The new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre

Surrey is a large geographic region, and is the second-largest city in B.C. by population. By 2041, Surrey is projected to surpass Vancouver as the most populated city in B.C.

Surrey Memorial Hospital, Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre (JPOCSC), and BC Cancer Centre – Surrey deliver first-class health care in this region, but there is significant pressure on their resources to keep up with demand – especially in the areas of general medicine, medical imaging and low/mid-acuity surgery. We realize that with a rapidly growing community, it is important that we increase access to health services to support people in Surrey and neighbouring municipalities now and in the future. 

The new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre will help meet the health care needs of Surrey’s population by adding hospital services in the Cloverdale, Newton and South Surrey area and bolstering our services in our regional hospital network.   

Virtual care is much more than video/phone conferencing with care providers and digital record keeping. It is technology-enabled health care inside and outside the hospital and cancer centre, including smart rooms with real-time monitoring and alerts, smart operating rooms with features such as continuous disinfecting lighting, automated guided vehicles to bring more automation and efficiencies. It also includes smart wearables, like wearable ECG monitors, blood pressure monitors and biosensors, so patients can receive remote monitoring from the comfort of their home before they are discharged virtually from the hospital. 

Virtual care will allow the new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre to care for more people. Many patients will experience shorter required hospital stays and enjoy care from the comfort of their home, thanks to new digital technologies. As a result, the hospital will be able to serve more patients than other facilities with a comparable number of inpatient beds and treatment spaces. 
Some of the benefits of virtual care to patients will include:

• Increased access to care: Virtual care provides patients with access to health services before (or even without) having to travel to the hospital, making it easier for patients to receive care when they need it.
• Improved patient engagement: Virtual care provides patients with tools and resources, such as an online portal with secure messaging, provider notes and self-scheduling, that will enable them to be more engaged in their health care, contributing to better health outcomes and greater patient satisfaction. 
• Enhanced monitoring and management: Patients access virtual care with remote monitoring and management tools, allowing for earlier detection and intervention of health issues and ultimately helping lead to better health outcomes.
• Improved communication with health care providers: Virtual care provides patients with easy and convenient ways to communicate with their care providers, enabling better care coordination, medication management and treatment adherence.

All permitting is up to date and on track for the new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre project. Due to the Design-Build nature and the large scale of this project, phasing the building permits is a requirement and an essential delivery strategy to ensure this project is delivered in the shortest time possible. This is industry standard for a project of this magnitude.

Fraser Health and EllisDon worked collaboratively with the City of Surrey to create this strategy and have met every week since August 2023 to ensure its successful delivery.

For a comprehensive look at what permits have been issued, and which are upcoming, visit our interactive timeline above.