Photo credit: ABC News, Harriet Tatham
It’s the definition of preparing for the worst and hoping for the best – Australia's very first biocontainment centre, designed to safely contain and treat patients with the most infectious and dangerous diseases.
Located in the heart of the Westmead Health Precinct, the NSW Biocontainment Centre (NBC) is a highly specialised facility, purpose-built to care for both adult and paediatric patients with high consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) like Ebola and MERS. These diseases are high acuity and have high case-fatality rates.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said the NBC, a shared facility of Westmead Hospital and Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN), has been built to respond to the unexpected and keep the NSW community safe in response to any cases of HCIDs.
“The centre is equipped with six specialised quarantine class and negative pressure beds and helps us effectively respond to future pandemics and provide high level care to both adult and paediatric patients,” Mr Park said.
“I am really pleased to see clinicians from both Westmead Hospital and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network embracing this model of care, which is the first of its kind in Australia.
While rare, HCIDs can have a devastating impact on the healthcare system, and treating, observing and containing a new or existing HCID in this unit could give the healthcare system a critical head start in preparing for the infection to spread.
The state-of-the-art facility includes a critical lift to transport contagious patients directly from the Westmead Hospital helipad or an ambulance to the centre. It has its own sewage treatment plant to treat contaminated patient waste, and the floor of the centre has been purpose-designed in different colours to identify which areas are ‘clean’ or ‘contaminated’ for additional safety.
Clinicians providing care to patients in the NBC are trained in a strict process to put on and remove personal protective equipment (PPE), which takes about half an hour and involves more than 40 steps.
Alice Polak, SCHN Nurse Educator and Clinical Nurse Consultant in Biopreparedness Paediatrics, NBC, said alongside the centre’s pioneering technology for upholding patient and staff safety, it is designed with a family-centred care approach.
“The NBC is uniquely designed as a joint facility for adult and paediatric patients, prepared to deliver a coordinated, specialised response with a focus on containment and high-quality care of patients and their families. This includes the capability to keep the family unit together if required,” Alice said.
“This unit is all about being prepared, having the skills and processes in place to care for patients with HCIDs in a safe environment, and supporting the whole state in providing this specialised service.”
The centre plays many roles, operating as the state-wide referral and outreach facility for patients with suspected or confirmed HCID, as well as the education and training hub for preparedness and safe practice in managing these diseases.
It also offers infectious diseases advice, including referral to relevant diagnostic testing and locations of testing, links with NSW Health Pathology and management able to be utilised as a 24/7 service in the early phases of the response.
Stocking rarely used antibiotics, antivirals, antitoxins, vaccines and other key therapeutics, the self-contained space is designed with the ability to provide high-level emergency care, as well as access to specialist therapies such as phage therapy.
Member for Parramatta Donna Davis said the Westmead Health Precinct is home to some of the state’s most talented clinicians.
“We have some of the best and brightest working here in the Westmead Health Precinct,” Ms Davis said.
“It makes sense this facility is based here, where our highly trained clinicians stand ready to manage any cases of these highly contagious diseases.”
Medical, nursing, pharmacy, laboratory, and allied health staff trained to manage patients through strict infection prevention and control practices are available to the unit when required.
The Westmead Health Precinct is one of the largest health, education, research and innovation precincts in Australia and is a key provider of jobs for the greater Parramatta and Western Sydney region.
More than $3 billion has been committed by Government and our precinct partners to upgrade and expand the Precinct’s health services, education, research and innovation facilities over the coming years.