Tag / New Royal Adelaide Hospital

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Adelaide wins the race to host the Australian Space Agency

South Australia has won the bid to host the Australian Space Agency, which will oversee the nation’s burgeoning space industry.

The agency will be established at the old Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) site, now known as Lot 14, by mid-2019 and will initially employ 20 full-time equivalent staff.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement in Adelaide today (Wednesday, December 12) and says SA is a key hub for innovation and the technology industry, making it an ideal home for the new agency.

“Australia’s space industry is set to hit new heights,” he says.

“This agency is going to open doors for local businesses and Australian access to the US$345 billion global space industry.

“Our government’s $41 million investment into the agency will act as a launching pad to triple Australia’s space economy to $12 billion and create up to 20,000 jobs by 2030.

“This agency is part of our plan for a stronger economy for SA and the country which is about delivering long-term, high-wage, high-skills jobs.”

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SA Premier Steven Marshall says long-term investment in Adelaide and its space sector will drive entrepreneurship and innovation, and enhance the city’s liveability.

“SA is the ideal location for the Australian Space Agency with a range of local space industry businesses already established here as well as a rapidly growing defence industry sector,” he says.

“Establishing the headquarters of the Australian Space Agency in SA will launch our space and defence sectors to the next level.”

SA was up against strong competition from other states, with Adelaide astronaut Andy Thomas throwing his support behind SA’s bid to host the national space headquarters.

Italian aerospace engineer Flavia Tata Nardini runs Fleet Space Technologies from SA.

Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews says Adelaide put forward the strongest case and is already home to more than 60 organisations and 800 employees in the space sector.

A number of space start-ups including Fleet Space Technologies and nano-satellites startup, Myriota, are based in SA.

The southern state also has a longstanding contribution to the nation’s space journey, with Australia’s first satellite launching from Woomera in the Far North in 1967.

The Australian Space Agency will be key to the new Adelaide City Deal, a scheme that aims to turbo charge the city’s economy and drive long-term investment.

Aside from the space agency, Lot 14 is also expected to include a start-up precinct and growth hub, an international centre for tourism, hospitality and food services, and a national Aboriginal art gallery.

The old RAH closed in September 2017 and has since undergone progressive demolition. The new $2.4 billion hospital is located further west along North Terrace.

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Women’s and Children’s Health Network chief settles in for monumental chapter

The Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) has entered a crucial chapter in its 140-year history, and UK-born health professional Lindsey Gough is excited to watch it unfold.

The biomedical scientist-turned-health executive became the Women’s and Children’s Health Network’s new CEO just one week before it was announced that the WCH would undergo a monumental move to the world-class new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) precinct by 2024.

Lindsey, who has worked in Australia’s health system since 2009, says her top priority is to ensure the North Adelaide facility continues to provide the highest quality healthcare while the shift takes place.

She is one of 15 health experts appointed to a ministerial taskforce that is guiding the planning for the construction of a new WCH alongside the new RAH.

Women’s and Children’s Health Network CEO Lindsey Gough, left, with Tracy Carroll, A/Advanced Divisional Midwifery and Nursing Director, Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

The taskforce will report back to the State Government on the capital cost, number of inpatient beds, types of services and models of care required by the end of 2018.

Lindsey says a co-location of the WCH with the new Royal Adelaide will mean better care for SA women and children.

“It will allow us to have new technology and state-of-the-art systems that we may not be able to put here because of the actual physical environment that constrains us,” she says.

“If we have a woman here who for whatever reason might need access to adult intensive care services, then that woman will be transferred to the Royal Adelaide.

“But if we’re closer to that hospital and in that precinct, it will mean we can transfer much more efficiently than we can now.”

A new WCH will be yet another huge phase in South Australia’s health system.

Last year the city celebrated the opening of the $2.3 billion new RAH, which joined a number of significant developments along North Terrace’s biomedical precinct.

This year is also a year of reflection for the WCH, which celebrated its 140th birthday on Wednesday, June 20.

Two nurses sit in Brougham Place gardens looking toward the Nurse’s Home of the Adelaide Children’s Hospital in approx. 1955. Photo: State Library of SA PRG 1712/3/30.

Established as the Adelaide Children’s Hospital in 1876, the WCH was the country’s first hospital to specialise in health services for women, children and young people.

Now, the hospital is part of a wider network, the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, which includes a string of family support, mental health, child protection, disability support and sexual assault services across the state.

The network employs 3500 people.

More than 48,000 women and children present to the WCH’s emergency department, while 4800 babies are born, and 230,000 outpatients receive care there every year.

