Intensive care patients at Canberra Hospital will be cared for in a new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from late August this year.

The ICU will be located on level 5 of the new Critical Services Building. Bed capacity will increase to 48, including four specially designed paediatric spaces.

The ICU’s clinical and patient spaces have been carefully designed with input from clinicians and consumers, to improve the patient experience and support families and carers during what is a very challenging time.

The modern, fit-for-purpose space will enable the hospital’s highly skilled teams to implement innovative models of care.

This includes a multi-purpose therapy space and the ability to isolate a wing should there be an infectious diseases outbreak.

“One of the major changes to the new ICU is that will have much more space, not only the bed spaces but also storage spaces. It will make a big difference in our day-to-day management and care we provide, Deputy Director of the Intensive Care Unit Dr Tina Xu said.

“The new bed spaces are much larger and modern, with most of them fitted with ceiling to floor windows. This lets in a lot of natural light across the whole unit and will help our patients maintain a day-night routine, which is important to their recovery.”

Features of the new ICU include:

• four paediatric beds with an adjoining family zone to give families who have children in the ICU a support area including a lounge and play area
• a multi-purpose therapy space to accelerate patient care with early integrated rehabilitation
• a pod of 12 beds that can be isolated in the event of an infectious disease threat
• dedicated outdoor spaces for patients and visitors
• bariatric rooms with weight-rated equipment
• a procedure room to carry out minor procedures not requiring general anaesthesia
• ability to expand ICU to 60 beds as demand grows in the future.

Children needing a high level of medical care can be cared for in one of the four paediatric beds. These beds will also be able to support care for adult patients if necessary and when not being used for paediatric patients.

A gymnasium has also been integrated into the ICU. Physiotherapists who specialise in care for critically unwell patients will provide the physical therapy needed as part of rehabilitation.

“The new ICU will also improve our patient and family experiences, with a large and comfortable family and visitor waiting area and two outdoor terraces. The terraces have sheltered bays that are fully equipped to support medical equipment, so our patients and their families can spend some time outside,” Dr Xu said.

Level 5 of the Critical Services Building also includes a clinical training facility. This will provide Canberra Health Services teams with a dedicated clinical environment to practice simulations and training.

The ACT Government is investing in new health and updated health infrastructure for Canberra.

In addition to the new Critical Services Building, this includes modernising the Canberra Hospital campus, planning for the new northside hospital and building more health centres.

There is also increased investment in the ACT’s health workforce to attract, retain and recruit staff from across the public health system.

For more information on the Critical Services Building, visit Canberra Hospital Expansion - Built for CBR (act.gov.au)

Inside the new ICU

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