Westmead Hospital
Encyclopedia
Westmead Hospital is a major 975 bed tertiary hospital
in Sydney, Australia
, opened on 10 November 1978 by the then Premier
, Neville Wran
, and guest of honour was former Prime Minister
Gough Whitlam
. It is a teaching hospital of Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney
and forms part of the Western Sydney Local Health Network.
The hospital serves a population of 1.85m people (43% of the population of Sydney) and is located on one of the largest health and hospital campuses in Australia. In 2008/09, Westmead Hospital provided more than 1.3m occasions of care to outpatients, in addition to 86,392 inpatients. Annually, there are around 14,000 medical operations, in excess of 4,600 births, more than 55,000 presentations to emergency department of which nearly one-third are admitted to hospital.
Westmead Hospital is located on the junction of Darcy and Hawkesbury Roads in Westmead
, and provides a full range of tertiary medical and dental services except for paediatrics which is serviced by the adjacent Children's Hospital at Westmead
, relocated from Camperdown
to Westmead in 1995. The Hospital includes a large Dental Clinical School and extensive clinical pathology and medical research facilities. Located nearby are the Cumberland Hospital (providing outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care), a branch of the NSW Coroner's Court, and Westmead Private Hospital, a division of Ramsay Health Care.
to meet the medical needs of convicts, military personnel, and early settlers in 1789. The hospital at Parramatta saw many changes over the years, firstly in 1818, it was known as the Colonial Hospital and later, in 1897, the hospital was expanded and became known as the Parramatta District Hospital.
As population expanded in Sydney's west, the services provided at Parramatta became inadequate to meet demand. The hospital was the first major tertiary referral health centre in outer Sydney. Prior to its exiistence, referral health services were provided in inner-city centres such as the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
, the Prince of Wales Hospital
, Sydney Hospital
, Royal North Shore Hospital
and St Vincent's Hospital
.
Civic Centre, on 29 April 1974, Whitlam stated:
Askin eventually accepted Whitlam's offer of funds, however he was no longer Premier at the time of its completion. The final cost was about $175 million.
With the establishment of Westmead Hospital on 10 November 1978 (initially known as the Westmead Centre), the role of Parramatta Hospital changed. Acute services were relocated to Westmead Hospital with the Parramatta building continuing to function as the rehabilitation arm of Westmead Hospital. In 1991, all services moved out of the old Parramatta Hospital and in 1995 the building was decommissioned.
, Westmead Hospital became part of the Western Sydney Area Health Service, together with Westmead Dental Hospital, Cumberland Hospital (mental health services), district hospitals at Blacktown
, Auburn
and Mount Druitt
. In 2005, the boundaries of the Area Health Services were changed, and, up until 31 December 2010, Westmead Hospital was one of two tertiary teaching hospitals (together with Nepean Hospital
in Penrith), part of the Sydney West Area Health Service.
Limited. As works were nearly completion in July 2007, NSW Minister for Health, Reba Meagher
together with NSW Member for Parramatta
Tanya Gadiel
inspected the new Women's Health and Newborn Care Centre that provides a new birthing unit, special care nursery and neonatal intensive care unit, 41-bed maternity ward, antenatal and gynaecology inpatient wards and ambulatory care clinics in the one location. It is expected that by 2011, more than 5,000 babies will be born at Westmead Hospital each year.
Refurbishment of cancer wards at Westmead Hospital occurred at around the same time. The Westmead Cancer Care Centre is based on the US-style comprehensive cancer centre model which combines cutting-edge services with a patient-friendly approach. Inspeciting the facilities during 2007, Ms Meagher stated:
Other facilities to be refurbished under the Theiss contract included facilities for intensive care and renal treatments.
Westmead Emergency Department is one of the busiest in Australia seeing over 52,000 adult patients annually. It is supported by tertiary specialist services including 24 hour/7 days per week interventional cardiology, trauma services, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and toxicology.
Westmead Medical Research Foundation provides fundraising support and community advocacy for medical research and patient care at Westmead.
