Noarlunga Hospital in Adelaide's southern suburbs to get $74m. upgrade: 48 extra beds (24 for mental health)
A concept for the expanded Noarlunga Hospital, south of Adelaide, taking its bed capaity to 140, including 24 extra mental health beds.
A $74 million upgrade was announced by the South Australia state Labor government in 2023 for Noarlunga Hospital in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, increasing its bed capacity by 48 to 140. The project was aimed at easing pressure on Flinders Medical Centre at Bedford Park.
The expansion included 24 mental health beds plus 24 inpatient medical beds. A new purpose-built $36 million mental health rehabilitation service would house the extra specialist mental health beds for patients with high and complex needs. A $38 million 24-bed inpatient medical unit also would be built. Local architecture firms Wilshire Swain Architects and GHDWoodhead were engaged by the state government’s SA Health and infrastructure and transport departments to work with clinical teams and consumers to design the upgrade.
The expansion came with construction starting on an expanded renal dialysis unit at Noarlunga Hospital. A $2.8 million 12-chair dialysis unit would be in a newly refurbished area of the hospital opposite the main entrance, delivering an extra three chairs than the current unit. The new unit also was designed by Wiltshire Swain Architects.
Noarlunga Hospital did get a multi-million-dollar upgrade under the former state Labor government’s Transforming Health strategy to improve its elective day surgery capacity. For this day treatment, the hospital gained two extra operating theatres, a renal dialysis unit and a dedicated paediatric space. It also gained a GP plus super clinic and upgraded mental health ward and car, and a 20-bed community rehabilitation centre.
But the changes meant that 29 beds in its medical ward were lost to Flinders Medical Centre and Noarlunga’s emergency department was downgraded to a 24/7 community centre for non-life-threatening cases. This was partly changed by the state Liberal government (2018-22), with a new 12-bed acute medical ward at Noarlunga Hospital.