HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a major public
teaching hospital A teaching hospital is a hospital or medical centre that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities and are often co-located ...
in
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, located in
St Leonards St Leonards may refer to: Places Australia *St Leonards, New South Wales **St Leonards railway station *St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston *St Leonards, Victoria Canada *St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador New Zealand * St L ...
. It serves as a teaching hospital for Sydney Medical School at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
and has over 600 beds. It is the principal tertiary referral hospital for the Northern Sydney Local Health District. Its primary referral area accommodates 5.7% of the Australian population or 17% of the NSW population.


Introduction

The Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a leading tertiary teaching hospital of The University of Sydney,
University of Technology An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...
and Australian Catholic University. It is also a major Trauma Centre which provides specialised services in the areas of severe burns, neonatal intensive care, spinal cord injury and interventional radiology. The Kolling Institute of Medical Research is a health and medical research centre with a focus on research training.


History

The RNSH began as a cottage hospital located in Willoughby Rd, Crows Nest. The foundation stone was laid by
Sir Henry Parkes Sir Henry Parkes, (27 May 1815 – 27 April 1896) was a colonial Australian politician and longest non-consecutive Premier of the Colony of New South Wales, the present-day state of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia. He has be ...
, 18 June 1887. The hospital was opened with accommodation for fourteen patients, with the requisite office and rooms for the medical and nursing staff. Medical staff numbered four honorary doctors and nursing staff numbered five. The site of the original hospital was bounded by Willoughby Road, Albany and Holterman Streets and Zig Zag Lane. The old site is now a busy part of the commercial centre of Crows Nest. In 1902, it opened on its current site at
St Leonards St Leonards may refer to: Places Australia *St Leonards, New South Wales **St Leonards railway station *St Leonards, Tasmania, suburb of Launceston *St Leonards, Victoria Canada *St. Leonard's, Newfoundland and Labrador New Zealand * St L ...
, with 48 beds available for patients. New departments and wards were added over the next fifty years. Between 1935 and 1940,
polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
treatment pioneer
Sister Kenny ''Sister Kenny'' is a 1946 American biographical film about Sister Elizabeth Kenny, an Australian bush nurse, who fought to help people who suffered from polio, despite opposition from the medical establishment. The film stars Rosalind Russell, ...
travelled extensively throughout Australia helping to set up clinics. In the mid-thirties, she set up one of her pioneering clinics at RNSH. In 1940, the New South Wales government sent Kenny to America to present her clinical method for treating polio victims to American doctors. Doctors in Minnesota were with her work and convinced her to stay. Her treatments, which revolutionised the care of polio, caused as much controversy in the United States, as they had in Australia. Royal North Shore became a teaching hospital of the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
in 1947. In 2008 new facilities were procured under a PPP contract. The selected bidder, InfraShore, includes
ABN AMRO ABN or abn may refer to: Companies * ABN AMRO Group, a Dutch bank group * ABN AMRO, sometimes referred to as "ABN" in shorthand, is a Dutch state-owned bank * Algemene Bank Nederland, a now-defunct Dutch bank Radio, news and television organizat ...
, construction company Thiess and service providers Thiess Services,
ISS Facility Services ISS A/S (International Service System) is a facility management services company founded in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1901. ISS's core services include: security, cleaning, technical, food and workplace. The ISS Group’s revenue amounted to DKK 69.8 ...
and Wilson Parking. The works were carried out by Thiess and completed in 2011.


Hospital Today


Acute Services Building

*New Teardrop shaped helipad capable of supporting two helicopters in an emergency *Inpatient wards for medical and surgical patients with a combination of one-bed and four-bed rooms *An outpatient (ambulatory care) center *A new Comprehensive Cancer Care Centre *Enhanced diagnostic services *18 operating theatres *Capacity for a 58-bed intensive care unit with single rooms *Automated guided vehicles to transport food, linen, and waste around the hospital


Clinical Services Building

*40 Maternity Beds *32 Neonatal Intensive Care Beds *12 Burns Unit Beds *60 Orthopaedic/trauma beds *24 Paediatric Beds *32 Beds for Mental Health Patients, as well as 12 beds allocated for High Dependence patients.


