Doctors have welcomed new funding for Canberra Hospital's trauma service, but have warned the government not to forget "less glamorous" areas that remain under pressure.
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The ACT government has announced that next week's budget will include $5.3 million over four years for six new trauma specialists and a nurse at Canberra Hospital.
Health Minister Simon Corbell says the expansion of the hospital's trauma service, which takes responsibility for surrounding NSW, will help it cope with increasing demand.
It will also see a new model of care designed to streamline the hospital journey for trauma patients.
That would see better co-ordination and continuity of the complex range of expertise and specialities often involved in major trauma cases.
"The Canberra Hospital is the designated major trauma centre for the ACT and surrounding areas of New South Wales," Mr Corbell said in a statement.
"This means that it needs to be equipped and able to manage high volumes of trauma and emergency cases that cannot be provided by other facilities."
The Australian Medical Association's ACT branch has welcomed the funding announcement, saying major trauma cases are complex and posed a challenge for all hospitals.
But ACT president Professor Steve Robson urged the government to avoid funding trauma services at the expense of "less glamorous areas of care".
"There is already a great deal of pressure on the operating theatres at Canberra Hospital," Professor Robson said.
"A large volume of elective surgery is now being outsourced to private hospitals due to lack of capacity in the public hospital system.
"It is critical that funding of new trauma specialists is provided in concert with the infrastructure to support their valuable work, not just pea-and-thimble changes that compromise other services at the hospital."
Wednesday's budget announcement was the second for the hospital this week.
Earlier, the ACT government announced a significant boost to staffing of the Canberra Hospital's emergency department.
That is aimed at improving long emergency department wait times. Recent data showed only 48 per cent of patients were seen within the recommended time.
A Productivity Commission report found Canberra's wait times were the longest in the country earlier this year.
Only 59 per cent of emergency department patients were seen on time during 2014-15, while the median waiting time was 37 minutes, the longest in the country.
To help address those shortcomings, the government on Monday announced 54 full-time staff will be employed over the next four years, including 10 new doctors, 24 new nurses, and roughly 18 new allied health professionals.
Most of the new allied health professionals will be physiotherapists.
That announcement involved $29 million over four years, and Mr Corbell said it would go a long way in improving waiting times.
Work to expand the emergency department is also continuing, including three new ambulance bays, and 21 treatment spaces.
That $23 million project is already under way, and the first stage opened earlier this year.
The ACT budget will be handed down on Tuesday.
