Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment

The redevelopment of Ballarat Base Hospital will deliver:

• new central energy plant
• new pharmacy and pathology facilities
• new Centre for Education and Training
• multilevel hospital tower
• new emergency department
• new women and children’s hub
• state-of-the-art theatre suite
• an extra 100 inpatient and short stay beds
• new and expanded critical care floor.

The new and expanded critical care floor will include:

• operating theatres
• procedure rooms
• an expanded intensive care unit
• endoscopy suites
• consulting rooms.

The Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment aims to achieve the following benefits:

More patients treated

The redevelopment will provide additional capacity to treat at least 18,000 more emergency patients and an extra 14,500 inpatients each year. With new models of care and new design guidelines, the redevelopment will be flexible and able to respond to increasing demand expected over the coming years.

More surgeries

The redevelopment will deliver a new and expanded critical care floor, intensive care unit, operating theatres, procedure rooms, an expanded intensive care unit, endoscopy suits and consulting rooms. This will deliver capacity for an additional 4,000 surgeries every year.

A boost in local jobs

The redevelopment will also boost employment in the region, with more than 1,400 construction jobs expected to be created. Once fully operational, up to 1,000 extra positions will be created at the hospital.

Expressions of interest from community members to join the Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment community consultative committee have now closed.

The role and purpose of the community consultative committee is to:

• provide advice on local community health and social needs
• represent the community’s diverse views
• provide advice on emerging issues, opportunities and priorities of the local community.

Former Victorian Premier and Ballarat local Steve Bracks will chair the community consultative committee, alongside Member for Wendouree Juliana Addison and Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle.

The community consultative committee will be established throughout the planning stage of the Ballarat Base Hospital redevelopment and will initially operate for 12 months. After the initial stage, the committee will be reviewed and renewed.

The committee will hold its first meeting in 2021 and will meet around four times a year. Meeting days and times will be determined by the needs and availability of the committee.

Successful applicants will be advised in early 2021.

This project is being delivered by the Victorian Health and Human Services Building Authority in partnership with Ballarat Health Services.

Why is the Ballarat Base Hospital being redeveloped?

The Ballarat Base Hospital is being redeveloped so it can expand to meet the growing population and health needs of Ballarat and the surrounding areas.

A significant redevelopment and expansion of the hospital is needed to:

• ensure clinical services can meet increasing demand from the growing community
• provide contemporary facilities for patients, staff and visitors.

To prepare for the future, in May 2018 the Victorian Government announced it will invest $461.6 million to redevelop the Ballarat Base Hospital.

The Victorian Government has announced an additional $80 million in the state budget to build a new central energy plant, bringing the total investment to $541.6 million.

What is included in the redevelopment?

The redevelopment of Ballarat Base Hospital will deliver:

• new central energy plant
• new pharmacy and pathology facilities
• new Centre for Education and Training
• multilevel hospital tower
• new emergency department
• new women and children’s hub
• state-of-the-art theatre suite
• an extra 100 inpatient and short stay beds
• new and expanded critical care floor.

The new and expanded critical care floor will include:

• operating theatres
• procedure rooms
• an expanded intensive care unit
• endoscopy suites
• consulting rooms.

When will construction start?

Construction of the central energy plant, which includes a new pharmacy, pathology and centre for education and training, will get underway in August 2022.

Construction of the multi-level hospital tower, which will include a new emergency department, a women and children’s hub, theatre suite and extra inpatient and short stay beds, will start in 2024.

When will the redevelopment be completed?

The redevelopment of Ballarat Base Hospital is expected to take several years, as is common with large construction projects of this size.

The construction of the central energy plant is expected to be completed in early 2024. The main hospital works are expected to be completed in 2027.

Will the acute mental health facility still be delivered?

The redevelopment features a flexible design to cater for the region’s growing population.

The redevelopment includes key upgrade works to mental health. However, the complete works will be finalised in response to outcomes from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System.

Will the redeveloped hospital have enough carparking?

Ballarat Health Services is working with the Victorian Government to deliver additional car spaces in Ballarat’s town centre.

How many jobs will the project create?

The redevelopment is expected to create more than 1,400 construction jobs. Once fully operational, up to 1,000 extra positions will be created at the hospital.

Will residents near the hospital be affected by the redevelopment?

We will work with Ballarat Health Services and the community to minimise disruptions to neighbouring residents and businesses.

We are committed to keeping the community up-to-date as the project progresses. Works will be communicated through the Ballarat Health Services website, this project page, local media and directly to residents where appropriate.

Will hospital services be affected during construction?

Works will be planned and managed to minimise impacts to patients, staff and families at Ballarat Base Hospital.

A number of hospital functions will be relocated to new spaces as part of the redevelopment. Access paths may also change to ensure the safety of staff and patients. These changes will be communicated through the Ballarat Health Services website and directly to staff and patients where appropriate.

Will there be any impact on carparking during construction?

Some stages of the project may impact on traffic flows or carparking availability. These changes will be communicated through the Ballarat Health Services website and directly to staff and patients where appropriate.

What work has been done since the redevelopment was first announced in May 2018?

A major infrastructure project of this size is a complex job that requires considerable planning. Since the initial announcement in May 2018, we have further developed models of care and service planning to ensure the redevelopment will meet the needs of the community for generations to come. The master plan and feasibility study have been developed to reflect demand, and to ensure the delivery minimises impacts to current services and to patients and families visiting the Ballarat Base Hospital.

To receive updates about the redevelopment, sign up to the mailing list by providing your email address to bbhrproject@dhhs.vic.gov.au.