Community Health Centre

*Aboriginal health services *Children's health services *Community mental health *Drug and alcohol outpatient services *Opioid treatment program (OTP) *Renal services *Sexual assault and sexual health clinic


Douglas Building

*COVID-19 clinic *Pain management clinic *40 bed ward for the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients *Carer accommodation *Staff health clinic


Herbert Street Clinic

*11 bed inpatient unit for detoxification from drug and alcohol addiction *4 of 11 beds for the NSW involuntary drug and alcohol treatment program (IDAT)


Current Services

There are currently 5,000 staff working at RNSH. * Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) is a major teaching hospital located in th
Northern Sydney Local Health District
* RNSH provides local health services to four local government areas north of Sydney Harbour – Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney and Willoughby and Ryde. * RNSH has statewide responsibilities in the provision of healthcare. It is one-of-seven major trauma centres in NSW NSW Trauma Services - Institute of Trauma and Injury Management. Accessed November 6, 2016. Available from https://www.aci.health.nsw.gov.au/get-involved/institute-of-trauma-and-injury-management/clinical/trauma_system/nsw_trauma_system/nsw_trauma_services and is the only trauma centre capable of providing care for major burns, spinal injuries, and serious injuries during pregnancy. The RNSH emergency and trauma services are complemented by comprehensive intensive care and diagnostic clinical support services.Northern Sydney Central Coast Health. Royal North Shore Hospital. New South Wales Health Department. Accessed January 19, 2011. Available from nscchealth.nsw.gov.au/services/003700637.shtml * RNSH is also a major referral and tertiary hospital for the area extending north of Sydney Harbour, up to the southern shore of Lake Macquarie, and west to Wiseman's Ferry.Royal North Shore Hospital. Concept Plan. New South Wales Health Department. July 2006. * RNSH caters for more than 1,110,600 people, which equates to 1 out of every 20 Australians, and 1 in 5 people living in NSW population.Australian Bureau of Statistics. 2006. ‘New South Wales’. Person Characteristics. Accessed January 19, 2011. * As a major teaching hospital, RNSH has acted as an education facility for University of Sydney undergraduate medical students for more than 60 years and acts as the main headquarters for the program's Northern Clinical School.Northern Clinical School. History of the Northern Clinical School. University of Sydney. Accessed January 19, 2011. http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/northern/about/history/index.php The hospital's teaching program involves students of Allied Health and nursing students from University of Technology, Sydney. * RNSH also provides facilities and support for postgraduate students, scientists and clinicians undertaking research programs in a variety of fields. * The RNSH campus comprises the Acute Services Building (opened in 2012), the Douglas Building and The Clinical Services Building (opened in December 2014). * The overall area of the RNSH grounds is approximately 13 hectares, and 11.6 hectares in functional area. It is commonly known as the Royal North Shore Hospital Campus. * RNSH currently has a maximum capacity to hold 420 acute medical and surgical beds. Overall, including acute overnight and day-only beds, it has a total of 600 beds. * In 2010, there were 56,354 presentations to the Emergency Department and since the opening of the new Acute Services Building increased presentations have occurred with 61,739 patients requiring assessment and treatment in 2012/13. * Approximately 3,000 babies are born annually at RNSH.


Medical Units

* Acute Dialysis Unit *
Audiology Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , ''-logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various ...
* Bone Densitometry * Major Burns * Cancer Centre * Cardiac Cath Labs *
Cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart d ...
*
Paediatrics Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
*
Dermatology Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin.''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary.'' Random House, Inc. 2001. Page 537. . It is a speciality with both medical and surgical aspects. A dermatologist is a specialist medical ...
*
Emergency Department An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
*
Endocrinology Endocrinology (from '' endocrine'' + '' -ology'') is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental event ...
*
Endoscopy An endoscopy is a procedure used in medicine to look inside the body. The endoscopy procedure uses an endoscope to examine the interior of a hollow organ or cavity of the body. Unlike many other medical imaging techniques, endoscopes are insert ...
*
Haematology Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
*
Intensive Care Unit 220px, Intensive care unit An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensi ...
*Medical Day Procedure *
Mental Health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...
*
Neonatal Intensive Care A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), also known as an intensive care nursery (ICN), is an intensive care unit (ICU) specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care, as kn ...
*
Neurology Neurology (from el, wikt:νεῦρον, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine), medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of co ...
*Neurointervention ( INR ) *
Neurosurgery Neurosurgery or neurological surgery, known in common parlance as brain surgery, is the medical specialty concerned with the surgical treatment of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and peri ...
*
Nuclear Medicine Nuclear medicine or nucleology is a medical specialty involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Nuclear imaging, in a sense, is " radiology done inside out" because it records radiation emi ...
*
Ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...
* Physiotherapy *
Sexual Assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
*
Urology Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...


