The Repatriation General Hospital precinct will be retained as a health, aged care precinct and supported accommodation precinct under plans announced today.

Health, community and aged-care organisations will be invited to register their interest in the site, as the State Government commits to the precinct’s future, ruling out inappropriate development.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Acting Health Minister Martin Hamilton-Smith said a Registration of Interest (ROI) process for the hospital site would begin today and remain open until 22 May.

“We have listened and we are taking action today to prepare to preserve the RGH site as a special place for Veterans’ general health and wellbeing,” Mr Hamilton-Smith said.

“Sale of land at the site for major commercial or residential development was never our intention and today we categorically rule it out.

“Only health, retirement and supported accommodation related uses are foreseen.

Under Transforming Health the clinical and rehabilitation services currently on the Repatriation General Hospital site will be relocated to other metropolitan hospitals.

Mr Hamilton-Smith said the Registration of Interest process announced today will enable planning for potential alternative health uses for the site once these government services have relocated.

“This is the best outcome for Veterans and for general community health; new rehabilitation and acute clinical services at Flinders and other major metropolitan hospitals, while retaining the Repat site as a health care precinct for years to come.

“Options could include private rehabilitation, respite care, retirement living, private medical practices or teaching and academic facilities.

“The Repatriation General Hospital has a long and proud history of serving veterans and the wider community and we want to ensure the site remains an asset for all South Australians.

“The unique mix of heritage listed buildings and purpose built healthcare buildings has given the site a flexibility which would suit a wide variety of healthcare or community uses.

“However, we will only consider options which would be in keeping with the history of the site and complement the services and historic buildings which remain.

“The Registration of Interest process will help us to gauge the level of interest in the site and enable us to have discussions with interested parties on the features, benefits and opportunities that the site presents.”

Following the ROI, a formal Expression of Interest process is expected to commence in the coming months.

Mr Hamilton-Smith said the proposals would then be evaluated on the basis of benefit to the local community and to Veterans.

“Through this process we hope to hear from interested parties about their vision for the site and how it can continue to serve South Australians into the future,” he said.

“Once we have these proposals the Veteran community and the public will have the opportunity to have their say about the plans.

“We anticipate a final decision about the future of the site will be made next year.”

The Chapel, Museum and Remembrance Garden, Orthotics and Prosthetics SA will remain on site, along with Flinders University facilities and the ViTA Building.

Acute clinical services currently housed at the Repatriation General Hospital are expected to transition to alternative hospital sites in 2017/18.

Rehabilitation services will transition to a brand new, purpose-built 55 bed facility at Flinders Medical Centre.

A new $15 million Centre for Excellence in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will be established in metropolitan Adelaide.

A panel of experienced veteran’s representatives and clinical experts, co-chaired by Associate Professor Susan Neuhaus and Professor Dorothy Keefe, has already been established.

The panel is expected to provide a recommendation on the appropriate model of care for PTSD and the services provided at Ward 17, as well as the type of site required, by the end of the year.

An expert panel is also being established to advise on a new location for the Daw Park Hospice.

The panel will have representatives from palliative care services, consumers, the university sector, non-government organisations and staff.

Organisations interested in taking part in the Registration of Interest process should visit the SA Health website for more details www.sahealth.sa.gov.au or email Health.RepatriationGeneralHospitalSiteFuture@health.sa.gov.au