More specialist newborn care closer to home in the Great Southern

The State Government is delivering a Level 2 Special Care Nursery at Albany Health Campus as part of a $4.1 million commitment that will see care available closer to home for mothers who give birth to preterm babies.

Once complete, the new nursery will be equipped to care for preterm babies from 34 weeks as well as newborns with complex health issues.

We are also bolstering the nursery’s workforce with an additional 5.7FTE of senior nurses working in collaboration with specialist paediatric doctors who will oversee the nursery.

Existing nursery capacity will be doubled to four bays as part of the redevelopment. It will be commissioned in phases across 2024-25 to support the more than 550 babies born at the facility each year.

Executive Director Great Southern Evelyn Quinn said the expansion will see more mums and babies receiving specialist care without having to travel to Perth. 

“It means new parents can stay close to home and be near their support networks in those crucial first weeks,” she said. 

“As part of this project, we’re also excited to see additional senior nurses joining Albany Health Campus’ highly regarded team.” 

The project builds on our commitment to delivering healthcare closer to home in regional WA. 

Great Southern residents have recently benefitted from a new state-of-the-art radiation oncology facility, the expansion of mental health crisis services for children and adolescents and an increase to the Patient Assisted Travel Scheme’s fuel subsidy.