Lindsey landed the top job just two months ago, bringing with her 36 years of experience in health care in the UK and Australia.

She began her health career as a biomedical scientist, spending her time in pathology labs, before completing a master’s degree in management and moving into mainstream hospital roles.

In 2009 Lindsey and husband Paul decided to emigrate to Australia after travelling Down Under various times and falling in love with the landscape.

Upon arriving here, Lindsey became the general manager of the RAH, before exploring other states and taking on executive roles at hospitals on the Gold Coast and in Western NSW.

But something about her time in Adelaide stuck.

Women’s and Children’s Health Network CEO Lindsey Gough.

“We always said we wanted to come back to Adelaide, it’s our Australia home,” she says.

“When this job (WCH) was advertised I knew it was the right one for me.”

Lindsey says working every day in an environment with sick children and their families can be “really hard”, but it is also rewarding.

The hospital is often visited by the Humour Foundation’s Clown Doctors who bring laughter to many sick children, while play therapists and dress up days also help to bring optimism to little lives going through the darkest of times.

Lindsey says it’s impossible to not be touched by the emotion at the WCH.

“When you’re going around the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, it does make you emotional,” she says.

“But even though I’m in a management role now, I know what I’m doing each day contributes to helping sick kids and their families.

“Walking down the corridors and seeing the smiles on people’s faces, that’s what makes it worthwhile.”

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Premier Steven Marshall on his vision for the old RAH’s future

The redevelopment of the old Royal Adelaide Hospital (oRAH) is an “incredible opportunity” for South Australia to create new themes in innovation, entrepreneurship and high-value job creation, says Premier Steven Marshall.

Brand SA News recently sat down with Mr Marshall, South Australia’s 46th Premier, to discuss his vision for the redevelopment and to ask – what infrastructure opportunities does the 7ha site present?

The State Government’s ambition for the oRAH will see it transformed into an innovation and start-up precinct, an international centre for tourism, hospitality and food services, and a national Aboriginal art and culture gallery.

“I think this site itself is so special it will attract global companies that want to have an Australian presence,” Mr Marshall says.

“I’m very optimistic about the potential for this site.”

Photo: Steven Marshall MP Twitter.

One of the global companies the State Government has its eye on is Google.

The government recently approached the US tech giant in a bid to bring Google’s Australian headquarters to Adelaide.

Some of the state’s top business leaders have also voiced their desires for the global household brand to set up in the city.

Mr Marshall says some aspects of the tech giant’s operations would be ideal for South Australia and the oRAH site.

“There are some aspects of the Google operation which I think will be ideally suited to South Australia and we’re having in-depth discussions with the Google organisation now,” he says.

“I don’t think they’re going to uproot themselves from New South Wales and transfer all employees here, but I think there are very real opportunities … to bring areas of specialisation here to South Australia and they would be ideally suited to the old Royal Adelaide Hospital innovation precinct.”

The new chapter of the oRAH site began on September 6, 2017, when an ambulance blared its siren as it transferred the last patient to the new, world-class facility.

It marked the end of an era for the North Terrace/Frome Road site and the beginning of a once-in-a-century opportunity to create another standout piece of infrastructure for Adelaide’s CBD.

Now plans are afoot to breathe new life into the location, with demolition already taking place and continuing into 2019.

By the nature of its size and central location, the oRAH site presents a ‘build it and they will come’ opportunity that Mr Marshall says is unlikely to present again.

“We are very lucky because when you survey Adelaide there is a lot of opportunity to go up,” he says.

“Seven hectares in the middle of one of the world’s most liveable cities is an incredible opportunity and we have to make sure we do this, but also do it in a timely way so the site doesn’t sit vacant for longer than it needs to.”

A number of Renewal SA-led activations have already occurred at the oRAH since it closed in 2017. These have included music festivals, interactive light installations and Fringe shows.

Under the State Government’s oRAH vision, the creation of the innovation and start-up hub will be overseen by a chief entrepreneur who is “independent of the government” and will lead the facility’s establishment and operation.

The hub would allow new and existing businesses and entrepreneurs to develop their ideas and explore new technologies across fast-growing industries of defence and space, cyber security, food and wine, medical technology, robotics, and media and film.

Other plans for the oRAH include a $60m international centre for tourism, hospitality and food studies, which would include the relocation of the International College of Hotel Management and the Le Cordon Bleu school from Regency Park TAFE.

Mr Marshall says he wants South Australia to host more international students as they contribute greatly to the economy.

