Sunshine Hospital
{{distinguish|Sunshine Coast University Hospital}}
{{Use Australian English|date=November 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox hospital
| name = Sunshine Hospital
| org/group = Western Health
| logo =
| logo_size =
| image =
| image_size = 225
| alt =
| caption =
| coordinates = {{coord|-37.760|144.815|type:landmark|display=inline, title}}
| map_type = Australia Victoria metropolitan Melbourne
| map_size = 255
| location = St Albans
| region =
| state = Victoria
| country = Australia
| healthcare = Medicare
| funding = Public
| type = General
| affiliation = The University of Melbourne & Victoria University
| patron =
| network =
| standards =
| emergency = Yes
| helipad = No
| beds =
| speciality =
| founded = 1989
| closed =
| demolished =
| website =
| other_links =
| module =
}}
Sunshine Hospital is a public hospital located on Furlong Road in St Albans, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. It is one of three major hospitals operated by Western Health in the western suburbs of Melbourne. The hospital takes its name from the major suburb of Sunshine near which it is located.
History
The first hospital around Sunshine was established in the 1920's by two nursing sisters at 9 King Edward Avenue, Albion, and was called St Andrews, with 14 beds.{{cite web|title=Photograph (1963) - SUNSHINE & DISTRICT COMMUNITY HOSPITAL|url=https://victoriancollections.net.au/items/51ef99392162ef1ab4a98e7b|website=Victorian Collections|publisher=Museums Victoria|accessdate=14 January 2018}} It was renamed Sunshine and District Community Hospital in 1946, and was then managed with the then Western General Hospital located in Eleanor Street, Footscray, to become the Maribyrnong Medical Centre.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} Western General Hospital has been founded in 1853 was later renamed Footscray Hospital in 1989.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} A psychiatric facility, The Footscray Psychiatric Hospital has been opened nearby in the 1970's.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}
In 1989, the small Sunshine and District Community Hospital at King Edward Avenue was demolished and replaced by the extensive new Sunshine Hospital on Furlong Road in St Albans.{{Cite web|url=http://www.findingrecords.dhhs.vic.gov.au/collectionresultspage/Sunshine-Hospital|title=Sunshine Hospital (1989 – current) | findingrecords.dhhs.vic.gov.au|website=www.findingrecords.dhhs.vic.gov.au}} In 1996, together with Footscray Hospital and Williamstown Hospital, Sunshine Hospital became part of the Western Health Care Network, which was expanded in 1997 to become the North Western Health Care Network, and then reduced in size in 2000 to become Western Health, with the concurrent creation of Northern Health.{{Cite web|url=https://www.findingrecords.dhhs.vic.gov.au/collectionresultspage/Sunshine-Hospital|title=Sunshine Hospital (1989 – current)|website=Wards of the State: Department of Health, State of Victoria}}
In 2015, a 13-bed intensive care unit was opened at the hospital.{{Cite news|url=http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/news/intensive-care-unit-opens-at-sunshine-hospital/news-story/50e4d7c23ff38053dcd2ee4f2affd7bc|title=Intensive Care Unit opens at Sunshine Hospital|last=Capone|first=Alesha|date=12 March 2015|work=Brimbank Leader|access-date=27 June 2017}} A specialist women's and children's hospital, called the Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital, opened on the Sunshine Hospital site in May 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vhhsba.vic.gov.au/health/hospitals/joan-kirner-womens-and-childrens-hospital|title = Joan Kirner Women's and Children's Hospital}} It includes maternity and post-natal facilities.{{Cite news|url=http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/first-sod-turned-at-sunshines-new-womens-and-childrens-hospital/|title=First sod turned at Sunshine's new women's and children's hospital|last=Laskie|first=Alexandra|date=31 October 2016|work=Star Weekly Brimbank|access-date=27 June 2017}}
Facilities
The hospital has approximately 600 beds. This includes an emergency department, an intensive care unit, a cardiac care unit, women's and children's facilities, and mental health wards, along with aged care and rehabilitation facilities.{{cite web|title=Sunshine Hospital|url=http://www.westernhealth.org.au/OurSites/SunshineHospital/Pages/default.aspx#Facilities|website=www.westernhealth.org.au|accessdate=28 June 2017|language=en-AU}}
Performance
The Sunshine Hospital emergency department processes more than 200 patients on average daily, with about 60 ambulances and 160 patients otherwise presented. As a consequence of this high volume, the hospital has the worst-performing emergency department of the three operated by Western Health, with the lowest rates of patients seen within the recommended four-hour time. The introduction of an intensive care unit in 2015 significantly increased the number of emergency presentations at Sunshine.{{cite news|last1=Cameron|first1=Ben|title=Extra 7000 patients treated at Sunshine Hospital's emergency department this year|url=http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/extra-7000-patients-treated-sunshine-hospitals-emergency-department-year/|accessdate=28 June 2017|work=Star Weekly Brimbank|date=18 October 2016}}
In 2014, 5230 babies were born at the hospital, making it the third-busiest maternity hospital in Victoria. This number is expected to rise to 7000 by 2026 in line with high growth in the western suburbs of Melbourne.{{cite news|last1=Alexandra|first1=Laskie|title=Sunshine's baby boom continues|url=http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/sunshines-baby-boom-continues/|accessdate=28 June 2017|work=Star Weekly Brimbank|date=29 November 2016}}
In 2016, Sunshine Hospital was ranked the third-best hospital in Melbourne for its efficiency in dealing with severe medical conditions in a report by the Auditor-General of Victoria.{{cite news|last1=Cameron|first1=Ben|title=Sunshine Hospital among most efficient|url=http://www.starweekly.com.au/news/sunshine-hospital-ranked-among-the-states-most-efficient/|accessdate=28 June 2017|work=Star Weekly Brimbank|date=15 February 2016}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.westernhealth.org.au/OurSites/SunshineHospital Western Health – Sunshine Hospital]
- [http://www.westernhealth.org.au/EducationandResearch/library/Pages/default.aspx Western Health - Medical Library] (Sunshine, Victoria) [For Western Health Staff & affiliated University of Melbourne Physiotherapy and Medical students. Not available to the public.]
- [https://twitter.com/LibraryWh Western Health - Medical Library Twitter]
{{Hospitals in Victoria}}
Category:Hospitals in Melbourne
Category:1920s establishments in Australia