The WA Government’s $1.8 billion Women and Babies Hospital will be constructed at the Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) precinct in Perth’s south as opposed to the original proposed site at Nedlands, to mitigate healthcare disruption.

Designed by Hassell, the state-of-the-art hospital will provide additional obstetrics and gynaecology beds and neonatal cots. The Business Case and Project Definition Plan developed for the original Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Medical Centre site found a number of risks, namely patient disruption and higher build costs and delays, which led to the move in location.

"The new Women and Babies Hospital will service our community from right across WA,” says WA Premier Mark McGowan.

"However, it would have been irresponsible to proceed with a new hospital at QEII given the unacceptable disruption to patients and staff that has been identified through the planning process.

"Fiona Stanley Hospital currently delivers more than 3,000 babies a year and this new location allows the Government to provide a modern, leading edge maternity hospital next door to the State's largest tertiary hospital, without compromising on patient care throughout construction."

The new site will be located adjacent to the new MediHotel and sits within walking distance of Murdoch Station. The nearby Jandakot Airport also provides easier emergency access for regional patients.

"The potential disruption to patients and staff is far greater than first anticipated at the QEII site and we have no intention of compromising on patient care and safety or causing unnecessary disruption to an already busy campus,” WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson says.

"A key consideration of the co-location of the Women's and Babies Hospital with a tertiary hospital is to ensure that our sickest women have access to a state-of-the-art ICU. This makes FSH the obvious choice. 

A new multi-storey carpark will be built as part of the project and will be controlled by the state government, as opposed to federal.

In addition to the new Women and Babies Hospital, Osborne Park Hospital will also see its obstetrics, gynaecology and neonatal services expanded, as well as neonatal services, birthing suites and theatres. A new Family Birthing Centre will also be constructed in due course. The neonatal services at Perth Children’s Hospital will also be improved.