On May 15^th (2019) Western Health moved 137 patients into the new Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital in Melbourne’s West.

Honouring the legacy of Victoria’s first female Premier, the $200 million Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s facility will offer local women and families in Melbourne’s west  a modern maternity and paediatric services environment and will feature the western suburbs’ first ever neonatal intensive care unit to care for critically ill babies.

With over 230 beds in new and refurbished areas, there will be an increase in maternity and paediatric beds – giving Western Health the room they need to grow and meet future demand, with the numbers of births at Sunshine Hospital expected to exceed 7,000 a year by 2026, and allowing more women in Melbourne’s west to give birth and access children’s services closer to home.

We recently caught up with Natasha Toohey, Executive Director of Operations at Western Health to chat about the project. Natasha led the commissioning and patient move for the new building.

Here Natasha shares the strategy that made moving 137 patients seamless and the vision allowing Western Health to deliver superior patient experiences in Melbourne’s west for decades to come.