'Falling down around our ears': $2b plea as The Alfred starts to crumble

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'Falling down around our ears': $2b plea as The Alfred starts to crumble

By Benjamin Preiss and Melissa Cunningham

Melbourne's leading trauma hospital needs more than $2 billion to overhaul leaky roofs, cracking walls and flooded wards.

Senior doctors on site are pleading with the state government to urgently upgrade The Alfred hospital's dilapidated buildings, which they say are hindering their work and forcing surgeries to be relocated.

Professor John Wilson

Professor John Wilson Credit: Eddie Jim

Home to one of Melbourne's major trauma centres and its leading burns unit, The Alfred treats more than 1500 of the most severely injured Victorians each year.

The government insists it is delivering the greatest number of hospital projects in Victoria’s history but there are fears The Alfred has fallen into disarray.

Heavy rain and faulty pipes caused severe flooding in January, forcing the hospital's cardiac surgical program to relocate to Cabrini Health in Malvern for four months.

In April, a temporary operating theatre was set up for another two months for heart and lung surgeries while extensive repairs were undertaken. The hospital’s seventh floor, which houses wards for cancer, stroke and infectious disease and palliative care patients, was also hit by flooding this year.

A large slab of cement fell from the outside of The Alfred hospital. 

A large slab of cement fell from the outside of The Alfred hospital. 

Last week, a large slab of cement fell from a decommissioned hospital building near Alfred Lane, leaving smashed cement scattered outside.

A $100 million roofing project, funded by the government, was completed in September.  Images obtained by The Age, however, show roofs across The Alfred were still leaking this week.

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Leaky roofs continue to plague The Alfred hospital this week.

Leaky roofs continue to plague The Alfred hospital this week.

“We’ve got The Alfred which is falling down around our ears and situations of multiple roof leaks," said Professor John Wilson, chair of the Senior Medical Staff Association, which represents thousands of specialists in the state's hospitals.

Professor Wilson, who oversees treatment of lung disorders at The Alfred, believes other hospitals across the state have been forced to close wardsbecause buildings are in disrepair.

Many buildings in Melbourne's major hospitals were between 50 and 100 years old and no longer fit for purpose, he said.

“The problem is we are actually causing a risk to patients and staff by working in environments where the roof leaks or where pieces fall off ,” he said. “It’s starting to become unsafe.”

The Australian Medical Association warned of a“funding crisis” hitting public hospitals.

AMA Victorian president Julian Rait said The Alfred was in the “worst shape” of Melbourne's hospitals and a recent evacuation of an operating theatre due to leaking pipes “would have cost them a packet”.

Smashed cement outside The Alfred hospital this week.

Smashed cement outside The Alfred hospital this week.

“It does show the frailty of the infrastructure if that’s what they had to do,” he said.

He's calling for the hospital to get a $2 billion overhaul within the next five years.

“Whilst the Victorian government has gained a great deal of kudos with its focused investment on transport infrastructure, it has taken its eye off the public hospital infrastructure needs across the state,” he said.

Building maintenance costs across Alfred Health’s group of hospitals have more than doubled from $3.5 million in 2015 to about $8.1 million this year.

Australian Medical Association Victoria president Julian Rait.

Australian Medical Association Victoria president Julian Rait.Credit: Justin McManus

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos stressed record funding had gone into healthcare alongside the "biggest pipeline of hospital projects in Victoria's history".

This included 10 new community hospitalsand dedicated children’s emergency departments in Geelong, Maroondah, Casey, Frankston and Northern hospitals.

Ms Mikakos said the government had also spent $69.5 million on “urgent infrastructure” work at The Alfred hospital, $70.6 million on infrastructure at the Austin and $40 million on “critical works” at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Shadow health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said Victoria was in a dire health funding crisis.

“Daniel Andrews ongoing mismanagement of Victoria’s budget means vital health infrastructure is now at risk.”

Professor Wilson estimated activity in Melbourne’s major hospitals swelled by more than 20 per cent since 2014.

Melbourne is forecast to be the largest city in Australia by 2026 with a projected population of up to 12.2 million.

“Who on earth is going to be able to undertake that care if there is no space and the buildings are falling down?” Professor Wilson said.

An Alfred Health spokeswoman confirmed storm damage and faulty pipes had caused building damage.

“We continue to provide modern, high-quality care in buildings that were designed for another time,” she said.

“By working with other providers our staff were able to continue delivering care away from the disruption and uncertainty of building works which included significant repairs to our Main Ward Block roof."

She said Alfred Health was working alongside the government on its redevelopment masterplan which includes a state-of-the-art operating suite.

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