North Canberra Hospital, formerly the Calvary Public Hospital Bruce, is an Australian public hospital located in
Bruce, Australian Capital Territory
Bruce is a suburb of the Belconnen district of Canberra, that is located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb was gazetted on 6 June 1968 and named for The Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (1883–1967), the eighth Prime Mi ...
, serving the northern suburbs of
Canberra
Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
. It is classified as a
secondary care
Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is deliver ...
facility. The hospital is operated by Canberra Health Services, the health service of the
ACT Government
The Government of the Australian Capital Territory, also referred to as the Australian Capital Territory Government or ACT Government, is the executive branch of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of the party or coalition with the Con ...
. It was established as the Calvary Public Hospital Bruce in 1979 and was operated by a division of the
Little Company of Mary Health Care
Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt
* ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film
*The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...
(LCMHC), Calvary Health Care ACT, on behalf of the
ACT Government
The Government of the Australian Capital Territory, also referred to as the Australian Capital Territory Government or ACT Government, is the executive branch of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of the party or coalition with the Con ...
. In 2023, the ACT Government
compulsorily acquired the hospital with a view to building a new hospital on the site. It is a teaching hospital affiliated with the
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome.
History
Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamation ...
, the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...
and the
University of Canberra
The University of Canberra (UC) is a public university, public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic, Australian ...
. The Calvary Private Hospital and Hyson Green Mental Health Clinic are co-located on the site and share many facilities with the public hospital.
History
An agreement between the
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...
Government and Corporation of the Little Company of Mary was reached on 22 October 1971 to construct and operate a public hospital providing up to 300 beds to service the
Inner North and
Belconnen
Belconnen () is a Lands administrative divisions of Australia#Australian Capital Territory, district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into 27 divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. As at the , the ...
districts in Canberra, to be located on a site in the new suburb of Bruce. The new hospital commenced operations in May 1979, with the ownership and operation of the hospital remaining largely unchanged following the transition to self-government of the territory in 1988.
In 2007/2008 the hospital conducted a pilot refugee mentoring program. This community program is designed to provide
refugee
A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...
s to Australia with work experience and career information and promotes cross cultural understanding. The program was launched in June 2008 and is funded through LCMHC's national community benefit program.
In 2009, amid concerns regarding the ACT hospital system reaching capacity, the territory government investigated acquiring the hospital to bring it under full government ownership and control. The move was prompted by government concerns about control of its assets should it commit to investing in upgrading the existing hospital.
However, following public consultation and extensive negotiations with LCMHC in 2010, the proposal failed to eventuate and the existing operational agreements were maintained. The government projects medium-term demand for another 400 hospital beds across Canberra and are now pursuing options to meet this, including the construction of a new public hospital to be built in the northern suburbs, with some services separated and others shared with Calvary.
In May 2014, the ACT Government announced $19 million funding for the construction of a 700 space multi-story car park to relieve demand for parking at the hospital, as well as upgrading the hospital's electrical sub-station to allow for expansion of clinical services offered on the campus.
Calvary Hospital was among the earliest institutions in Australia to undertake
sentinel
Sentinel may refer to:
Places Mountains
* Mount Sentinel, a mountain next to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana
* Sentinel Buttress, a volcanic crag on James Ross Island, Antarctica
* Sentinel Dome, a naturally occurring granit ...
lymph node biopsy
Lymph node biopsy is a test in which a lymph node or a piece of a lymph node is removed for examination under a microscope (see: biopsy).
The lymphatic system is made up of several lymph nodes connected by lymph vessels. The nodes produce white bl ...
procedures under the guidance of prominent local breast cancer surgeon John Buckingham.
Reproductive healthcare controversy and government acquisition
Since initial discussions by the ACT Government regarding a take over the hospital in 2009, public and political debate has centred on the hospital's policies regarding many aspects of
reproductive medicine
Reproductive medicine is a branch of medicine concerning the male and female reproductive systems. It encompasses a variety of reproductive conditions, their prevention and assessment, as well as their subsequent treatment and prognosis.
