Formal planning for a replacement facility for the Royal Women's Hospital (RWH) has been underway since early 1999.
Key drivers for a redevelopment included:
● the degraded quality of infrastructure, with the existing hospital in a poor state of repair. This presented a risk associated with compliance with relevant building regulations as well as providing a poor environment for patient care.
● high recurrent costs of the current building, which-due to its age-is expensive to maintain and presents limited opportunities to generate efficiencies through shared services
● opportunities to improve services and reduce cost through integration of clinical service delivery via a proposed relocation of the RWH to a new building adjacent the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Figure 3A provides a chronology of events in the planning of the investment in the RWH redevelopment project.
Figure 3A Chronology of events in planning for the RWH redevelopment project
Date | Planning Event |
February 1999 | Initial master plan for redevelopment of the RWH completed, with associated funding approved. |
May 2001 | Government decision taken to carry out a review of options. |
March 2002 | Completion of the first steering committee report to the Minister for Health recommending a full feasibility analysis on redevelopment of the existing site and re-location to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, with an investment evaluation to be undertaken for a preferred option. |
April 2002 | Minister for Health approves the project to proceed to feasibility study and investment evaluation phase. |
November 2002 | Premier commits to the rebuilding of the RWH. |
January 2003 | Feasibility study completed. |
March 2003 | Investment evaluation report presented to government. |
September 2003 | Business case presented to government and approved. |
Source: Victorian Auditor-General's Office analysis of DHS documents.