities are a significant step up. Patients needing planned surgery will benefit from state-of-the-art theatres, which are digitally linked to other Western Health sites to support education, case planning and integrated patient care. Radiology services are also getting a serious boost, with three premium CT scanners (including one located within the ED) and MRI capacity expanding from one machine to three.
In another milestone, the hospital is home to Victoria’s first fully public pathology service, servicing the entire Western Health network – meaning faster, higher-quality testing and diagnosis.
Specialist care will also be more accessible thanks to expanded consultation spaces, while an on-site education and training centre – run by Victoria University – will help train the next generation of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. Students studying physiotherapy, speech pathology, dietetics, biomedicine and psychology will also benefit from strengthened training and employment pathways.
Premier Jacinta Allan called the opening “a new hospital for Footscray, and a new future for health care in the west,” adding that families rely on a “strong, modern and free health system”.
You can learn more about the new hospital (including visitor hours and public transport options) over here.
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