Moving a hospital--a once in a lifetime experience

It is a hugely complex task to move a 525-bed acute tertiary health facility to a new building whilst continuing to provide services to the public--a task that was undertaken at Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital in March/April 2001. There were complex issues to manage, ranging from clinical unit interdependence across a split campus to the development of detailed plans for transferring telephone extensions/personal computers in a "live environment". The success of the Princess Alexandra exercise is shown by there having been no adverse effects on patients, the lack of negative media attention and the occurrence of only two staff injuries during the move. Meticulous planning and good communication with staff and stakeholders (other hospitals, general practitioners) supported this success. The decision to reduce clinical services where possible during the shift was helpful. Understanding the complexity and richness of the information technology, the work environment and the human elements on campus was also critical to success. One major error was the initial decision to schedule the move within weeks of receiving practical completion of the new building. It became all too clear in November 2000 that further time was required to commission the building. The Transition was therefore rescheduled from January to March 2001. This decision was critical to the success of the move.