Twenty-six extra hospital beds providing specialist geriatric care and a brand-new ambulance station are set to serve the people of Adelaide’s inner-southern suburbs.
Older people requiring hospital-based geriatric services will be able to be treated closer to home, thanks to 26 new beds opening at the Repat Health Precinct from 2 October.
The beds come as the State Government officially opened the doors to the new $8 million Edwardstown Ambulance Station, located next to the Repat, bolstering ambulance response times in the city's southern suburbs.
The new ward at the Repat means the existing Geriatric Evaluation and Management (GEM) Unit (Timor 6), which currently houses 24 beds, will have more than double its capacity over two months to a total of 50 beds.
The specialist GEM team comprises geriatricians, nurses, physiotherapists, dietitians, pharmacists, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and social workers and operates across both metro and rural locations.
The $26 million ward – named Tarin Kowt – takes its name from the Tarin Kowt walls, on the Tarin Kowt military base in Afghanistan, reflecting the Repat's pround history serving the South Australian veteran community.
Meanwhile, the new state-of-the-art Edwardstown Ambulance Station – located at the junction of Daws Road and Francis Street – has begun operation.
It provides crews with important access to major arterial roads and helps address the need for additional capacity in the southern city-fringe suburbs.
The station will house 16 paramedics and 12 Emergency Support Services ambulance officers and includes facilities to garage four ambulances and two light fleet vehicles, with a carport for an additional fleet. It also features training spaces and leadership offices and will serve as a hub for ongoing skills development for local crews.
Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Rehabilitation, Aged Care and Palliative Care Clinical Director Craig Whitehead said the 26 new beds would serve a vital need.
“More beds for people in the South are exactly what we need right now,” Associate Professor Whitehead said.
“South Australia has the highest proportion of older people on mainland Australia, and as our population grows and ages the demand on our health system increases.
“In July alone, more than 27 per cent of our patients who attended SALHN EDs were aged 60 or older.
“The new purpose-built facility ensures that our clinicians can provide the highest quality care in the right environment for those patients.”
SAAS Chief Executive Officer Rob Elliott said the new ambulance station would enable paramedics and ambulance officers the opportunity to deliver the highest standard of care.
“The new Edwardstown ambulance station will significantly enhance our southern suburbs capacity and seamlessly integrate with our existing nearby stations in Glengowrie, Marion, and Mitcham - strengthening our overall response network in the southern Adelaide region,” Mr Elliott said.
