What are the Best Children’s Hospitals in Australia?

Children have different health care needs to adults and often respond to treatment differently. While many of Australia’s larger public hospitals have a paediatric ward, Australia is fortunate to also have a number of hospitals which cater specifically to child patients and their families or carers. Such hospitals not only excel in patient care but also in research and treatment of childhood illnesses.

Following are five of the best and well-known children’s hospitals which care for over 80% of all sick and injured children in Australia:

1. The Royal Children’s Hospital is a specialist paediatric hospital in Melbourne which has been providing care for children, adolescents and their families for over 140 years. RCH is the designated major trauma centre for paediatrics in Victoria but also caters for children from interstate and overseas being a nationally funded centre for cardiac and liver transplants. A new six-level building was opened in 2011 to provide a better environment for patients and their families.
2. Princess Margaret Hospital is a 220-bed paediatric facility that sees more than 250,000 patient visits each year. PMH is part of the Child and Adolescent Health Service in Western Australia. A new hospital, the Perth Children’s Hospital, is currently being built at a cost of $1.2 billion and will replace Princess Margaret Hospital as the state’s dedicated children’s hospital.
3. Sydney Children’s Hospital is based in Randwick and caters to child patients from Sydney, rural and regional NSW. The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network also includes the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and Bear Cottage which provides palliative care and temporary respite for children with a life-limiting illness.
4. The Women and Children’s Hospital based in Adelaide, South Australia is the main provider of specialised care for children and adolescents with acute and chronic conditions. It is also the state’s largest maternity and obstetric service provider.
5. Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, named in honour of medical practitioner Phyllis Cilento, cares for children from regional and rural communities across Queensland and northern NSW. Opened in 2014 and based in South Brisbane, the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital is the single specialist paediatric hospital for Queensland.

The above hospitals all have emergency departments. Children’s hospitals cater for long-stays by providing parent/carer retreats on most wards which may contain beds, showers, tea rooms and even washing machines. They also provide playrooms for children to have a break from medical treatment. Outpatient waiting rooms for short-stay visits typically contain books and toys to keep children entertained.

Over 30% of patients cared for in the top children’s hospitals are from regional or remote areas so children’s hospitals regularly work with other hospitals and healthcare providers to coordinate care closer to a child’s home in cases where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

If working in one of Australia’s top children’s hospitals is something you’re interested in we may have just the job for you. Review all of our medial vacancies available around the country.