Royal Jubilee Hospital Patient Care Centre

operational

Opportunity The Royal Jubilee Hospital (RJH) is one of two tertiary hospitals servicing Vancouver Island. It provides high-level trauma care and specialized services for approximately 752,000 residents within the Vancouver Island Health Authority area. The Diagnostic Treatment Centre at RJH opened in 2002, significantly upgrading the hospital’s diagnostic and treatment facilities. However, the average age of RJH buildings is 55 years—the oldest of which are the East and South block, dating back 85 years. Health concerns included mold, asbestos, and plumbing problems. In November 2005, the Vancouver Island Health Authority identified construction of a new Patient Care Centre at the hospital as a top priority in its five-year strategic plan. While the Patient Care Centre was procured using a P3, additional project elements required to support the facility, such as upgrades to the power plant, were procured using traditional procurement between 2007 and 2012. Challenges The hospital buildings on RJH campus housing patient bedrooms are vulnerable to seismic events, with existing structures only meeting approximately 20 per cent of building code requirements. Therefore, the new patient care centre was to be built to adapt to post-disaster scenarios. Innovations Transferring risk to the private partner meant taxpayers weren't on the hook for cost overruns. The project agreement includes lifecycle maintenance, meaning the private partner is responsible and accountable for ensuring the facility is maintained and rehabilitated or else face financial penalties for non-compliance. Results The 500-bed, 37,000-square-metre Royal Jubilee Hospital Patient Care Centre, comprised of 83 per cent single rooms, provides inpatient services to medical/surgical patients and patients suffering from mental health and addictions issues. The facility modernizes and centralizes inpatient accommodation, replacing services that were dispersed across seven different buildings on the Royal Jubilee Hospital campus. It is directly connected to the existing Diagnostic and Treatment Centre and is expected to yield benefits in three broad areas  by creating: A centre of excellence in elder care—it is the world’s first acute care facility designed entirely for the elderly; A ‘magnet’ workplace,  attracting, retaining and training high quality staff; and A sustainable solution with a small footprint on the environment throughout all phases of the agreement. The design ensures a clear separation of patient, visitor, and service flows while incorporating therapy and support services within each floor; inboard bathrooms allowing staff to respond to and provide assistance to patients quickly;, line-of-sight from halls to patients’ heads to facilitate easier observation by care staff; and a compact unit layout decreasing walking distances for staff. The project is one of the first hospitals in Canada to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. “The ability to achieve the first elder-friendly, the first Pacific Green environmentally friendly and a magnet for hospital staff is amazing. And the opportunity to share tis with other healthcare providers across the world is exceptional. Al of this in a project that achieves several firsts both clinically and environmentally is truly a project to be proud to participate in.” - Denise Blade, General Manager, ISL Health. Learn more at: Case Studies

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