Westmead Hospital is the base for the New South Wales
helicopter operations of CareFlight
air ambulance
service. Its aircraft and trained medical and operational crews respond to emergencies threatening the life, health and safety of people caused through medical emergency, illness, natural disaster, accidents or mishap. Within Westmead Hospital exists the Trauma Service, which provides research and education of injury prevention, and death statistics.
officials and medical staff at Westmead Hospital had been brewing since late 2008 when Westmead's doctors passed a no-confidence motion in Professor Steven Boyages, Chief Executive of Sydney West Area Health Service. Media reports claimed that NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca
would intervene in an attempt to resolve a breakdown in relations between doctors at Westmead Hospital and Boyages. Doctors were told the hospital is at least $70 million over its budget allocation and that savage bed and staffing cuts were put into place at Westmead Hospital.
During early 2010, it was reported that Westmead Hospital was cancelling surgery at four times the rate the Health Department
considers acceptable, and waiting times are so long some surgeons are refusing to add new patients to their operating lists. Contributing factors incllude population growth, a jump in the proportion of emergency admissions from 41 to 45 per cent (between 2009–2010) of all surgery, the designation of Westmead as a major trauma treatment centre, and the rigid enforcement of unrealistic bed budgets were behind the worsening shortage of beds for non-emergency surgery.
In a further glitch, a massive administrative error caused hundreds of cancer patients to be excluded from a waiting list for surgery. According to media reports, staff at Westmead Hospital claim the problem began when the Sydney West Area Health Service NSW Health
moved to centralise the hospital's admission bookings. Surgeons working at western Sydney hospitals were told to submit bookings for operations at a central office in Blacktown. But the administration staff were overloaded, couldn't cope and failed to process all the bookings.
Amid mounting pressure, Steven Boyages resigned suddenly on 27 April 2010 to take up a new posting as Director of the NSW Clinical Education and Training Institute. Media reports claim that Boyages' tenure at Sydney West Area Health Service was dogged by controversy over debts to suppliers and by dissent among senior doctors and nurses over his management style.
The Hospital accepted its first dental patients in 1980. The Westmead Hospital Dental Clinical School (now the Westmead Centre for Oral Health) has become a major facility for the Faculty of Dentistry for both undergraduate and postgraduate education and training.
Medical research has been taking place at Westmead Hospital since the early 1980s. In 1996, medical research facilities were consolidated through the establishment of the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research (WMI). Initially with just 60 scientists and doctors, the Institute now has over 450 medical research scientists.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Sydney, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, opened on 10 November 1978 by the then Premier
Premiers of New South Wales
The Premier of New South Wales is the head of government in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The Government of New South Wales follows the Westminster system, with a Parliament of New South Wales acting as the legislature...
, Neville Wran
Neville Wran
Neville Kenneth Wran, AC, CNZM, QC was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. He was National President of the Australian Labor Party from 1980 to 1986 and Chairman of both the Lionel Murphy Foundation and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation from 1986...
, and guest of honour was former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Gough Whitlam
Gough Whitlam
Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC , known as Gough Whitlam , served as the 21st Prime Minister of Australia. Whitlam led the Australian Labor Party to power at the 1972 election and retained government at the 1974 election, before being dismissed by Governor-General Sir John Kerr at the climax of the...
. It is a teaching hospital of Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
and forms part of the Western Sydney Local Health Network.
The hospital serves a population of 1.85m people (43% of the population of Sydney) and is located on one of the largest health and hospital campuses in Australia. In 2008/09, Westmead Hospital provided more than 1.3m occasions of care to outpatients, in addition to 86,392 inpatients. Annually, there are around 14,000 medical operations, in excess of 4,600 births, more than 55,000 presentations to emergency department of which nearly one-third are admitted to hospital.
Westmead Hospital is located on the junction of Darcy and Hawkesbury Roads in Westmead
Westmead, New South Wales
Westmead is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Westmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region....
, and provides a full range of tertiary medical and dental services except for paediatrics which is serviced by the adjacent Children's Hospital at Westmead
Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children
The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children is a children's hospital in Sydney, Australia. The Hospital was founded in 1880 as "The Sydney Hospital for Sick Children"...
