Special events planned as RPA marks major milestone.

RPA is celebrating a momentous milestone this month, 140 years since the hospital's foundation in 1882, with a series of special events being held to mark the occasion.

"RPA is a pioneer in patient care and it's a chance to reflect on the hospital's leading role in the delivery of healthcare and its transformation to meet the evolving needs of our community," Kiel Harvey, the hospital's General Manager said.

"It's also an opportunity to celebrate our people - doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health workers, researchers, administration and support staff - who care for our patients, their families and the community," he said.

RPA was named after Queen Victoria's second son, His Royal Highness Prince Alfred, later Duke of Edinburgh. During a visit to Australia in 1868, Prince Alfred was the victim of an assassination attempt while on a picnic at Clontarf on Sydney's northern beaches.

A public subscription fund was opened to build a hospital as a memorial to his safe recovery and in 1882, RPA opened as a 146-bed hospital with 1069 patients admitted in its first year of operation.

Two years later, the hospital accepted 14 medical students establishing RPA as the first teaching hospital in NSW.

Now, RPA is one of Australia's premier hospitals and a key hospital in Sydney Local Health District, serving the local community and patients from across NSW, Australia and the world.

RPA provides an extensive range of diagnostic and treatment services to more people in NSW than any other public hospital. More than 1000 patients are treated at RPA every day.

The hospital is recognised globally as a leader in healthcare with staff at RPA pioneering innovative techniques, treatments and complex interventions.

In 2020, the NSW Government announced the fast tracking of a $750 million redevelopment of RPA which will deliver a new hospital building and the refurbishment of existing spaces.

"It's the most significant investment in RPA's history and will support the world-leading services it provides for the 740,000 people who live in the District and the more than one million people who come into the District each day to work, study and visit," Dr Teresa Anderson, the District's Chief Executive, said.

"We're consulting with clinicians, staff, patients, consumers and the local community to ensure the redevelopment meets the healthcare needs of the rapidly growing area both now and in the years to come," Dr Anderson said.

To celebrate RPA's 140 years of serving the community, an RPA Symposium, showcasing the latest in research and innovation, a gala dinner, staff picnic and cocktail evening are among the special events being held from Monday 19th - Monday 26th September 2022.