New Royal Adelaide hospital now open!

[snifter]

Only a year and a half or so late  But its finally up and running to the public!

FWIW the link has a fab Then & Now toward  the end. Amazing pictures of the first RAH. 

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/new-royal-adelaide-hospital-is-open-for-business-from-7am-on-tuesday/news-story/f8be5863c881ec689e93892e3c28923a

 

New Royal Adelaide Hospital is open for business

Brad Crouch, Medical Reporter, The Advertiser

September 5, 2017 1:18pm

• New RAH officially opened, patients moved in by ambulance
• INTERACTIVE: Explore SA’s new $2.3bn hospital
• SPECIAL REPORT: Everything you need to know about the new RAH
• HI-TECH HOSPITAL: Our futuristic centre of healthcare
•  

THE $2.3 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital has opened for business after a smooth start that saw no emergency patients waiting at the door when the emergency department opened to the public at precisely 7am.

The first “walk-in” arrived at 7.02am, a man dropped off in a car who was put into a wheelchair and taken inside, followed by three ambulance arrivals in the next ten minutes, which included a car rollover victim taken into a resuscitation unit and was in a stable condition.

Director of RAH emergency medicine Dr Tom Soulsby described it as a “gentle start” to the gleaming new facility.

However, at the old RAH there were tears of nostalgia, as well as smiles — even a game of indoor cricket — from long-serving staff. And there were plenty of ambulances right up until its ED closed at 7am, as the state’s former flagship hospital continued its tradition of service right up until closing time.

Heavy demand putting EDs into overcapacity “code white” status saw the Lyell McEwin Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital all diverting ambulances to the old RAH overnight even as it prepared to close its doors.

At mid-morning there were 30 patients in its ED, who were expected to be transferred to the new facility by the end of the day, plus patients expected to be discharged today.

The transition phase saw full medical teams in the EDs of both facilities to ensure patient safety.

An uneventful day yesterday saw 131 patients moved to the new RAH — one more than anticipated.

About 102 patients are expected to be moved today and the final group tomorrow, in a rotation of 16 ambulances and the ambulance bus along North Terrace.

Staff are also moving as the huge new facility becomes fully operational.

Mr Weatherill said the transfer of patients was the largest seen in the state but was proceeding smoothly.

“A new era of health care in South Australia has opened with the opening of the new Royal Adelaide Hospital,” Mr Weatherill said.

Mr Snelling noted the hospital was the most advanced in the nation and a crucial part of the new Health and Biomedical Precinct, which could not have been achieved by upgrading the old site.

He said the opening was a “one-in-200-year event” and was cautiously optimistic with the progress of the move.

“I’m very very happy with where we are at — we expect to have all patients moved by tomorrow,” he said.

He also thanked staff at other hospitals who have helped shoulder the load while the old RAH emptied of patients in preparation for the move.

After a decade of controversy including a name change, cost blowouts and a 17-month delay in opening, inpatients can now enjoy modern facilities including single-patient rooms with ensuites, opening windows for fresh air and plenty of natural light through the building.

The fencing is down, staff are ready but officials are also asking people not needing emergency care to avoid the new ED, following interstate experience showing a “honey pot effect” attracting people with minor ailments curious about new facilities.

The ED will have 65 cubicles ready to treat patients from Tuesday with the ability to open up to 70 depending on demand, compared with 59 at the old RAH.

Staff are excited about the new hospital, including ED clerk Jason Spicer who starts his first day on the job on Tuesday following training, after switching from the oil and gas industry.

“It is a brilliant hospital and I am thrilled to be starting my first proper day on the actual day it opens,” he said.

Nurse educator Jessica Gannon spent 11 years at the old RAH and said staff were “incredibly excited” to be providing care in a cutting-edge facility. “This is leaps and bounds ahead of what we have been working in,” she said.

“Nursing staff have worked hard preparing for this and are excited to be able to put it into practice.”

ED site director Dr Megan Brooks said staff were fully prepared. “As emergency physicians, we expect the unexpected — we are fully prepared for any contingency,” she said.

“We are privileged to be working in this facility and want to thank the public for providing it so we can care for patients — we are ready to go.”

Dr Brooks praised staff at other metropolitan and nearby country hospitals who have helped shoulder the load while the RAH ramped down prior to the move.

The old hospital had been emptied to less than half its usual capacity, with 383 patients left on Monday morning prior to starting the three-day the move, including those due to be discharged rather than transferred.

The challenging task of shifting patients continues Tuesday and Wednesday after 131 — one more than the official target — were moved Monday in a fleet of 16 ambulances and the ambulance bus.

The first patient moved, Roselyn Katsikas, 56, who is being treated for Crohn’s disease, said the old hospital was “functional but tired” and she was looking forward to the new: “It sounds like a holiday resort,” she said.

People who arrive at the old ED prior to Tuesday’s 7am cut-off will be treated at the site and the ED is expected to be emptied by late afternoon. People arriving after 7am will find fencing, signs and staff directing them to the new site.

Extra staff have been rostered on to ensure full medical coverage at both EDs during this morning’s transition.

SA Ambulance Service chief executive Jason Killens said the first day of the move went smoothly despite some initial “lumps and bumps” with equipment which were swiftly resolved.

“We’ve gone pretty much to plan,” he said. “We are planning to move all patients by the end of the day on Wednesday,” he said.

This will include four patients flown to the RAH with burns after a car sprayed hot fuel over crowds at a burnout competition in Alice Springs.

The new hospital’s Mental Health Unit opened today, with one patient being transferred from the old facility.

Premier Jay Weatherill and Health Minister Jack Snelling joined medical staff and administrators at the ED to mark the opening.

[doubter]

I seen SA Ambulance, my possible future employers,played a big part transferring patients between hospitals.