Royal Columbian Hospital
Providing expert care to the province’s most seriously ill or injured
As B.C.’s oldest hospital and one of its busiest, Royal Columbian Hospital is the only hospital in B.C. with trauma, cardiac care, neurosurgery, high-risk obstetrics, neonatal intensive care and acute mental health care all on one site.
Features
The Royal Columbian Hospital redevelopment project is a multi-million, multi-phase project that will increase the hospital’s capacity, introduce advanced medical technologies and improve the health care environment for patients, staff and medical staff.
The improvements will upgrade and expand the hospital through more beds and operating rooms, new technology and equipment to improve timely access to tests and procedures to support better health outcomes.
When complete, the project will transform almost all aspects of the hospital to better meet the needs of people across the region. See the project overview and the overview of Phase 2, the new Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower.
View the project floor diagram.
See our full video playlist.
Timeline
Since the beginning of the project, we have consulted with a variety of individuals and groups, including patients, families, staff, medical staff, community partners and Indigenous partners, on the plans to modernize Royal Columbian Hospital.
Phase one (2016 - 2020)
The first phase included the opening of a 75-bed Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre and a new energy centre.
Phase two (2020 - 2026)
The second phase includes a new acute care tower and an expanded 75-bay Emergency Department with a satellite Medical Imaging Unit. There are more beds, advanced technologies and equipment and site enhancements, including an underground parkade.
Phase three (2023 - 2029)
The third phase will upgrade and expand areas in existing buildings to support the beds and services in phase two. It will include expanded clinical support spaces such as pharmacy, laboratory and medical imaging.
News
Public notices
Frequently asked questions
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What are the benefits of the redevelopment?
The key benefits include:
- More capacity: The redevelopment will add approximately 50 per cent more beds.
- Patient-centred care: Planning and design for the redevelopment focus on the patient experience while in hospital, including more single-patient private rooms and a healing environment that features natural light and outdoor spaces.
- Modern technology and equipment: The redevelopment will introduce new technology and medical equipment that will support an improved care experience for our patients.
- Enhanced services: The redevelopment will add a new, larger Emergency Department that will feature a satellite medical imaging unit, among other improvements to ensure our patients receive the services they need for urgent and emergent care concerns.
- Enhanced safety: The redevelopment will include features to enhance staff and patient safety, such as: separate routes for patients and staff; larger operating rooms; standardized layouts; and improved lines of sight from care stations.
- Better infection control: The redevelopment will include the latest infection prevention and control requirements to improve safety such as operating rooms that include UV light to disinfect and kill pathogens.
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What are the construction hours?Construction hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday (excluding statutory holidays).
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How is parking at the site?
To help ensure parking is available for patients, visitors, staff and medical staff, we added 450 parking spaces with the opening of the Mental Health and Substance Use Wellness Centre in 2020. We added another 350+ underground parking spaces and a new surface parking lot with more than 100 spaces with the opening of the Jim Pattison Acute Care Tower in 2026. We encourage people to use other forms of transportation to get to the hospital. Royal Columbian is the only hospital in the province that is conveniently located next to a SkyTrain station.
Construction workers are not allowed to park on public streets within a one kilometre radius of the hospital. If you see a construction parking violation, contact Parking@newwestcity.ca
Updates
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Contact us
If you are interested in more information about the project or have questions, please email us at RCHRedevelopment@fraserhealth.ca
Careers
We’re hiring for a variety of health careers at Royal Columbian Hospital.
Browse all jobs at Royal Columbian Hospital, or select from the following job categories and further filter by subcategory
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Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation
More than a third of British Columbians rely on Royal Columbian Hospital for critical care. Show your support by making a donation today.
