Williamstown Hospital will launch a fund-raising appeal to raise $2.1million for a community hub and new facade.
Western Health Foundation director David Jones said the hospital had become the elective surgery centre for western Melbourne since the installation of new operating theatres last year.
“We’re now doing breast cancer surgery, joint replacements, very complex surgery which is, in a sense, part of the next phase in the life of a hospital,” he said. “We’re now doing 6000 surgical procedures a year.”
He said the multi-million dollar upgrade of the hospital, built in 1894, would create a community hub in the middle.
“Most modern hospitals have big, open communal spaces where patients and families can socialise and patients can get away from the beds,” he said.
“Older hospitals like Williamstown don’t have those communal spaces; it’s really wards, rehab area, surgical area and waiting area and that’s it.
“Now we want to create a large open community space in the middle of the hospital. We want to create new therapeutic courtyard spaces.
“We need to create additional spaces … [for] a patient waiting lounge, opening up the courtyard and creating a visitor lounge.”
The appeal will be launched early next year.
