Calvary Public Hospital Bruce branding to be removed this weekend ahead of July 3 takeover

The final touches on the compulsory acquisition of the hospital, which will be rebranded as North Canberra Hospital, are being prepared by Canberra Health Services.

More than 1500 staff have applied to transfer to the hospital, Canberra Health Services transition director Cathie O'Neill said.

"That's pretty close to 100 per cent of the workforce here," she said.

"We've been working on a denominator of about 1800 staff but we do know there's a couple of hundred staff that are actually on long-term leave at the moment so we will continue to make sure they transition."

The government's transition plan had a target of at least 85 per cent of staff transferring by the July 3 acquisition.

Calvary branding will be removed over the weekend and the public has been told to expect increased activity over this period.

"Calvary is working through the weekend to remove any of the branding they don't want to be here by Monday," Ms O'Neill said.

"That's their requirement, not ours, we don't mind if some Calvary branding is still around."

Calvary's national chief executive Martin Bowles and the ACT regional chief executive Ross Hawkins sent an open letter to staff ahead of the transfer, saying they were proud of the organisation's legacy in the capital.

"We have delivered 55,000 babies, with multiple generations of families choosing to birth at our hospital," the letter said.

"For others we have provided long-term care for complex illnesses.

"Calvary Public Hospital Bruce and Clare Holland House are much more than bricks and mortar. They are representative of the Calvary values.

"It is our staff who have lived our mission of 'being for others' with their dedication to treat the patient in front of them."

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The ACT government passed legislation in May to compulsorily acquire Calvary Public Hospital Bruce. The government said it made the decision after negotiations over the future of the hospital broke down.

The government has also attempted to justify its decision by saying it would better integrate the territory's health system.

There are plans to build a new $1 billion public hospital on the site.

Calvary pursued legal action against the ACT government over the compulsory acquisition in the Supreme Court but this was unsuccessful.

The future of the Clare Holland House was unclear in the compulsory acquisition as both the government and Calvary had disagreed on contracts for the site. However, Calvary and the government reached an agreement this week for the government to take over the hospice.

Meanwhile, Calvary and the University of Canberra have signed a memorandum of understanding for training opportunities for midwifery, nursing and allied health students at the university.

The agreement will be for students to take up training opportunities at Calvary's private facilities in Canberra in Deakin's John James hospital and Calvary Private Hospital Bruce.

Students have already been able to undertake placements at the hospitals. Calvary has said the decision is not related to the acquisition.

University of Canberra executive dean at the faculty of health Michelle Lincoln said it would enhance opportunities for students.

"We are excited to continue our partnership with Calvary, which reinforces our commitment to the ACT health workforce across all the settings in which health professionals work," Professor Lincoln said.

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