An inspiring past, an exciting future
This year we marked important new milestones in our long and distinguished history of medical excellence.
The Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Emergency Department (ED) as we know it today and Kalamunda Hospital (KH) both celebrated 50th anniversaries, and valued staff members were recognised for dedicated half centuries of service.
The anniversaries were a chance to reflect on the many years of care the various arms of East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) and our people have provided generations of Western Australians.
Incredibly RPH has been at the heart of medical care in WA, in various forms, since the Swan River Colony in the mid-1800s – and its origins extend even further back to 1829.
Each new milestone – like those reached this year – is a step further into an exciting future where we will continue to lead and break new ground in health care for generations to come.
As we look to the next financial year, we will draw inspiration from the rich tapestry of our past and the healthcare workers and decision makers whose commitment leaves a lasting legacy at EMHS.
Our health services are built on the strong foundations of this past.
Fifty years of emergency care
The Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) Emergency Department (ED) is one of the busiest in Australia, with roots that stretch back 50 years.
This year, there were 78,705 presentations to the RPH ED, adding another year of achievement to a medical legacy that began when it opened its doors on 5 October 1973.
The ED was part of a masterplan adopted by the RPH Board of Management in mid-1973, aimed at ensuring the hospital could meet most of WA’s demand for emergency care “for some years to come”.
It occupied almost the entire first floor of a new Southeast Extension, with state-of-the-art equipment placing it in the forefront of similar centres in Australia.
WA’s population at the time was 1.1 million.
Half a century later, we celebrated the ED’s evolution through decades of medical advances and social changes, and the crucial role the ED plays, servicing a fast-growing state of 2.9 million people.
We also acknowledged the vital role the ED continues to play in the world class training of future generations of medical and nursing staff.
The Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson MLA, Minister for Health; Mental Health, was among 100 people at the 50th celebration held in the historic Kirkman House on 13 October 2023. Other attendees included EMHS Chief Executive Dr Lesley Bennett, our Board members and past and present ED staff.
“All West Australians have been touched in some way by the outstanding contributions that RPH ED has made to the community,” Minister Sanderson said.
DID YOU KNOW?
In 1973-74 Royal Perth Hospital had 40,123 emergency (casualty) attendances.
Golden jubilee for Kalamunda
Kalamunda Hospital (KH) has come a long way since it opened 50 years ago.
Having recently undergone a $9.5 million upgrade, it is an established part of the hills community and known for the important care it provides for people at the end of their lives, including WA’s first public palliative care day hospice.
A celebration in the hospital grounds to mark its 50th anniversary brought together past and present staff, community members, EMHS Board members and guests such as the Hon Lorna Harper MLC, Member for the East Metropolitan Region.
Originally called the Kalamunda Spa Hospital, it opened on 7 October 1973 on a 5-hectare plot of land overlooking a scenic valley that had been a gravel pit owned by the Shire of Kalamunda.
The hospital was built by a private company with 25 shareholders but was acquired by the WA government about a year later and renamed the Kalamunda District Hospital. Its first patients were admitted for general and maternity care.
In the decades since, KH has served many medical purposes. But it is breaking new ground in its current role providing specialist palliative services and end-of-life care.
EMHS Board member Ross Keesing was part of the original Kalamunda District Hospital Board and has witnessed the transformation.
“As I’ve observed over the last 50 years, it’s amazing to see how people feel attached to the hospital. They feel like it’s their hospital,” Ross said.
Fifty years of commitment
Incredibly, 5 dedicated RPH staff members have celebrated a 50-year journey with us this year.
These 5 staff members from EMHS and RPH were each recognised for half centuries of service and received congratulatory letters from the Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson MLA, Minister for Health; Mental Health.
They were Ward Clerk Tina De Vellerez, Senior Project Officer Steven Dallas, Patient Support Services’ Ian Hewitson, Manager of Cardiac Services Michelle Mikulich and Medical Director Pulmonary Physiology David Bucens.
The Minister thanked them for their incredible years of service and significant contribution to the WA community.
Our staff are at the heart of our services and right across our organisation achieve amazing things every day. More than 100 other staff reached milestones of 20, 30 and 40 years on the job.
