Hospital upgrade gets go-ahead

ST John of God Ballarat’s redevelopment will get underway next month following approval of the upgrades by the hospital’s healthcare board.

Works will begin on Tuesday, 5 July to transform the Drummond Street side of the hospital, and this main entry-point will be closed until the upgrade is finished.

The works are set to expand capacity and include a new medical services building, four operating theatres, a 10-bed intensive and critical care unit, a 30-bed in-patient ward, recovery room, central sterile services department, and catheterisation laboratory.

“St John of God Ballarat Hospital has been experiencing a very high level of community demand for its health care services for many years,” said SJOG CEO Alex Demidov.

“This stage one hospital redevelopment is the first step in addressing capacity and access issues for the community’s doctors and their patients.

“The redevelopment will also inject a minimum of 100 new jobs into the Ballarat precinct and ensure that patients and their loved ones can have access to the very best care, right here in their local community.”

While the construction works are underway, the Drummond Street carpark will be closed off.

Visitors will be able to park next to the emergency department, just off Mair Street, and enter the hospital on the west side.

Here, there will also be disabled parking and a drop-off zone and a north entrance via Webster Street will also be open, which is currently the door to Lake Imaging.

Those attending Ballarat Cardiology and Ballarat Cancer Care will be able to enter the hospital via the historic stone gates on Drummond Street near the roundabout.