RPA Hospital’s $940 million redevelopment passed a new milestone on Thursday when Health Minister Ryan Park officially opened the new Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology building. 

The refurbished building on Missenden Road has been completed through a collaboration between Health Infrastructure, Sydney Local Health District and NSW Health Pathology. 

The state-of-the-art fit-out includes new laboratory spaces, enhancements to existing major medical equipment and a new reticulated chemical system that reduces manual handling of chemical solutions. 

Staff have welcomed the move into Building 12, saying the bright new space better meets their working needs. The move of the Cytology team into the building has also enabled a more cohesive and efficient operation. 

Patients will benefit from the move, with new equipment and systems increasing the capacity for processing specimens. 

Mr Park said the new facility would be considered a benchmark for future upgrades to pathology services across NSW. 

“The new equipment and systems mean there is increased capacity for making urgent initial diagnoses,” he said. 

“The refurbished building includes a reticulated chemical system that is the first of its kind for NSW Health Pathology.  

“New technology means that staff can present real-time microscope displays through an integrated audio-visual system, enabling remote training presentations and review of slides with clinical stakeholders including surgeons in live cases.” 

Mr Park also praised the team that coordinated the move from the old Anatomical Pathology building, saying expert planning allowed staff to process specimens on the day of the main relocation of laboratories. 

Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Dr Teresa Anderson AM said the new Tissue Pathology and Diagnostic Oncology building was an outstanding outcome of a wonderful partnership between the three services. 

Dr Anderson praised their “seamless integration” in delivering such an important facility. 

“It is wonderful to work in partnership with Health Infrastructure, our NSW Health Pathology colleagues and the Sydney Local Health District Redevelopment team to have this great outcome,” she said. 

“Staff at RPA will have access to the best future-focused facilities and equipment with the latest technology. 

“The department has a brand new, expandable cold chain management system which will be flexible as the department grows.” 

The building is one of the first completed elements of the $940 million redevelopment of RPA Hospital -  which is being delivered through a partnership between Health Infrastructure and Sydney Local Health District – and comes just ahead of the beginning of main works. 

“This partnership between Health Infrastructure and the District is a really important one, delivering the various stages of this redevelopment and that collaboration is really impressive,” Dr Anderson said. 

“I think that when you look at this building, that's a really good example of what is to come and there's a lot to come.” 

NSW Health Pathology chief executive Vanessa Janissen said the benefits of the new space would be “life-changing for the people we care for in our community” and for the staff working in the building.