Nexus Hospitals and SA Health have lodged plans to develop a five-storey hospital and allied centre on crown land in the heart of Adelaide.
The site at 216 Daws Road is opposite Daw House Hospice in Daw Park and is part of the Repat Health Precinct masterplan, which was released in February, 2019.
Nexus co-founder Andrew Petering said partnering with Swanbury Penglase who designed the plans was key.
"We partnered with Swanbury Penglase to design the facility – they have worked with us across the last 9 hospitals Nexus expanded or developed," Petering said.
The plans fall under essential infrastructure development. It will cost $140 million with Nexus Hospitals funding the entire project.
SA Health will provide Nexus a 50-year ground lease on the site and will be in charge of any demolition and prepatory works.
Nexus will undertake the construction and on-going operation of the hospital and car park, and be responsible for the provision of staff and fund equipment.
SA Health has committed to supply a minimum volume of non-complex surgical and non-surgical services for the first 10 years.
The plan includes allied health services, a cafe and parking on the ground, first and second floors.
The allied health services will occupy the third floor.
There will be a $95-million short-stay surgical facility with up to six theatres on the fourth floor with a 30-bed overnight capacity, 20-bed renal dialysis unit, a third-party operated 15 GP capacity clinic and a community pharmacy.
Not including the car parking, the building will have a total gross floor area of 18,849 square metres.
The proposed building’s height of 25.7m exceeds local area height limits but is within limits for community developments.
There will be no on the site as it will replace a parking lot in the precinct.
Construction is expected to begin in late 2022 and due for completion in late 2024, with the hospital opening its doors in early 2025.
The area was the site of a repatriation hospital for veterans and others after World War II. Prior to the masterplan there was significant community opposition to shutting down or demolishing the Daw House Hospice.
The 2019 master plan includes the surgical facility that Nexus is currently proposing, step-down transitional accommodation, a dementia care village run by HammondCare, an 18-bed neuro-behavioural unit, a 12-bed advanced dementia unit and a 36-bed transition facility.
It will also include a Veterans’ Wellbeing Centre, a town square community hub, wheelchair sports stadium, the Southern Older Persons Community Mental Health Service facility, a statewide eating disorder services facility and a hydrotherapy pool.
The masterplan will also retain the Repat Chapel, Remembrance Gardens, Museum and SPF Hall.
SA Health filed the plans in February in support of Nexus and they are now open to the public for comment prior to the minister’s decision.
Private equity investor Petering co-founded Nexus Hospitals in 2013 and is currently its chief executive officer.
“For almost 20 years, Nexus has built a strong track record of co-operation with government—including the Victorian, Tasmanian, Western Australia and New South Wales governments—in providing services to Australia’s public health system,” Petering said.
Nexus Hospitals currently owns 16 hospitals, in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Western Australia.
It has one other hospital in South Australia, the Tennyson Centre Day Hospital at Kurralta Park.
