Royal Adelaide Hospital move on track

Hospital officials say they're on track to move all the patients from the old Royal Adelaide Hospital to the new hospital by Wednesday afternoon.

South Australian Health Minister Jack Snelling

SA Health Minister Jack Snelling says the move of patients to the new hospital is going well. (AAP)

The transfer of patients from the old Royal Adelaide Hospital to the new $2.4 billion facility is running on schedule, one day into the three-day exercise, health authorities say.

Patients began moving at 7am on Monday with the ambulance service expecting to transfer more than 300 by Wednesday afternoon.

"The move so far is going pretty much as planned. We're on track with where we're expected to be," Health Minister Jack Snelling told reporters.

Mr Snelling said those patients now taking up residence in the new, state-of-the-art Royal Adelaide were settling into their new surrounds comfortably, thanks to the private rooms and ensuite bathrooms.

"Chalk and cheese really, compared to the old Royal Adelaide Hospital," he said.

The first patient to move was Crohn's disease sufferer Roselyn Katsikas, 56, who described it as a "special moment".

"It's a credit to South Australia to have one of the best hospitals in the southern hemisphere," Ms Katsikas said.

"The new hospital sounds like it's going to be like a holiday resort."

To ensure the move proceeds smoothly a control centre with similar protocols and procedures to a mass casualty event has been put in place.

Extra staff have been rostered on, working across the two hospitals, with additional ambulance crews also deployed.

Ambulance service chief executive Jason Killens said there had been a couple of operational "lumps and bumps" when the move began but they were largely related to ensuring all the necessary equipment was in place to assist patients.

He expected 130 patients to be moved on Monday, followed by about 100 on each of the next two days.

Even a blast of wintery weather, including strong winds and heavy rain, had not disrupted the operation or dampened the minister's spirits.

"This is an historic week in South Australia," Mr Snelling said.

"A few drops of rain aren't going to dampen my enthusiasm."


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world