“We think that this old Royal Adelaide Hospital site is precisely the type of location to encourage more and more international students to come and study here in Adelaide and maybe even start businesses in South Australia,” he says.

According to the oRAH vision, Adelaide also has the potential to become the gateway to Aboriginal Australia, by way of a national Aboriginal art and culture gallery.

Mr Marshall says the South Australian Museum, Art Gallery of SA and Tandanya (National Aboriginal Cultural Institute) would work together to create something of national and international significance.

Other elements of the proposed oRAH redevelopment include a contemporary art gallery, hotel accommodation, and integration with the botanic gardens.

It is understood the redevelopment will take decades to come to fruition, and that decisions on development partners are yet to be made.

A pop-up event unfolds at the oRAH. The building is partially covered in a printed shade cloth designed by local artist Vans the Omega.

In the meantime, Renewal SA – which is managing the oRAH redevelopment – has activated the site with a number of temporary installations including music festivals, interactive light installations and fringe shows.

Mr Marshall says the oRAH won’t be the only key piece of infrastructure to unfold in Adelaide’s CBD

He says the Adelaide Casino revamp, the Adelaide Festival Plaza works, and Charter Hall’s $250m office tower development for BHP are other major projects helping to transform the city.

Mr Marshall says the Women’s and Children’s Hospital also presents another future development opportunity, as the State Government intends to co-locate the facility to the new RAH site by 2024.

“The detailed planning is being done on that at the moment … but therefore there will be an opportunity for another redevelopment of similar magnitude (as the oRAH) maybe not in quite the same iconic location, but a similar magnitude,” he adds.

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Meet the Adelaide surgeon who is revolutionising burns care in SA

By Melissa Keogh

Sixteen years ago Professor Dr John Greenwood AM was headhunted from the UK to help save lives at the Royal Adelaide Hospital’s (RAH) Adult Burns Centre.

Since then the Englishman and now proud South Australian has developed a suite of skin substitute products that will completely transform burns care in South Australia.

With the help of these innovative procedures and the opening of the world-class new RAH, Prof. Greenwood says SA has built “the best burns unit in the world”.

“We have been working towards the introduction of new materials and these materials have not only improved what we do, they have changed the way we do it,” he says.

“They have created a complete parallel shift in burns care in South Australia.”

The RAH Adult Burns Unit’s catchment area extends across SA, the Northern Territory and western parts of New South Wales and Victoria.

About 450 inpatients come through the doors every year, suffering from thermal, chemical, electrical and radiation burns and many of them presenting horrific, “non-survivable” injuries.

Prof. John Greenwood's

Prof. John Greenwood’s suite of skin substitute products will replace the need for patients to undergo multiple notoriously painful skin grafts.

After specialising in chronic wounds management and treating victims of Australian bushfires and the 2002 Bali bombings, Prof. Greenwood longed to improve his patients’ chances at survival.

Typical burns treatment involves multiple skin grafts, which are notoriously painful skin transplants from other parts of the body.

“I realised I could do something about the skin problem by creating some materials that would replace the need for a skin graft,” Prof. Greenwood says.

He developed a world-first bioreactor which grows large amounts of skin in 28 days.

It is done by taking a small tissue sample from the patient to grow full thickness skin in the lab.

At the same time, Prof. Greenwood, with the help of the CSIRO and Melbourne company PolyNovo, developed a biodegradable dressing that is placed on the wound and provides a bed for the new skin to grow over.

“I wanted to use something that was easy to manufacture, that was light and cheap, that they could produce large volumes of quickly, sterilise and transport easily, and had no special storage requirements,” he says.

The dressing prevents the wound from contracting and acts as a barrier to infection until the new skin is grown from the lab.

This innovative process will replace the need for multiple, painful skin grafts often involving healthy skin being repetitively taken from the same site.

In 2016 Prof. Greenwood’s research efforts lead him to being named South Australia’s Australian of the Year.

He says the state’s encouragement of medical research and its world-class facilities have kept him in SA.

“Adelaide has some fantastic minds,” he says.

“St Peter’s College alone has produced three Nobel Prize winners and the government and other organisations have made it as such that funding for research is not only available, it’s encouraged.”

Prof. Greenwood is proud of the RAH’s accreditation with the American Burns Association and American College of Surgeons.

“We are the only unit in the world outside of North America that has that standard,” he says.

“We are maintaining a fantastic standard and it’s that kind of thing that keeps me going.”

This month’s I Choose SA for Industries stories are made possible by sponsor, the University of South Australia.

