Vital health services open at Shepparton Private Mental health and rehabilitation services are now available at Shepparton Private Hospital following the opening of a 12 bed rehabilitation unit and gymnasium in November and a 14 bed inpatient mental health unit in January. The Ramsay Way 2016 | 01 5 DEVELOPMENTS The change follows the opening of Ramsay’s brand new Wollongong Private Hospital. All surgical procedures and services previously offered at Figtree have been transferred to the new facility. It means Figtree will dedicate its resources instead to guiding patients through the course of their rehabilitation. “While the opening of the Wollongong Private Hospital has allowed us to better cater for the surgical, medical and obstetric demands of a growing population, it has also provided us with the unique opportunity to create a rehabilitation centre at Figtree Private Hospital,” Figtree Private Hospital CEO Paul McKenna said. Figtree has been caring for patients for 37 years and is one of three Ramsay-owned hospitals in the Illawarra region alongside Lawrence Hargrave Private Hospital and the new Wollongong Private. Mr McKenna said the suburban hospital is being reinvented to expand Ramsay’s rehabilitation services and also to remain a convenient option for residents south of Wollongong’s central business district. “Our new facility will form part of an integrated health service offering provided by Ramsay Health Care in the Illawarra,” he said. The suburban facility currently has 40 beds – 27 for medical care, 10 for in-patient rehabilitation and three for sleep studies. It is anticipated the hospital will have 68 beds by June. Paul said Figtree plans to offer a full range of specialist services including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology. “We’ve already opened the new Rixon Ward, our former maternity beds have been turned into medical beds and we will continue to evolve over the next few years,” he said. “It’s a marked investment in the future of Figtree Private Hospital that will also mean increased staffing numbers and easy access for patients to a raft of rehabilitation services under the one roof. “We want people to know that Figtree has not closed its doors and will endeavour to offer state-of-the-art rehabilitation services for many decades to come.” Shepparton Private Hospital Chief Executive Officer Sheryl Keir said the new services would provide care to hundreds of people in the local area who needed inpatient mental health or rehabilitation services. “The rehabilitation services will expedite the recovery time for patients, optimising their outcomes and getting them back to functioning at their absolute best,” Sheryl said. The new rehabilitation services are equipped with a state-of- the-art gymnasium and an activities of daily living kitchen which aims to encourage patients to be independent before they are discharged. The mental health unit, known as the Sherbourne Clinic is a light, bright and modern facility with a homely feel and will operate under the guidance of three psychiatrists. The final stage of redevelopment will be finished at Shepparton in April and includes the conversion of existing shared accommodation into private rooms. New year, new Figtree Figtree Private Hospital has undergone a transformation, changing from a surgical hospital into a rehabilitation and medical facility.
The Ramsay Way - Autumn 2016
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