Royal Perth Hospital

Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is the first hospital established in Western Australia and remains the state's largest and most prominent public teaching hospital. Located on Wellington Street in the heart of Perth's CBD, RPH has been at the centre of Western Australian healthcare for more than 125 years, evolving from its origins as a colonial hospital into one of Australia's most sophisticated tertiary acute care centres.

RPH is one of Australia's largest and busiest hospitals, managing the second largest trauma workload in the country and operating one of the busiest Emergency Departments in Australasia. The hospital's Emergency Department receives patients from across Western Australia — a geographically vast state — by road, air ambulance and retrieval services, managing over 70,000 presentations per year including a large number of major trauma cases.

The hospital employs approximately 7,000 staff members (around 4,700 full-time equivalent), including world and national leaders in several clinical and research disciplines, as well as more than 500 volunteers who contribute through the 'Friends of RPH' service. RPH has a distinguished international record in patient care, teaching and medical research, hosting Nobel Prize-winning research and world-leading clinical expertise in areas such as stroke, burns care and HIV research.

RPH manages approximately 530 medical and surgical day and multi-day beds, with an additional 49 intensive and high dependency beds at the main campus. The hospital functions as the primary state-wide centre for a number of highly specialised services available at only one or a very small number of facilities in Western Australia.

Royal Perth Hospital offers one of the most comprehensive ranges of adult clinical specialties in Western Australia, serving both the Perth metropolitan population and the broader Western Australian state as a statewide referral centre for highly complex cases.

Key statewide services hosted exclusively or primarily at RPH include Major Burns Treatment — the State Burns Unit at RPH is the primary centre for managing severe burns injuries in WA; Major Trauma — RPH is the principal major trauma centre for metropolitan Perth with Level 1 trauma capabilities; Heart and Lung Transplantation — the WA organ transplant program for heart and lung procedures; Bone Marrow Transplantation — for patients with haematological malignancies; Refractory Epilepsy — advanced surgical management for drug-resistant seizure disorders; Haemophilia Management — as the state haemophilia centre; Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation; Head Injury Rehabilitation; and Interventional Neuroradiology.

Beyond these statewide specialties, RPH provides comprehensive adult services including Emergency Medicine and Trauma, Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Oncology and Haematology, General Medicine and Surgery, Orthopaedics, Renal Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Gastroenterology, Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine, Stroke Unit, Vascular Surgery, Endocrinology, Psychiatry, and Rehabilitation Medicine. The HIV Unit at RPH has been a leader in Australia's response to the HIV epidemic since the 1980s.

Royal Perth Hospital is a large, multi-storey complex in central Perth equipped with the full range of facilities required for a major public teaching hospital and statewide trauma and specialty centre. The hospital has approximately 530 medical and surgical beds across multiple wards, plus 49 intensive and high dependency beds — with the Shenton Park Campus providing additional capacity including 190 further beds for rehabilitation and other specialties.

The Emergency Department is one of Australasia's busiest, with a high-volume, high-acuity environment designed to manage everything from minor presentations to the most critical multi-system trauma. Trauma bays with immediate access to CT scanning, interventional radiology and operating theatres ensure the fastest possible response to life-threatening injuries. The hospital's Intensive Care Unit, Burns Unit, Cardiac Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit provide the highest levels of specialist monitoring and intervention.

Operating theatres are equipped for complex cardiac surgery, neurosurgery, transplantation, vascular surgery, orthopaedics and the full range of general surgical procedures. Advanced medical imaging includes CT, MRI, PET/CT, nuclear medicine, interventional radiology and neuro-interventional capabilities. The hospital's research infrastructure supports an extensive portfolio of clinical trials and basic science research. Pharmacy, pathology, blood bank and allied health services operate around the clock, and the hospital's scale means that virtually all specialist services are available on-site.

Royal Perth Hospital is a major public hospital in Western Australia and primarily serves Medicare-eligible Australian residents. However, as a statewide and national referral centre with world-leading expertise in areas such as burns treatment, trauma, transplantation and HIV medicine, RPH regularly receives referrals from overseas — particularly from the Asia-Pacific region — for patients requiring highly specialised care.

All services at RPH are delivered in English. The hospital provides comprehensive interpreter services in a wide range of languages, consistent with Western Australia's diverse population. Interpreter services are available around the clock for clinical consultations, informed consent discussions and other essential communications, and are provided free of charge to patients. Languages commonly available include Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Hindi, Tagalog, Italian and many others.

International patients who are not covered by Medicare or Australia's bilateral healthcare agreements will be charged as overseas visitors at the full uninsured rate. It is strongly recommended that international visitors hold Overseas Visitor Health Cover (OVHC) from an approved Australian insurer before travelling to Australia. International students must hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). In genuine emergencies, the RPH Emergency Department will provide immediate stabilising care regardless of insurance status. The hospital's patient accounts team manages billing for international patients.

Royal Perth Hospital is accredited under the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards, the national framework for hospital quality and safety administered by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACSQHC). Accreditation surveys are conducted by independent assessment bodies including the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS), one of the oldest and most respected healthcare quality organisations in Australia.

As part of East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) — the WA Health Service Provider responsible for RPH and other Perth hospitals — RPH is subject to regular reporting against Western Australian health performance targets and the national performance framework. The WA Clinical Excellence Commission and the WA Department of Health provide additional oversight and governance support.

RPH's training programs in medicine, nursing and allied health are accredited by the relevant national specialist and professional bodies including the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) and other specialist colleges. The hospital hosts some of Australia's most prestigious clinical training programs and is a sought-after training environment for postgraduate medical officers across all major specialties.