For a child and their family, surgery can bring stress. In the soon‑to‑open building at Westmead, every detail has been thoughtfully designed to make that journey more comfortable.

CHW Perioperative Nurse, Kathleen Laughlin, says that having all main surgical services located within, or closely linked to a new perioperative suite, makes it easier for teams and safer for patients.

“For patients, they won’t have to travel as far or for as long between hospital spaces, which means they spend less time away from the services and equipment that are keeping them safe while they're anaesthetised,” she said.

The new theatres are fully digital, allowing all equipment that produces an image or sound to “talk” to any of the screens in the room.

“Anything from a laparoscope to a microscope image, to the in-light camera in the surgical lights, the room camera, or the anaesthetic or neuro monitors - all of these used to be seen by only one person or one side of the room - can now be viewed on multiple screens,” she explained.

“We all work to keep patients safe and give them the best outcome—this will give us better visibility.”

The new Cardiac Catheter Laboratory (Cath Lab) is also located within the new theatre complex. Interventional Cardiologist Dr Paul Adams says the proximity improves coordination between teams working “hand in hand” during hybrid procedures.

A new interventional radiology (IR) machine with advanced, image-guided systems is among the new technology features. Where possible, it will support clinicians to perform less invasive procedures through a small entry point in the groin or leg.

“These less invasive procedures allow a child to go home earlier, often the same day, sometimes the next day, without needing ICU care or recovery from a surgical wound. It makes the process much quicker,” Dr Adams said.

Anaesthetics and Recovery Nurse, Ria Bertsos, says the expanded anaesthetic and recovery areas will streamline workflow and enhance the overall patient experience, while the calming wall envirographics are designed to ease patient anxiety and stress.

“There are lots of fish on the wall, along with animals from the local Parramatta region. We can start talking to the kids and engaging them with what they can see, how many animals they can spot, and it becomes a distraction from what is going on,” she said.

The integrated perioperative suite spans an entire floor of the new 14‑storey hospital building, creating a purpose‑built hub for surgical care. Surgery and Anaesthesia Clinical Stream Director, Sherief Marzouk, says the uplift in new theatres and space to provide more theatres and labs in future will enable the hospital to meet future surgical demand.

“We’re almost doubling our capacity, meaning we can meet the increasing demand for elective and emergency surgery across Western Sydney and beyond. We also have several cold shell operating theatres, allowing us to expand as the population grows.

“This building is not just built for today. It’s built for the future.”