 

 

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Adelaide Hills art alive at the new RAH

By Melissa Keogh

The state-of-the-art new Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) opened this month and already Adelaide Hills artist Miranda Lloyd has made her mark on the $2.3 billion building.

Miranda of Houghton has been selected to display her large paintings on the walls of the world class new RAH, which completed a huge patient move from the old hospital on September 6.

A collection of 28 calming canvases featuring wildlife, landscapes and nature will hang in the Centre of Creative Health for three months.

Miranda, a 2014 Brand South Australia Regional Showcase finalist, says she was “over the moon” upon learning she would showcase her work alongside “amazing architecture, interiors and facilities”.

“It is one of my most exciting opportunities to date, appealing to such a large audience with the traffic passing through including patients, visitors and staff,” she says.

Miranda says she hopes her artwork has a calming effect on hospital patients and visitors.

“Art can be used as a therapy for mental health and stress, which will be very useful in the hospital setting,” she says.

“When I paint I find it very calming and get lost in my own little world.

“I hope people seeing my exhibition in the RAH will feel the same too.”

Miranda was a Brand South Australia Regional Showcase finalist in 2014 and says this generated interest

Miranda’s artwork will be on display at the state-of-the-art new Royal Adelaide Hospital’s Centre of Creative Health until late November.

The theme for the artworks is earth and water and Miranda says many of her pieces are inspired by her Hills surroundings.

“I spend a lot of time painting outside so I get to take in the amazing views and I’m surrounded by birdlife,” she says.

“I’m also known for my signature trees, farm animals, fruits, and my vine/wine series as I am a big wine lover and spend many Sundays at different wineries in all of our regions.”

Miranda has travelled the country painting large scale murals in many tourist destinations and has also illustrated children’s books.

Three years ago she was selected as a finalist in Brand South Australia’s Regional Showcase, which aims to celebrate the success stories in the state’s regions.

Miranda says becoming a finalist put her graphic design and visual art business on the map and generated many enquiries.

“As an artist it certainly helped me raise my profile too and probably contributed to my exhibition at the new RAH.

“It certainly adds credibility to my design and art services.

“I am also very proud to be South Australian and excited where our state is going.”

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Our new RAH: world class and high tech

By Melissa Keogh

Welcome to the new Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Eight-hundred beds, 2300 car parks, 70 open spaces, 7000 staff and a fleet of robots.

Wait, what?

Among the new RAH’s cutting-edge technology includes Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) that will reduce heavy manual work for staff, giving them more time to focus on patients.

But before Star Wars fans get too excited, the ‘RAHbots’ are simply flat, stainless steel devices on wheels and the Health Department says most hospital visitors won’t get a chance to see them.

The AGVs travel at walking pace behind the scenes via 14 lifts and 27 lift lobbies to carry large trolleys of linen, waste, equipment and patients’ meals.

The RAHbots have the ability to talk to lifts, doors and portable phones.

The Automated Guided Vehicles travel at walking pace to carry linen, waste, instruments and patients’ meals, but do not come into contact with hospital visitors.

The Automated Guided Vehicles travel at walking pace to carry linen, waste, instruments and patients’ meals, but do not come into contact with hospital visitors.

The new era of world class health care began in South Australia this week with the opening of the new RAH, the state’s most anticipated building.

In another show of cutting-edge, world-class technology is the new hospital’s Automated Pharmacy Distribution System.

It uses technology to track patients’ medication, recording when and where the drug was dispensed.

The system also includes two robotic machines which unpack, store and dispense medications and 82 Automated Dispensing Cabinets which “securely store medication in clinical areas”.

The cabinets allow for faster access to prescribed medications ensuring the process is safer and more efficient.

State Health Minister Jack Snelling says the high-tech systems minimise manual processes and mean less chance of human error.

Central Adelaide Local Health Network’s associate director of pharmacy services, Anna McClure, says pharmacy automated systems are safe and efficient ways of improving patients’ treatment.

They also improve security and accountability, Anna says.

“This is something we’ve been working toward for the past 20 years so it’s exciting to see it all come together and we are looking forward to seeing how this new technology will improve patient care at the new RAH,” she says.

The new RAH is SA’s only public hospital to welcome a digital system that keeps track of thousands of medical instruments.

The three-day patient move from the old RAH to the new hospital began on September 4.

The new RAH’s Emergency Department was officially opened at 7am on September 5.

Premier Jay Weatherill labelled the new hospital’s opening as a “landmark occasion for all South Australians”.

Press play on the video below to watch the transformation of the RAH.

This month’s I Choose SA for Industries stories are made possible by sponsor, the University of South Australia.

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