In a significant step towards enhancing healthcare services for children with complex medical conditions, planning has commenced for an Australian-first facility at The Children's Hospital at Westmead named the Kookaburra Centre.

Thanks to the monumental fundraising efforts of Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation (SCHF), $19.2 million was raised at their annual Gold Dinner in May – a charity gala event bringing together Australia's leading philanthropists.

The 2023 event, presented by Scape, set a world record for the highest funds raised in a single night for a children's hospital gala and included the largest single pledge in 26 years of Gold Dinner history, a $5 million donation made by Gina Rinehart’s family on behalf of Hancock Prospecting.

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Kristina Keneally, said this year’s Gold Dinner gave philanthropists a role in revolutionising complex care and becoming part of this Australian-first, ground-breaking facility, making an impact that lasts a lifetime.

Philanthropy truly can transform children’s health in Australia and across the globe. By leveraging its power, we can bring forward the horizon of what’s possible and elevate our good Australian hospitals to great ones,” Ms Keneally said.

"In partnership with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, the NSW Government, and our generous donors, we are committed to delivering state-of-the-art facilities that provide exceptional care and support to sick kids and their families, whenever and wherever they need it.”

The Kookaburra Centre will be the first complex care centre of its kind in Australia, offering a multidisciplinary model of care with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Christie Breen, Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network Acting Executive Director, Clinical Operations said the significance of the new model-of-care for the Centre, which is currently being developed, will foster a unique approach to how we treat children with complex medical needs.

The Centre will transform the model of care for treating patients with rare medical conditions by, offering a holistic and tailored approach aligned to the needs of each patient and their family in one location," Ms Breen said.

"Instead of care being planned around specific specialties or doctors, the Centre will bring together medical teams from various specialties to collaborate and co-ordinate personalised care.

"It's exciting to be part of the model of care development with the Redevelopment team to rethink how we treat children with complex medical conditions. It provides an opportunity to reduce the patient’s overall time in hospital, along with healthcare costs, and to provide a better experience for the whole family, particularly parents and careers who have long struggled to navigate different doctors, treatment plans, medications and post-care."

Enhanced care model

The Centre will include inpatient wards specifically designed to cater for children with complex needs. The spaces will also focus on providing much-needed support for families. Many parents of children with complex needs face a lifetime of looking after their child, with little respite.

The new spaces aim to provide not only physical zones for parents to relax, but a central point of clinical contact to streamline care. Technology will also be a critical part of the design, with remote monitoring and virtual care systems implemented to offer 24/7 monitoring capabilities, and to connect patients with off-site medical teams and other people important to the wellbeing of the child and family.

Planning together

Workshops are underway with CHW staff from varied disciplines to help shape the new model of care for the Kookaburra Centre. CHW Hunter Baillie Ward Nurse Unit Manager Sheridan Bourke says it’s positive to see a broad cross section of staff voices involved in this planning phase.

“It feels like a utopia moment in realising that we are planning for this fantastic new service together which has so much potential to provide incredible support for families,” Ms Bourke said.

“It’s important to have staff from different disciplines across the hospital sharing their perspectives and shaping this new model of care, and it's also important to balance patient-centred care with the right support for staff in this new environment so that we can achieve the wrap-around service vision of the Centre.”

CHW families are also helping to shape the model of care by sharing experiences through consumer engagement workshops.

The future is bright

Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation is raising $75 million to support the redevelopment projects across the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network.