Cuppa marks milestone

CASEY Hospital has turned one.
Last Thursday the special occasion was marked in Berwick with a visit from Southern Health chief executive Linda Sorrell, who enjoyed a celebratory cup of tea and slice of birthday cake with staff and patients.
Casey Hospital executive director Peter Faulkner said the 229bed hospital had treated more than 5000 adults and 4000 children since it opened, including about 3000 patients who had had elective surgery.
“On any given day, we may have more than 500 staff providing the best possible care to everyone who passes through our doors.
“This number will increase to more than 700 as we progressively increase our services to meet the needs of this evergrowing community,” Mr Faulkner said.
Services offered by the hospital when it opened included elective surgery, rehabilitation, palliative care and haemodialysis.
Over the past year, emergency and mental health facilities have been added.
Southern Health has plans to expand the hospital’s services further. The emergency department, which currently operates from 8am to 9pm, is expected to be open 24 hours a day from December 2005.