PREMIER Daniel Andrews has announced a funding package aimed at supporting Victoria\u2019s health system, and the Ballarat Base Hospital is in line to benefit.<\/p>\n
The move came after Mr Andrews visited the hospital last week to see the progress of ongoing renovations.<\/p>\n
As part of the effort, described as \u201congoing plan to reinforce health services\u201d, the Base is one of 12 hospitals receiving a share of $162 million statewide, and Mr Andrews said the site\u2019s redevelopment makes ideal candidate for the money.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Ballarat Base Hospital is] not just one of the biggest health redevelopments in regional Victoria, it\u2019s in fact one of the biggest health redevelopments in Australia,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[It\u2019s] a really significant project for patients, a significant project also for the staff that work at Ballarat Base Hospital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose that have got the busiest EDs are going to benefit from these additional staff, from this additional funding and from this additional focus on those practical common sense things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The money will be used to provide extra staff and resources, with in the hope of decreasing pressure on the hospital\u2019s emergency department as a result of the ongoing pandemic and increasing cases of flu.<\/p>\n
It will also introduce virtual triage technology while expanding the online service\u2019s capacity to accommodate up to 500 patients a day.<\/p>\n
The hospital\u2019s $541 million redevelopment includes a new emergency department, theatre suites and 100 inpatient beds.<\/p>\n
Grampians Health CEO Dale Fraser said the additional staff will support the redevelopment\u2019s expansion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m delighted with this government\u2019s ongoing interest and commitment in Ballarat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs [Mr Andrews] said, the building is built with a plan for expansion and I\u2019m delighted that five short years after that conversation, we\u2019ve got the space being used for the intended purposes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking for our [post-university] cohort this year\u2026 [that will] come in job-ready. The Premier also described an expansion to nursing placements.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll those things add up to a capacity for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PREMIER Daniel Andrews has announced a funding package aimed at supporting Victoria\u2019s health system, and the Ballarat Base Hospital is in line to benefit. The move came after Mr Andrews visited the hospital last week to see the progress of ongoing renovations. As part of the effort, described as \u201congoing plan to reinforce health services\u201d, […]<\/p>\n