The new and expanded Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Nepean Hospital, which is being constructed as part of the $1 billion redevelopment has been designed with a focus on supporting nursing staff.
Intensive Care Unit Director at Nepean Hospital, Associate Professor Sam Orde said the new department which will significantly enhance critical care.
“Nursing staff are absolutely fundamental to the care of patients who are critically ill and one of the main ethos’ we’ve brought to the design of the ICU is to make it easy to nurse,” Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Director at Nepean Hospital, Associate Professor Sam Orde, says.
The ICU will feature 36 beds, including a pod designed to care for patients in a future pandemic. Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic have influenced the ICU’s design, focusing on ease of nursing care and preparedness for airborne viruses.
With strategic placement in the hospital, the ICU will be located on Level 5, providing ease of access for cardiac patients.
The new department will also provide increased natural light and balcony access, improving patient care.
The redeveloped Nepean Hospital, which is major metropolitan referral hospital for the western Sydney and Blue Mountains catchment areas, will deliver surrounding communities contemporary, integrated hospital and community-based health services to meet their needs now, and into the future.
Construction on Stage 2 of the redevelopment is underway with completion expected by the end of 2025, followed by a phased operational commissioning in 2026.