, relocated from Camperdown
Camperdown, New South Wales
Camperdown is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Camperdown is located 4 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Inner West region...
to Westmead in 1995. The Hospital includes a large Dental Clinical School and extensive clinical pathology and medical research facilities. Located nearby are the Cumberland Hospital (providing outpatient and inpatient psychiatric care), a branch of the NSW Coroner's Court, and Westmead Private Hospital, a division of Ramsay Health Care.
Parramatta
The history of health service in western Sydney began with a tent hospital established in ParramattaParramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
to meet the medical needs of convicts, military personnel, and early settlers in 1789. The hospital at Parramatta saw many changes over the years, firstly in 1818, it was known as the Colonial Hospital and later, in 1897, the hospital was expanded and became known as the Parramatta District Hospital.
As population expanded in Sydney's west, the services provided at Parramatta became inadequate to meet demand. The hospital was the first major tertiary referral health centre in outer Sydney. Prior to its exiistence, referral health services were provided in inner-city centres such as the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown...
, the Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney
The Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public teaching hospital located in Sydney's eastern suburb of Randwick, providing a full range of hospital services to the people of New South Wales, Australia...
, Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital
Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first received the name Sydney Hospital in 1881.Currently...
, Royal North Shore Hospital
Royal North Shore Hospital
The Royal North Shore Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located in St Leonards. It serves as a teaching hospital for Sydney Medical School at the University of Sydney and has approximately 740 beds. It is the referral hospital for Northern Sydney and the Central...
and St Vincent's Hospital
St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney
St Vincent's Public Hospital, Sydney is located in the inner city suburb of Darlinghurst. Though part of the New South Wales state public health system it remains under the auspices of the Sisters of Charity.-History:...
.
Westmead
In a speech delivered at the BlacktownBlacktown, New South Wales
Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located 34 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of City of Blacktown.Blacktown is the largest...
Civic Centre, on 29 April 1974, Whitlam stated:
- In the last Budget we set aside $4 million to proceed with the building of a teaching hospital at WestmeadWestmead, New South WalesWestmead is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Westmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta and is part of the Greater Western Sydney region....
. Though this project has been planned by the (AskinRobert AskinSir Robert William Askin GCMG, was an Australian politician and the 32nd Premier of New South Wales from 1965 to 1975, the first representing the Liberal Party of Australia. He was born in 1907 as Robin William Askin, but always disliked his first name and changed it by deed poll in 1971...
) NSW State (Liberal)Liberal Party of AustraliaThe Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
government for six years, that government has informed us that they are unable to spend the money we have provided. Our offer still stands. The money is there. It is up to the NSW State government to use it.
Askin eventually accepted Whitlam's offer of funds, however he was no longer Premier at the time of its completion. The final cost was about $175 million.
With the establishment of Westmead Hospital on 10 November 1978 (initially known as the Westmead Centre), the role of Parramatta Hospital changed. Acute services were relocated to Westmead Hospital with the Parramatta building continuing to function as the rehabilitation arm of Westmead Hospital. In 1991, all services moved out of the old Parramatta Hospital and in 1995 the building was decommissioned.
Area Health Services
Westmead Hospital, together with the Parramatta Hospital, was initially governed by a local hospital Board. When local boards were restructured into Area Health Services by the New South Wales state governmentNew South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
, Westmead Hospital became part of the Western Sydney Area Health Service, together with Westmead Dental Hospital, Cumberland Hospital (mental health services), district hospitals at Blacktown
Blacktown Hospital
Blacktown Hospital is an acute care hospital in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. Together with Mount Druitt Hospital and associated community health centres, it forms Blacktown-Mt Druitt Health, which is a unit within the Sydney West Area Health Service .Blacktown hospital has approximately...
