The funding will be included in next month's territory budget and will include money for an extra two intensive care unit beds and 16 acute beds at Canberra and Calvary hospitals.

Health Minister Simon Corbell said the extra beds would help alleviate pressure on the ACT's public hospitals.

"This is very much about helping our hospitals, doctors and nurses keep up with the increase in demand for hospital services. The ACT government has made a very large commitment to health services in the forthcoming budget and this is just one element of it," he said.

"We continue to see year-on-year significant increases in admissions. For example, in 2014-15, there was a 4 per cent increase compared to the previous year."

The government will also spend $2.1 million over four years to create a better internal computer system and establish a central co-ordination unit to help hospital staff manage the allocation of beds.

"This will provide for a 16 hour a day function ... which will ensure we have a single point of contact for all requests for beds and treatment from within the ACT's catchment area," Mr Corbell said.

"It will improve the co-ordination and provision of beds, it will also make sure we can improve discharge arrangements across the hospital system and improve overall bed utilisation which is very important in making sure people can get beds when they need them."

Calvary Hospital will also receive $300,000 to look at feasibility options for more beds and the expansion and refurbishment of pharmacy and pathology.

Next month's budget will also include funding for an extra six places in the Hospital in the Home program to allow more people to be cared for at home rather than in hospital.

"These are the types of services that don't need constant, 24-hour monitoring but they do require regular direct medical or nursing intervention on a daily basis so for example, assistance with medications as well as direct access to care for patients when needed," Mr Corbell said.

The funding follows a period of unprecedented demand on the territory's public hospital system and comes after a year when emergency department visits in Canberra climbed to more than 120,000 presentations.

Mr Corbell said health spending would be a major priority in this year's budget but he warned the ACT would not be able to absorb the recent federal cuts.

"As the new health minister, I'm very keen to make sure we continue to provide excellent services, that we improve access, that we drive down waiting times and that we continue to invest in health infrastructure," he said.

"We will also need to make very clear the impact of the federal government's budget cuts and what that means ... in terms of the ACT health budget because we cannot sustain or pick up the magnitude of the cuts that the federal government is passing through to the states and territories."

Chief Minister Andrew Barr conceded the territory's emergency departments and intensive care units were under pressure.

"We know this will continue to increase, which is why we are taking a multi-pronged approach to alleviate pressure on our health system," he said.

He said funding allocated in next month's budget would help reduce pressure on Canberra's emergency departments as delays to admissions were often caused by demand on hospital beds.

Monday's pre-budget announcement comes as the government released new artists' impressions of the $23 million extension to the Canberra Hospital emergency department.

The major expansion – funded in last year's territory budget – would see an increase in emergency department beds by more than a third, Mr Corbell said.

The project is expected to be finished in late 2016.

Mr Barr said the upcoming budget would have a "suburban" focus, which was about renewing city suburbs and delivering resources needed by the community.