Soon many of the critical services at Canberra Hospital will move into the one location. Our Critical Services Building, to be known as Building 5 once it opens.

This will be home to a new Emergency Department (ED), Operating Theatre complex, Coronary Care Unit and the Intensive Care Unit. There are also additional acute medical and surgical wards.  It has been purpose built with capacity for service growth.

One significant and exciting change in the ED, is the dedicated children’s emergency area. This new space will ensure our little ones can get specialised care right from the start. It has been designed with the needs of children in mind, and it will have a separate triage and waiting area, sensory room and outdoor spaces to help them feel more comfortable whilst receiving treatment.

The new ED will also have additional triage capacity. There will be two main triage areas, one for ambulance arrivals and one for walk-in patients. This will help manage the flow of patients arriving at the ED.

The new Behavioural Assessment Unit will support people who may be presenting with an acute psychological crisis or acute distress due to alcohol or other drug intoxication. This new area will give these patients a discreet treatment area to be assessed.

There is also a new medical imaging department located within the ED, providing ready access to a wide range of imaging modalities including x-ray, CT, ultrasound and MRI.

Treatment spaces have also been redesigned, with distinct pods to help to reduce noise and distractions, providing a more focused and quieter environment.

We look forward to showing you more and introducing the other spaces in this impressive new facility as we get closer to completion and opening the doors.

If you have a story you would like to share, get in touch.