Reprodu ...
.
As early as 2007, a dispute between the Canberra Fertility Centre and LCMHC received national media coverage over restrictions placed on
In vitro fertilisation
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation in which an ovum, egg is combined with spermatozoon, sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating the Ovulation cycle, ovulatory process, then removing ...
(IVF) procedures at Calvary Public Hospital and the Calvary John James Private Hospital. During 2019, complaints to the ACT Human Rights Commission alleged the hospital was limiting the information and advice it provided to women on both abortion as well as options for
contraception
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
. As the public hospital for many of Canberra's northern districts, the commission was concerned that the hospital's guidance by
Catholic doctrines on these issues was unfairly disadvantaging those on lower incomes who could not afford or easily travel to alternative health services.
During 2022, a
Legislative Assembly committee launched an inquiry into abortion and reproductive rights in Canberra, partially in response to outrage surrounding the repeal of ''
Roe v. Wade
''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...
'' by the
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
.
The committee handed down its report in April 2023, which identified that Calvary Hospital's "religious ethos" was a barrier to accessing certain treatments and procedures that should be considered basic human rights.
Central to this finding was the submission from a woman suffering from a natural
miscarriage
Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...
who claimed she was denied a
dilation and curettage
Dilation (or dilatation) may refer to:
Physiology or medicine
* Cervical dilation, the widening of the cervix in childbirth, miscarriage etc.
* Coronary dilation, or coronary reflex
* Dilation and curettage, the opening of the cervix and s ...
procedure at the hospital as this treatment can also be used for abortions. The hospital rejected this claim, saying it could not confirm that the woman presented for treatment, and that the government report misrepresented gynecological services and advice provided at Calvary. It sought to have aspects of the report's findings redacted.
Following the release of the inquiry's recommendations, in May 2023 the ACT Government announced that it planned to take over the hospital land and assets and to redevelop the site as part of a $1 billion healthcare campus for Canberra's northern districts. The planned acquisition followed attempts to purchase the hospital from LCMHC during 2010, when a deal was not possible as approval from the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
was expected to take several years. Archbishop of Sydney,
Anthony Fisher
Anthony Colin Fisher (born 10 March 1960) is an Australian prelate of the Catholic Church and a friar of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Since 12 November 2014, he has been the ninth Catholic Archbishop of Sydney. He served as the third ...
, condemned the proposal as an abuse of property rights and religious freedom. He said that acquiring the hospital would force an "anti-life agenda" by performing abortions and
assisted suicide
Assisted suicide, sometimes restricted to the context of physician-assisted suicide (PAS), is the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes actions to end their life.
Once it is determined that the person's situation qualifie ...
. Fisher also criticised the government's management of
Canberra Hospital
Canberra Hospital is a public hospital located in Garran, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It is the largest district general hospital in the region with 672 beds catering to a population of about 550,000. It was formed when the Woden V ...
as evidence of previous incompetence in delivering health services. While the government announced that all staff would be retained as part of the takeover, senior doctors on staff at the hospital and the ACT branch of the
Australian Medical Association
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) is an independent professional association for Australian physician, doctors and medical school#Medical students, medical students. The association is not a government authority and does not regulate or ...
were also critical of the decision, upset about a lack of consultation by the government. These groups called on the enabling legislation to be delayed, providing certainty and stability for medical staff and guarantees that services would not suffer as a result. The opposition
Canberra Liberals
The Canberra Liberals, officially known as the Liberal Party of Australia (Australian Capital Territory Division), is the division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The party has been in opposition in ...
also criticised the acquisition.
On 11 May 2023, the Health Infrastructure Enabling Bill 2023 was introduced to the ACT Legislative Assembly, proposing to remove the public hospital land from the existing Crown lease and terminate the Calvary Network Agreement "on just terms", with provision for compensation. This legislation was passed by the Assembly on 31 May to assume control of the hospital on 3 July 2023.
