Every detail is being carefully considered in what builders are calling a “Rolls Royce” job, ensuring the community money raised for the $3.5 million Ballarat Health Services project shapes up as a high-quality finish.

The new-look BHS Base Hospital ward is set to open with five tailored rooms, distinguished by colour and numbered dice.

Greater space in the ward will also allow for future plans to deliver modern paediatric healthcare in Ballarat. This includes the potential for a high-observation area for the sickest young patients to avoid being moved to Melbourne and short stay to take children out of the emergency department.

About 1000 children each year spent time in the Base Hospital’s emergency department, predominantly to monitor conditions like asthma, gastro or head injuries.

BHS nurse unit manager for the paediatrics and adolescent ward Clinton Griffiths said there has been a lot of interest from young families keen to learn about the new environment, particularly on what the basic workings will be like.

Mr Griffiths and his team have been running question-and-answer showcase sessions most days. There is also an interactive space for children and parents to pose questions about what to expect.

But Mr Griffiths also hoped the new-look ward would pleasantly surprise.

“Among the tradies there seems to be a real spirit and collaboration to make this a Rolls Royce-style job for the community,” Mr Griffiths said. “It feels like we’re getting that attitude and that means a lot to me and our staff.”

Run Ballarat, under the CottonON Foundation, pledged to raise $1.75 million towards the redevelopment, the bulk made by the community mass-participation event for the past six years.

Mr Griffiths said the project, also with strong philanthropic support, has been in a good position to achieve most goals on a wish list.

The hospital’s new Gardner-Pittard Building, off Drummond Street, has created extra ward space for BHS to reconfigure and expand the children’s ward. This will include brighter, modern age-appropriate play rooms for child and teenage patients.

Young patients are based in a temporary children’s ward, three south, directly above redevelopment works and in what had previously been a surgical ward.

This surgical ward has been relocated to the Gardiner-Pittard Building, which opened early February last year. A ghost wing remains unfunded by the state government for future theatre expansion.

Joinery, electrical wiring and sound-proofing works are underway on the children’s ward this week.

Meanwhile, BHS remains tallying up donations from its annual Easter Appeal for the children’s ward.

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