, Auburn
Auburn Hospital
Auburn Hospital is a 155 bed hospital in Auburn, which is in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It provides basic 24-hour emergency facilities, as well as a medical, surgical, paediatrics, and maternity facilities as well as coronary care and intensive care facilities.This facility is part...
and Mount Druitt
Mount Druitt Hospital
Mount Druitt Hospital is a 200 bed hospital in Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt, New South Wales, Australia. It was opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in October 1982, and was designed by Lawrence Nield in 1980....
. In 2005, the boundaries of the Area Health Services were changed, and, up until 31 December 2010, Westmead Hospital was one of two tertiary teaching hospitals (together with Nepean Hospital
Nepean Hospital
Nepean Hospital is a 420-bed teaching hospital in Kingswood. Nepean Hospital is located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Penrith NSW, Australia. With the gorgeous Nepean river flowing through Penrith, is one of the fastest growing areas in Sydney...
in Penrith), part of the Sydney West Area Health Service.
Local Hospital District
Following the formation of Local Health Networks on 1 January 2011, Westmead Hospital became part of the Western Sydney Local Hospital District, together with Westmead Dental Hospital, and district hospitals at Blacktown, Auburn and Mount Druitt.Major refurbishments
In 2004, a contract worth in excess of $130 million for refurbishment and development of new facilities at Westmead Hospital was awarded to Theiss Pty Limited, a subsidiary of Leighton HoldingsLeighton Holdings
Leighton Holdings is Australia's largest project development and contracting group. It is active in the telecommunications, engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources, and environmental services industries...
Limited. As works were nearly completion in July 2007, NSW Minister for Health, Reba Meagher
Reba Meagher
Reba Paige Meagher is a former Australian politician who was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, representing the electoral district of Cabramatta. She was a minister in various portfolios from 2003 to 2008. On 6 September 2008 Meagher announced that she would not be seeking a...
together with NSW Member for Parramatta
Electoral district of Parramatta
Parramatta is an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is currently held by Geoff Lee of the Liberal Party of Australia....
Tanya Gadiel
Tanya Gadiel
Tanya Rachelle Gadiel, née Barber , a former Australian politician, was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly between 2003–2011, representing the electorate of Parramatta for the Australian Labor Party...
inspected the new Women's Health and Newborn Care Centre that provides a new birthing unit, special care nursery and neonatal intensive care unit, 41-bed maternity ward, antenatal and gynaecology inpatient wards and ambulatory care clinics in the one location. It is expected that by 2011, more than 5,000 babies will be born at Westmead Hospital each year.
Refurbishment of cancer wards at Westmead Hospital occurred at around the same time. The Westmead Cancer Care Centre is based on the US-style comprehensive cancer centre model which combines cutting-edge services with a patient-friendly approach. Inspeciting the facilities during 2007, Ms Meagher stated:
- This means that patient care at every level will be organised to ensure smooth transition between hospital inpatient services, community treatment or palliative care as people's care needs change. The co-location of a range of speciality cancer services means patients will be able to receive diagnoses and a range of treatments and rehabilitation without the need to make separate trips.
Other facilities to be refurbished under the Theiss contract included facilities for intensive care and renal treatments.
Services
As well as General Wards, there are a range of high dependency wards at Westmead Hospital including a Coronary Care Unit, an Intensive Care Unit, a Special Care Nursery, High Dependency Wards, and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. For a full list of service, refer to the table in links below.Westmead Emergency Department is one of the busiest in Australia seeing over 52,000 adult patients annually. It is supported by tertiary specialist services including 24 hour/7 days per week interventional cardiology, trauma services, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery and toxicology.
Westmead Medical Research Foundation provides fundraising support and community advocacy for medical research and patient care at Westmead.