This prompted an immediate legal challenge by Calvary Health Care, which said that the legislation was invalid and did not provide compensation on just terms. Federal Opposition leader
Peter Dutton
Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian former politician who served as the Leader of the Opposition (Australia), Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party from 2 ...
also called on the
Prime Minister of Australia
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister is the chair of the Cabinet of Australia and thus the head of the Australian Government, federal executive government. Under the pr ...
,
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Norman Albanese ( or ; born 2 March 1963) is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022. He has been the Leaders of the Australian Labor Party#Leader, leader of the Labor Party si ...
, to intervene by overriding the ACT Government to stop the takeover. On 9 June 2023, the
Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the highest court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters and hears the most serious criminal matters.
The court ha ...
dismissed Calvary Health Care's application for an injunction to stop the acquisition.
Workers began removing a large exterior cross and other Catholic iconography from the site on 2 July. The operations of Calvary Hospital were transited to Canberra Health Services the next day, and the facility is now known as North Canberra Hospital.
Services
Calvary hospital provided services including:
*
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 (medicine), ...
*
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 intensive care medicine.
An inten ...
*
Reconstructive surgery
Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition.
Description
Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implicat ...
*General medicine and surgery
*Mental health
*
Obstetrics
Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...
,
gynecology
Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the Female reproductive system, female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obste ...
and
neonatology
Neonatology is a subspecialty of pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants, especially the ill or premature newborn. It is a hospital-based specialty and is usually practised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Th ...
*
Rheumatology
Rheumatology () is a branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis and management of disorders whose common feature is inflammation in the bones, muscles, joints, and internal organs. Rheumatology covers more than 100 different complex diseases, c ...
*
Cardiology
Cardiology () is the study of the heart. 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 di ...
*
Endocrinology
Endocrinology (from ''endocrine system, endocrine'' + ''wikt:-logy#Suffix, -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 ...
*
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology (from the Greek gastḗr- "belly", -énteron "intestine", and -logía "study of") is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. The digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract, sometime ...
and respiratory care
*
Urology
Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...
*
Neurology
Neurology (from , "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 conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...
*
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
*
Orthopaedics
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...
*
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...
and breast cancer nursing services
*
Pastoral care
''The Book of Pastoral Rule'' (Latin: ''Liber Regulae Pastoralis'', ''Regula Pastoralis'' or ''Cura Pastoralis'' — sometimes translated into English ''Pastoral Care'') is a treatise on the responsibilities of the clergy written by Pope Greg ...
The Bruce campus is also home to a variety of outpatient and
Allied Health services which operate in conjunction with the hospital. Due to moral concerns of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
, the agreement under which the hospital operated allowed that certain procedures including IVF and
induced abortions
Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriage, miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of ...
not be performed at Calvary.
Statistics
In the 2021-22 financial year, Calvary Hospital conducted 6,295 elective surgeries and handled 56,755 Emergency Department presentations. Elective surgery waiting times were similar or better than national averages of comparable hospitals, while Emergency department wait times were longer, with only 39% of urgent presentations being treated within clinically recommended timeframes, compared to an average of 51% at comparable hospitals per data available on the
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is Australia's national agency for information and statistics on Australia's health and welfare. Statistics and data developed by the AIHW are used extensively to inform discussion and policy ...
's MyHospitals website.
See also
*
List of hospitals in Australia
This is a list of hospitals in Australia.
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Public
* Albury Wodonga Health (Albury Campus) – Albury
* Armidale Hospital – Armidale.
* Auburn Hospital – Auburn
* Ballina Hospital – Ba ...
*
List of hospitals in the Australian Capital Territory
References
{{Authority control
Hospital buildings completed in 1979
Hospitals in the Australian Capital Territory
Teaching hospitals in Australia
Hospitals established in 1979
Buildings and structures in Canberra
1979 establishments in Australia