Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak about my recent visit to the newly opened Bendigo hospital. I was lucky enough to meet and speak with Mr Peter Faulkner, Bendigo Health's Acting Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Director of the Bendigo Hospital Project.

In a life before politics, I served for five years on the board of the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne. During that time the entire hospital moved to a new state-of-the-art building that completely transformed its service delivery model, so I was particularly interested to speak with Peter about the transition from the old traditional facilities to the new Bendigo hospital, with its cutting edge facilities. The enormous logistical task of moving patients, staff and equipment from one space to another is incredibly complicated. Bendigo Health had put in considerable time and effort in advance of this project, and, as it was during my time at the RCH, it went without a hitch and was completed in a single day. Only weeks in, and it is clear that the new Bendigo hospital is firing on all cylinders.

The new facility itself is truly extraordinary. A $630 million commitment by the then Napthine state government in Victoria has allowed for the creation of a state-of-the-art health centre capable of meeting the rising demand created by our ever-increasing population in one of Australia's most vibrant regional cities. The new Bendigo hospital has the capacity for 372 inpatient beds, 72 same-day beds, 11 operating theatres, an integrated cancer centre, a 25-bed maternity unit and an 80-bed mental health unit.

Importantly, Bendigo Health have demonstrated real foresight in their ability to future-proof the hospital by including the construction of additional wards, which in the coming years can be filled to significantly expand the total capacity of Bendigo Health. This will ensure that the significant financial contribution of the Victorian state government for the construction of this hospital will be able to provide real value for many years and generations to come.

As I know well from my role with the Royal Children's Hospital, it is not merely the functional capability of a new hospital that is important, but also the design and the aesthetic of the place. There are many academic and empirical studies that demonstrate a link between the hospital environment and health outcomes. The architecture of Bendigo Hospital is truly remarkable. The main foyer comprises an enormous, light-filled space. It has retail outlets. It has a cafe. As Peter showed me around this new, state-of-the-art facility, it was lovely to see multiple internal courtyards and balconies, comfortable family-friendly spaces for patients' loved ones, and thoughtful landscaping and gardening across the hospital precinct.

As truly impressed as I was with beauty of the space, I could not help but share a joke with Peter about the conspicuous lack of a meerkat enclosure, such as we were fortunate enough to have at the Royal Children's Hospital. It was quite the drawcard.

While the new hospital is now operational, with all staff and patients migrated from the old facility, the work does not end here. Stage 1, which is essentially the new hospital itself, was completed in January of this year. But Stage 2, which adds further capability to the region's health network, is due to be completed in June of 2018. Stage 2 will include further retail outlets, a large conference facility, short-stay accommodation units, and a multi-deck carpark. Perhaps most importantly though, Stage 2 will include a helipad on top of this carpark, with a bridge directly into the hospital, which will significantly expand Bendigo's ability to respond to time-critical trauma patients, who previously would have had to be flown to Melbourne or Geelong.

As those living in remote locations in regional Victoria know only too well, the time it takes for aero-medical evacuation to Melbourne can be much too long. I am extremely pleased to hear that, with the completion of Stage 2 of the Bendigo Hospital project next year, my state will have taken an important step towards ensuring world-class and timely treatment for all Victorians.

I would also like to speak on the particular manner in which service-delivery was pursued for the construction and running of this hospital by the Napthine government. As then-Minister for Health the Hon. David Davis, said:

The Coalition Government, through the Public Private Partnership and Best and Final Offer tender process, has driven a better deal, better value for money and additional amenities for the community of Bendigo and north west Victoria.

The Bendigo Hospital Project has and will continue to be delivered as a public-private partnership. The government's partner in this project is Exemplar Health, which is a consortium made up of four market leaders; Lendlease, Spotless, Siemens and Capella Capital. By entering into a public-private partnership with private sector specialists, just as the Royal Children's Hospital has done, Bendigo Health can get back to the important business of providing medical care to patients.

Spotless, for example, is doing a wonderful job managing the hospital's non-clinical services. For the duration of the 25-year contract, Bendigo Health will be able to focus on healthcare while Spotless delivers food provision, building maintenance, cleaning and security. On my tour with Peter, I was even able to see some of the cutting-edge delivery robots that are being utilised to assist the hospital's non-clinical services. The robots are quite incredible. They push around trolleys which carry anything from meal trays and fresh bed linen, to medical resupplies for nurses' stations. It was really wonderful to see a concrete example of how technology and innovation is being used to ensure that Victorians are receiving the very best care in the new Bendigo Hospital.

I am extremely grateful to Mr Faulkner and the rest of the team at Bendigo Health for my opportunity to tour the new Bendigo Hospital. As I made clear in my first speech in this place, I have a particular interest in seeing how private sector stakeholders can better engage with government to ensure that citizens receive the very best service delivery. In the case of the new Bendigo Hospital, I am confident that the healthcare capabilities delivered by the new centre are phenomenal, and will only continue to grow, as the project further develops the hospital precinct. I look forward to returning to Bendigo soon, to see the opening of further state-of-the-art health facilities as part of this project. I thank the chamber.