Canberra Hospital’s Critical Services Building will open later this year, and 22 new operating theatres have been completed – a milestone, health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says.

The theatres, on level three of the new building, boast an Intraoperative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (iMRI) Suite, providing surgeons with real-time images of the brain during procedures; three hybrid theatres equipped with cutting-edge angiography and CT angiography systems to support vascular surgeries and guided procedures; two Interventional Radiography Suites relocated from Building 12 to the Critical Services Building, offering diagnostic and interventional services; and 16 digital operating theatres.

Having access to the latest technology in Canberra Hospital’s theatres will improve image quality and resolution, leading to more precise diagnoses and improved patient outcomes, Ms Stephen-Smith said.

The Critical Services Building will also have a bigger emergency department, expanded Intensive Care Unit, and new inpatient wards. 

The Perioperative Unit, in the Critical Services Building, features two spacious waiting areas, a Day Surgery Unit with 40 beds for admissions and post-operative care, a recovery area, and a discharge lounge. 

The perioperative unit will have more staff to manage the operation of the new theatres and improve patient flow. Canberra Health Services are recruiting healthcare workers. 

The operating theatres are connected to the Sterilising Services Unit via dedicated lifts, so instruments can be swiftly transferred between clean and dirty areas.

The Patient Transfer Link bridge provides a private clinical connection between the Critical Services Building and existing hospital buildings. This separates clinical pathways from public areas.

“Creating dedicated spaces for clinicians and patients ensures easier movement through the hospital and maintains the privacy and dignity of patients,” Ms Stephen-Smith said.