Westmead Hospital is the base for the New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
helicopter operations of CareFlight
CareFlight International Air Ambulance
CareFlight International Air Ambulance is an Australian registered charity that operates air ambulances and specialist medical teams to patients anywhere in the world. The organisation was incorporated in 1986 when its first helicopter, a Squirrel AS350B was commissioned...
air ambulance
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
service. Its aircraft and trained medical and operational crews respond to emergencies threatening the life, health and safety of people caused through medical emergency, illness, natural disaster, accidents or mishap. Within Westmead Hospital exists the Trauma Service, which provides research and education of injury prevention, and death statistics.
| Acute Intervention Medicine | Aged Care, Neurology and Rehabilitation | Allied Health | Anaesthetics | Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit | Cardiac Services | Chronic and Continuing Care | Community Education | Community Health Services |
| Diabetes and Endocrinology | Division of Imaging | Emergency Services | Endocrinology | General Surgery | Intensive Care Unit | Library, Westmead Hospital | Mental Health | Neurology |
| Nuclear Medicine & Ultrasound | Nursing | Ophthalmology | Oral Health, Dentistry | Pathology Services | Patient Education | Plastic Surgery | Primary Care | Public Health and Community Medicine |
| Radiology | Rehabilitation Medicine | Renal and Transplant Surgery | Resident Support Unit | Respiratory Medicine | Rheumatology | Sexual Health | Women's Health | |
Waiting lists and controversy
Tensions between Sydney West Area Health Service NSW HealthNew South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
officials and medical staff at Westmead Hospital had been brewing since late 2008 when Westmead's doctors passed a no-confidence motion in Professor Steven Boyages, Chief Executive of Sydney West Area Health Service. Media reports claimed that NSW Health Minister John Della Bosca
John Della Bosca
John Joseph Della Bosca is a former Australian politician, representing the Australian Labor Party in the New South Wales Legislative Council...
would intervene in an attempt to resolve a breakdown in relations between doctors at Westmead Hospital and Boyages. Doctors were told the hospital is at least $70 million over its budget allocation and that savage bed and staffing cuts were put into place at Westmead Hospital.
During early 2010, it was reported that Westmead Hospital was cancelling surgery at four times the rate the Health Department
New South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
considers acceptable, and waiting times are so long some surgeons are refusing to add new patients to their operating lists. Contributing factors incllude population growth, a jump in the proportion of emergency admissions from 41 to 45 per cent (between 2009–2010) of all surgery, the designation of Westmead as a major trauma treatment centre, and the rigid enforcement of unrealistic bed budgets were behind the worsening shortage of beds for non-emergency surgery.
In a further glitch, a massive administrative error caused hundreds of cancer patients to be excluded from a waiting list for surgery. According to media reports, staff at Westmead Hospital claim the problem began when the Sydney West Area Health Service NSW Health
New South Wales Department of Health
The New South Wales Department of Health, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for monitoring the performance of the public health system in New South Wales, particularly through public hospitals...
moved to centralise the hospital's admission bookings. Surgeons working at western Sydney hospitals were told to submit bookings for operations at a central office in Blacktown. But the administration staff were overloaded, couldn't cope and failed to process all the bookings.
Amid mounting pressure, Steven Boyages resigned suddenly on 27 April 2010 to take up a new posting as Director of the NSW Clinical Education and Training Institute. Media reports claim that Boyages' tenure at Sydney West Area Health Service was dogged by controversy over debts to suppliers and by dissent among senior doctors and nurses over his management style.
Teaching and research
Since its establishment in 1978, the Westmead Clinical School of Sydney University at Westmead Hospital has been a place of innovation and growth. The Faculty of Medicine is Australia's oldest and largest medical faculty (established as Sydney Medical School in 1856) undertaking teaching and research in health and medicine of international standing. As part of the Western Clinical School, teaching facilities at Westmead form an integral part of education as the largest of the University’s four centres of clinical care in Sydney. The University supported the establishment of research clinicians in all key staff specialist postings at the Hospital in 1978.The Hospital accepted its first dental patients in 1980. The Westmead Hospital Dental Clinical School (now the Westmead Centre for Oral Health) has become a major facility for the Faculty of Dentistry for both undergraduate and postgraduate education and training.
Medical research has been taking place at Westmead Hospital since the early 1980s. In 1996, medical research facilities were consolidated through the establishment of the Westmead Millennium Institute for Medical Research (WMI). Initially with just 60 scientists and doctors, the Institute now has over 450 medical research scientists.