A $42 million state-of-the-art palliative care facility and day surgery centre has been opened at St Vincent’s Mater Hospital in Wollstonecraft. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
The Ritchie Family Centre for Supportive and Palliative Care will care for people on Sydney’s North Shore approaching the end of their lives.
An estimated 235 palliative care patients will use the 12 beds in the new centre every year.
The centre will also serve as a research and teaching facility for advancing palliative care practices, including increasing provision of care in the home.
Mater’s director of palliative care, Wei Lee, said in a statement the Ritchie Family Centre would be unique.
“As well as palliative care, we will provide supportive care, which is a comprehensive approach for people with cancer or chronic, life-limiting illnesses that optimises their quality of life by addressing complex physical symptoms as well as emotional, practical, and spiritual needs from diagnosis onwards,” Dr Lee said.
The second floor of the new wing at the Mater will house an expanded day surgery unit, including an endoscopy suite. The Duncan Family Day Surgery Centre allows the hospital to support medical procedures that are increasingly offered as day surgery admissions.
The Friends of the Mater Foundation committed $18.5 million to the project. This was made possible with significant philanthropy from the Ritchie, Duncan, and Van Norton-Poche families as well as many other donations.
St Vincent’s chief executive Chris Blake said the new centre would strengthen health services for people living north of the Harbour Bridge.
“The St Vincent’s Mater Hospital is well-known for several key specialities: its maternity, cancer, orthopaedic, cardiac and surgical services, for example. But for many years, there has been a growing demand for a new palliative care service on Sydney’s North Shore,” Mr Blake said.
Chairman of Friends of the Mater, Keith Hartman, said the development represented a significant step forward in the Mater’s commitment to patients throughout all stages of their lives.
Combined, the two new centres – palliative care and day surgery – will see more than 5800 patients per year.
“The philosophy of the Sisters who founded the Mater 120 years ago was that no one should die alone and we are fulfilling that mission,” Dr Hartman said.
FULL STORY
Mater Hospital opens new palliative care centre on North Shore (By Michael Cook, The Catholic Weekly)
