New hospital welcomes patients

Patients from the emergency department were the first to be moved over early on Monday morning, with the first arriving right on 7am.

Along with emergency, the intensive care, coronary and acute stroke units moved across to the new $282.1 million building on Monday, as well as medical imaging facilities.

Wagga Health Service director of emergency medicine Shane Curran said staff had found their new surrounds exciting.

“The staff are all very keen and enthusiastic to move into their new home after the best part of 30 years,” Dr Curran said.

“The enthusiasm is actually palpable among the staff to be able to use our new facility and to treat our patients in a very modern facility.”

Dr Curran said emergency department staff had found their new surrounds to be considerably more spacious than in the old hospital building.

“The new emergency department lets us manage all of our patients according to our modern models of care,” he said.

“We have adapted everything we’re doing to what is current best practice.”

Staff started moving over to the new building last week ahead of this week’s opening to the public.

Despite the logistical challenge painted by the move, Dr Curran said it had been “easy” to execute.

“It was all well planned – our last patient left (the old emergency department) at 6.59am and we saw our first patient at seven o’clock over here,” he said.

All other units from the old Wagga Base Hospital are expected to be transferred across to the new building by either Wednesday or Thursday this week.

The average number of Young patients admitted to the old Wagga Wagga Base over the past three years is 580 per year.