A major public education campaign has been launched so Western Australian families know when Princess Margaret Hospital closes and the Perth Children’s Hospital emergency department opens.
The ‘Big News 4 Kids’ nine-week campaign across television, radio, digital and billboards provides potentially life-saving information about where children should go in the event of a medical emergency.
On Sunday June 10 at 7am, the doors at Princess Margaret Hospital close and sick children who need emergency treatment must attend the new Perth Children’s Hospital.
The staged opening of Perth Children’s Hospital will begin on Monday May 14 when it welcomes its first outpatients, two weeks later surgery starts in the operating theatres and along with the final patient move from PMH, the emergency department opens on Sunday June 10.
The new PCH emergency department is 88 per cent larger than PMH’s current emergency department, with 23 acute care bays, three resuscitation bays, 11 short stay beds, eight consultation rooms, two treatment rooms, and an emergency area specifically designed for dental, eye and ear, nose and throat patients.
There are electronic privacy touchscreens, soundproof windows and a dedicated undercover ambulance arrival bay. The PCH emergency department is located next to the medical imaging area for easy access to x-rays and scans.
The public are reminded that hospital emergency departments are for emergencies. For minor illness or injury, there are a range of other care options for the community to consider including general practitioners and healthdirect.
A Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/perthchildrenshospital) and PCH campaign website (http://pch.health.wa.gov.au) have been created, with more information to become available as services at the new hospital go live.
Image: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Perth Children’s Hospital. Credit: Department of Health