Notable incidents

In 2005, 16 year old Vanessa Anderson was hit by a golf ball. She died 2 days later in Royal North Shore Hospital. The coroner found that "almost every conceivable omission had occurred in her treatment". Following the case of patient Jana Horska, who suffered a miscarriage in the hospital's toilet as a result of lack of available beds and staff, the State Government established the Joint Select Committee on the Royal North Shore Hospital in the
New South Wales Parliament The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW), consisting of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the New South Wales Legislative Council (upper house). Each ...
on 23 October 2007, chaired by
Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social ...
leader
Fred Nile Frederick John Nile (born 15 September 1934) is an Australian politician and ordained Christian minister. Nile has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 1981, except for a period in 2004. Nile was re-elected at the Marc ...
MLC. The committee was formally established on 23 October 2007, and tabled its report on 20 December 2007. The report made 45 recommendations. In early 2008, a Special Commission of Inquiry into Acute Care Services in NSW Public Hospitals was commissioned. This comprehensive and ground breaking commission became known as
The Garling Report The Garling Report (formally titled the ''Final Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Acute Care Services in NSW Public Hospitals'') is a 2008 report prepared by the office of the Australian Commissioner Peter Garling, SC following a s ...
. It reported in November 2008. The NSW State Government responded in March 2009. It found a "prevalent" problem associated with the care of the deteriorating patient in NSW public hospitals. As a result, a statewide system of monitoring vital signs to detect deteriorating patients was introduced. This system includes red and yellow
Between the Flags
colour-coded observation charts for recording a person's vital signs, allowing for easy visual recognition of deterioration. Observation charts have been developed for Adult, Paediatric, Maternity and Emergency patients. By 2012 it had been implemented in every public hospital in NSW. In August 2015, a patient of the outpatient diabetes clinic attended Royal North Shore Hospital for a routine appointment at 9:30am. The patient failed to present to the clinical staff and was subsequently listed as a "no-show" to his appointment. His spouse later concerned that there partner had not returned from his appointment contacted Royal North Shore Hospital and advised staff that her partner did not attend his scheduled appointment. It was not until 6:30am the following day that a cleaner located the man in a public toilet within the hospital premises. It was found that the patient suffered a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
. In August 2016, the Royal North Shore Hospital came under fire when it was revealed that doctors at the hospital were issuing restricted
antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...
to tens of thousands of patients, without seeking approval. Northern Sydney Local Health District's system through which approval to prescribe the powerful antibiotics is sought, called eASY, had not been used to generate any of these prescriptions. Use of the eASY system, designed to combat the spread of superbugs, had fallen to just 35% in May 2016. A foetus was incorrectly cremated in an incident in August 2015 that resulted in the parents being unable to bury their child as per their wishes. The admission came after state budget estimates exposed a separate body swap at RNSH, in which the daughter of a deceased patient found that staff had incorrectly tagged her remains.


See also

*
Healthcare in Australia Health care in Australia operates under a shared public-private model underpinned by the Medicare system, the national single-payer funding model. State and territory governments operate public health facilities where eligible patients rece ...
*
Lists of hospitals These are links to lists of hospitals around the world. According to Cybermetrics Lab, they completed their rankings from over 16,500 hospitals worldwide in 2015. By continent *Lists of hospitals in Africa *Lists of hospitals in Asia *Lists of h ...
*
List of hospitals in Australia This is a list of hospitals in Australia. Australian Capital Territory Public * Calvary Public Hospital – Bruce * The Canberra Hospital – Garran * Queen Elizabeth II Family Centre – Curtin * University of Canberra Hospital – Bel ...


References


External links


Royal North Shore Hospital Resident Medical Officer Association (RNSH RMOA) websiteRoyal North Shore Department of AnaesthesiaReport of the Legislative Council Inquiry
{{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1887 Hospital buildings completed in 1902 Hospitals in Sydney Teaching hospitals in Australia Hospitals established in 1885 Sydney Medical School Organisations based in Australia with royal patronage 1885 establishments in Australia Gore Hill, New South Wales St Leonards, New South Wales