WESTERN Health chief executive Kathryn Cook (pictured, centre, with nursing director Wendy Watson and intensive care director Craig French) says she is extremely pleased with funding for a 13-bed intensive care unit at Sunshine.
“There is an extraordinary level of need for such a service at what is currently one of the largest hospitals in Australia without an ICU.
“There has been a steady increase in the number of patients presenting to the Sunshine Hospital emergency department who required transfer to an intensive or coronary care unit.
”In 2010-11 there were 450 patients transferred for this reason, compared with 395 the previous year.”
Additional areas to benefit include maternity services, which will expand to include an additional two birthing suites.
