THE Frankston Hospital redevelopment has moved forward another step.
A consortium has been chosen to enter exclusive negotiations with the state government to undertake the $605 million project.
The redevelopment will be a public-private partnership with a private consortium designing, constructing, financing, and maintaining the project for 25 years. Despite that, the Victorian Health Building Authority has stressed that the hospital will remain a public hospital.
The state government has announced that the Exemplar Health consortium has emerged from the tender process as the preferred bidder. It is made up of Capella Capital as a sponsor and investor, Aware Super as an investor, Lendlease Building Contractors as a builder, and Honeywell Limited and Compass Group Healthcare Hospitality Services as facilities and maintenance managers.
All clinical healthcare services will be operated by Peninsula Health.
The redevelopment includes work on a new clinical services tower and main entrance, capacity for 120 more beds, new operating theatres, improved mental health and oncology services, new maternity, obstetrics, and paediatric wards, and a mental health, alcohol, and other drugs hub.
The VHBA says that construction is expected to start in the first half of 2022 and be complete in 2025. Peninsula Health is moving its COVID-19 testing clinic to accommodate for the start of construction.
Committee for Greater Frankston CEO Ginevra Hosking said she hopes that the project “will create 1700 jobs during construction and massively add to Frankston’s thriving health and education precinct when it is completed in 2025”.
“This year marks [Frankston Hospital’s] 80th anniversary and the community and generations of volunteers can be proud of raising the funds to build a 30-bed country hospital that has grown to serve a population the size of Canberra,” she said. “This has been enhanced by the recent opening of the new academic and research building Ngarnga Centre where Peninsula Health and Monash University are training our next generation of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.
“We hope to see plenty of Frankston and Carrum Downs businesses involved in the hospital project and its ongoing operations. We are keen to introduce innovative local companies to the state government and the preferred bidder. The committee congratulates the state government, local MP Paul Edbrooke and Peninsula Health for their unrelenting determination in driving the project forward and overcoming the hurdles of pandemic restrictions.”
