St John of God Ballarat has marked the official completion of the structure of its new hospital wing at the same time as national job cuts across all of its services begin.
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Several Ballarat positions are believed to be among those to go amid a national reduction of around 200 positions, which will impact about 160 people.
SJOG group chief executive Bryan Pyne said the reduction of about 1 per cent of the group's 16,500 strong workforce came in the context of a slower than anticipated return of patient volumes and increases in operating costs, including consumables, wages, insurances and interest rates.
The impact to patient caregiver roles, such as nurses, is expected to be minimal, with fewer than 10 positions to go identified as being providers of patient care.
The $80.5 million redevelopment of St John of God Ballarat Hospital will create a new medical services building along the Drummond Street side of the site, which will contain a new 10 bed ICU/CCU, Central Sterile Services Department (CSSD), four operating theatres, expanded recovery room, upgraded catheterisation laboratory (hybrid cath lab) and a 30-bed inpatient ward.
A 'topping out' ceremony was held to mark official completion of the structure of the new wing.
"We are confident that the new medical services building will help to expand our services for the Ballarat community, to allow us to provide the best possible care to our patients," said SJOG Ballarat chief executive Alex Demidov.
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Installation works have also begun on the facade of the new wing, with facade works due to be completed at the end of September. The facade has been designed to give the building a modern look that also ties into Ballarat's heritage and history.
The whole redevelopment is expected to be completed during by the second quarter of 2024.
"The project still remains on schedule and on budget," Mr Demidov said.
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