Designs for a new seven-level tower in front of Flinders Medical Centre have been released.

Construction will soon start on the Acute Service Building, which is expected to open in 2028 and will form a new entrance to the hospital, in Bedford Park.

It will include two 32-bed adult inpatient units, an 18-bed medical day unit, as well as a 16-bed intensive care unit and supporting CT scanner suite.

The tower will also house four new operating theatres, a 14-bay recovery area, a new surgery admissions area and a dedicated floor for the eye surgery clinic that will enable the integration of FMC’s ophthalmology services into a single, modern facility.

It will also include more than $20 million of new medical equipment, including advanced medical imaging devices to support the hybrid operating theatre, automated pharmacy dispensing cabinets and a new CT scanner.

Early works for the development will start next month, including the establishment of new bus drop off zones along Flinders Drive.

It is part of a $498 million investment, jointly funded by the State and Federal governments, to significantly increase hospital capacity in Adelaide’s south.

A total of 52 beds will open across Flinders Medical Centre and the Repat this year, with 10 additional acute mental health beds at Margaret Tobin Centre to open in 2025.

It comes as 20 new fast-tracked beds (pictured right) are nearing completion at FMC, following the conversion of a former office space into an inpatient ward. Expected to open in May, the ward will provide acute care services for older South Australians.

Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Chief Executive Officer Professor Kerrie Freeman said that the new building would be “transformational for the care we can offer to patients across Southern Adelaide”.

“These modern units will allow faster treatment in modern settings and enable our staff to care for more people," Dr Freeman said.

"The extra beds will free up space in other parts of the hospital as well as bring specialised care for older people with acute needs.

"More clinical spaces means we can see more people faster, reducing the time people need to wait in the emergency department waiting room.”