The Drummond Street North build is almost complete and set for hand-over before Christmas.

Furniture will arrive early in the New Year with the new reception area pencilled in for a likely public opening on January 23.

The 32-bed ward is expected to open in late February, once staff are trained on new workings.

BHS corporate services director Russell Hardy said the aim was to make the new reception feel warm and friendly, without feeling like a traditional hospital. There is a garden with access from the foyer and lots of windows to let in natural light.

A new volunteers desk, already in place, will welcome vistors from Drummond Street. A large reception desk is also nearby with access to all wings, including Deakin University clinical rooms.

Patient drop-off areas in Drummond Street and at the back of the wing, in the hospital car park, are already in place.

There will initially be a coffee bar, similar to the coffee point in the Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre, with future plans to open into a cafe area. 

Upstairs, the new ward has wide corridors with a modern and welcoming feel.

BHS unveiled the wing’s name last month. Mrs Gardiner and Mrs Pittard were the first women elected to the governing board of Ballarat Hospital in 1928. They were also women’s auxiliary conveners and were involved in maternal and child welfare at a state level.