As new dad Mick Campbell cuddles his son William in the revamped maternity ward at Calvary Public Hospital, he says: "a hospital is just bricks and mortar. The people here are fantastic''.
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The staff at Calvary are indeed its heart and soul but a $2.6 million refurbishment of the maternity ward has also made things more comfortable for mums, bubs and dads.
The revamp, in particular, does away with all the old rooms that used to have four mums and their newborns crammed into them. And makes it more a more enticing and closer place for expectant mums on the northside to give birth, especially those from the new Nappy Valley in Gungahlin.
Now there are 10 single rooms and four two-bed rooms. There are also beds for partners in the single rooms so they can stay overnight.
Calvary's clinical midwife consultant Jane Debaecker said the four-bed rooms had been "a huge deterrent'' to expectant mothers, with even northside mums sometimes opting instead to give birth at Canberra Hospital in Woden.
But the situation was changing apace, with expectant mums instead booking into Calvary.
"From the moment the government announced the changes, we've been very busy,'' Ms Debaecker said.
Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris will officially unveil the $2.6 million upgrade of the maternity ward on Monday – a refurbishment funded by the ACT Government.
“The ACT Government has invested in the refurbishment of Calvary’s maternity ward so that women on the northside of Canberra can choose a place to deliver their baby closer to home and in the public system,'' she said.
“This is particularly important as we plan for the continuing population growth and demographics of Gungahlin, West Belconnen and the Molonglo areas.
“Birthing is one of those moments in life when you want everything around you just right and that’s what ACT Health and Calvary have delivered – a place where new mums can enjoy those first moments with their newborn.”
The upgrade of the ward comprises:
- an expanded capacity to 18 beds;
- a reconfigured Maternity Unit that now has 10 single rooms and four very large twin rooms;
- a patient and family lounge and new baby assessment room;
- enhanced facilities for partners who want to stay at the hospital; and
- redecorated patient and public areas to create a contemporary feel for the unit.
Queanbeyan couple Mick Campbell and Emma Weston, who most recently lived in Lyneham, chose Calvary for the birth of their first child based on good word-of-mouth reviews and personal recommendations.
"It just had a nice feel to it,'' Ms Weston said. The babies are delivered in the birthing suite, with postnatal care in the ward. During the renovations, mums and bubs had been cared for on the sixth floor of the hospital but were now all accommodated in the new light, bright maternity ward.
Little William was born at 9.52pm on Monday, July 23, around about the time the very last touches were being put to the maternity ward. Ms Weston said she believed they were the third family transferred into the refurbished ward, on the following day.
"It's lovely and fresh,'' she said, of the revamped area.
Midwife consultant Ms Debaecker said she was "delighted'' with the changes.
"They've made a huge difference,'' she said. "Couples can now stay together overnight and we can keep that triad [mum, bub and dad] together right from the start.''
Tours of Calvary Public Hospital’s maternity ward are conducted every Sunday at 2.30pm.
