Port Pirie Hospital is getting a major upgrade, with a brand-new Emergency Department (ED) currently under construction as part of the State Government’s $15.6 million investment in regional healthcare. The goal? To make emergency care more accessible and improve facilities for the local community.
Set to be completed later this year, this is the biggest development at the hospital since the GP Plus Health Care Centre opened in 2013.
The new ED will be larger and more modern than the current one, spanning 700 square metres. It will feature two resuscitation bays, eight patient treatment bays, a low-stimulation room, and a new entrance with patient admission and consulting areas.
Designed to enhance the patient experience and improve infection control, the new facility is a major step forward for emergency care in the region. The layout incorporates lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the space is built to support both patient safety and the resilience of the health system.
During the construction period, ambulance and visitor access to the existing main hospital building and emergency department will be unaffected. However, parking at the hospital and in surrounding streets may be more limited.
Beyond the Emergency Department, the helipad at Port Pirie Hospital is also being upgraded to improve landing space and streamline patient transfers. Also in development is a brand-new Clinical Simulation Training Laboratory to help train health workers, and a new Skin Cancer Clinic to provide comprehensive skin checks, dermoscopy, cryotherapy, and skin/lesion biopsies and excisions.
The State Government’s investment in the Port Pirie Hospital upgrades is part of their ongoing commitment to building a bigger health system for regional South Australia. This plan involves improving regional hospitals, boosting the workforce across the state, and ensuring regional communities have better access to health care closer to home.
So far, upgrades have been planned, initiated, or completed at hospitals in Gawler, Kangaroo Island, Keith, Mount Barker, Mount Gambier, Naracoorte, Port Augusta, Port Pirie, Victor Harbor, Clare, Leigh Creek, Bordertown, Wallaroo and Whyalla.
Regional residents will also benefit from the State Government’s investment in remote and virtual care programs, which aim to provide hospital-level care in the comfort of a patient’s own home or local health service.
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