Albury Wodonga Health has revealed plans for the development of its new $30 million Emergency Department at Albury hospital, after outgrowing the current site a few years ago.
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Albury Wodonga Health Deputy CEO and Director of Planning Janet Chapman said the demand at the current Emergency Department was too big for the space.
"It's way too small," Ms Chapman said.
"We have really one of the biggest health services in Victoria for Emergency Department presentations."
Ms Chapman said about 35,000 patients would present to the Albury hospital's Emergency Department each year, but the space was designed to cater for 20 people.
"Our staff do an extraordinary job to manage in very constrained space," she said.
"It's very cramped, so this will be a very, very different experience."
The plans show the new Emergency Department will extend out into the current car park to be about four times bigger than the department's current footprint.
Emergency Department Nurse Unit Manager Lindsay Nichols said it had been frustrating waiting years for the new department, but the new facility would be "an absolute game changer".
"We've been working in this old Emergency Department for quite a period of time and it's outgrown its size and its purpose," he said.
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"Our activity made a huge jump, so really we've felt the strain from about 2018 onwards in terms of trying to fit our activity into this emergency department.
"We're excited to move into a contemporary department that's fit for purpose.
"It gives us new opportunities to deliver better models of care, so a specific pediatric area, bigger resuscitation area, a more fit for purpose triage and waiting room space ... better facilities, better storage, better equipment, better IT infrastructure.
"It's absolutely moving us from the small country hospital to a major regional hospital."
Ms Chapman said finishing the designs was a "significant milestone" and staff had been consulted "every step of the way".
"We're pretty excited to be at this stage and starting to see the detail that tells us exactly what the department is going to look like," she said.
"This has been very much supported by clinical staff."
Mr Nichols said he'd spent many hours looking over the designs.
"I could probably walk through it in my sleep," he said, "at this stage, I think if I closed my eyes I could walk through the halls."
Ms Chapman said the constructions would start and end next year.
"It's lovely to come out here and stand where the new building is going to be and to imagine in only 18 months time, we'll have a new Emergency Department," she said.
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