The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) and Community Health Services project is one of the largest and most complex healthcare Public Private Partnerships (PPP) undertaken in New South Wales.

Ventia commenced the operations of our 28-year contract in October 2008 as part of the Infrashore consortium, providing core facilities, engineering and maintenance services to more than 217,000m2 of hospital space involving a cancer centre, 29 procedure and operating rooms, emergency department, ICU wards, car parks and the needs of over 4000 staff.

Established in 1885, RNSH is now a Trauma Centre and 730-bed tertiary teaching hospital of the University of Sydney, University of Technology, Sydney, and Australian Catholic University and is in St Leonards, NSW.

The PPP project involved the redevelopment of the site to consolidate and replace more than 50 out-dated buildings and replace them with purpose-built facilities equipped with the latest technology.

Delivering robust, quality solutions for our client

For more than 5 years, our team at RNSH has been using a new technology called the HEPACART®. RNSH now have two HEPACARTs to service the site.

Northern Beaches Hospital (NBH) which opened over two years ago, also use the same technology. This piece of equipment makes substantial improvements in containment and infection control in high-risk environments without compromising on essential safety protocols.

This enables our people to work within sensitive areas of the hospital at any time, providing faster response times and greater efficiencies for our client.

With only seven units currently in use in Australia, the HEPACART® enhances our ability to conduct important maintenance services in clinically sensitive locations of the hospital such as operating theatres, patient wards (particularly positive isolation rooms) and emergency wards. It's quick to set up, mobile and more importantly, keeps the primary focus on the health and safety of the hospital's patients at all times.

Creating value for our clients through the use of technology

In addition to usage of the HEPACART, the team have implemented several other innovative enhancements to systems and processes including: 

• An advanced onsite helpdesk utilizing software which streamlines our management of asset, building and service activities to optimise efficiency, improve service delivery and reduce operational costs. Both internal workshop staff and contractors who are based on-site utilise the QFM app, enabling them to access the system on the go
• The introduction of anti-vibration springs on equipment to improve environmental conditions
• New LED lighting for sustainability on the helipad, atrium, external lights, theatres, EEL and other key locations.

Putting safety first to deliver on client needs

The delivery of quality, safe and efficient services to the client is at the core of our success on the Royal North Shore Hospital Contract. 

"Infrashore highly values the people that deliver services for us. Safety in the work environment is important to protect these people we value," says Jan Schmidt, Project Company Representative from Infrashore.

With a culture of 'safety first' the RNSH team operates under strong leadership, with a core focus on continuous improvement within the existing health and safety programs and disciplines.

Project Director, Michael Lynch says that a strong "one team" approach to working with key stakeholders over the past 10 years has been key to the success of the contract as well as to maintaining such great health and safety results. 

"I am proud to be part of a team that is proactive about safety and health," Michael says. "You may have heard the expression 'the standard you walk past is the standard you accept' - that's what applies here. We really do put safety and health above all else."

In December 2018, our team at RNSH reached a 1500-day Lost Time Injury (LTI) free milestone, and as of end February 2019 they sat at 1586 LTI free days. This LTI statistic is a direct reflection of the strong health and safety culture within Ventia, which is a core driver behind who we are and what we do.