Construction begins on Stage 1 of $3.2bn New Women's & Children's Hospital in SA

The first sod has been turned and construction is now underway on the first stage of the $3.2 billion New Women’s and Children’s Hospital in South Australia. 

The $306 million package of works for Stage 1 will deliver the 1,300 space multi-level car park and central energy facility. 

“I am delighted to stand alongside our clinicians and consumers to commence these important works. 

“We want to build a new hospital for the long-term and share their thoughts on how we build a hospital fit for the future, that the community deserves and needs. 

“This hospital belongs to the women and children of South Australia, and I’m proud to lead the way in creating a facility for future generations,” Women’s and Children’s Health Network Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Graham said. 

The new eight-storey car park building will provide more capacity for staff and visitors and its design will complement the surrounding Park Lands. The building will feature accessible spaces such as disability car parks and pram parking. 

The new car park building is due to be completed in 2027. 

Meanwhile, the two-storey central energy facility, which will be built north of the new car park, will accommodate the hospital’s electrical and mechanical engineering equipment, generators and cooling towers. 

The New Women’s and Children’s Hospital will be the first 100 per cent electric public hospital in the State. It will have 414 overnight beds – 56 beds more than the current hospital – with the capacity to add an extra 20 beds in the future. 

The $3.2 billion hospital project will also deliver a larger Emergency Department with 43 treatment spaces, state-of-the-art surgical suites and a dedicated on-site helipad. 

“This is an exciting milestone for a once-in-a generation project that will deliver a bigger and better Women’s and Children’s Hospital for our state for decades to come. 

“I promised South Australians at the election that we would make decisions in the interests of the long term, not the short term, and this is a prime example of that. 

“The new Women’s and Children’s Hospital will have 56 more beds than the current hospital, plus capacity for another 20 more beds on top of that,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said. 

Aerial artist impression of the new hospital (source: New Women's and Children's Hospital Project)

In 2022, the South Australian Government revealed that the SAPOL Barracks has been chosen as the preferred site for the New Women’s and Children’s Hospital, near the Royal Adelaide Hospital. 

Not only will the preferred site enable both hospitals to expand in the future, but it will also allow all critical care services to be co-located on one floor of the new hospital with a dedicated helipad directly accessing the critical clinical areas. Critical care services will include birthing, theatres, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

In addition, a four-bed integrated Intensive Care Unit for women will also be provided. It will be co-located with the Paediatric ICU to enable women requiring high-level care to remain at the New Women’s and Children’s Hospital instead of being transported to the Royal Adelaide Hospital. 

The New Women’s and Children’s Hospital is on track to be completed by 2030-31. 

Moreover, the latest concept designs for the updated ‘block and stack’ plans have been released for consultation. The plans outline the potential locations for clinical services and departments in the new hospital. 

“We are today breaking ground on our bigger and better new Women’s and Children’s Hospital project that will help South Australian families receive the very best health care. 

“We chose this site because we knew it was the right option to ensure the best design possible for the hospital without any limitations on the care it wil be able to provide to South Australian families well into the future. 

“This larger site allows all critical care services to be co-located on one floor – including birthing, theaters, Paediatric ICU and Neonatal ICU. 

“Consulting with staff and the community is important in getting the design layout right and we are taking the advice of clinicians to ensure we build the best hospital possible for the long term,” Minister for Health and Wellbeing Chris Picton said. 

Source: Government of South Australia – Media Releases; New Women’s and Children’s Hospital Project (1, 2, 3)