People in Surrey are a significant step closer to better access to health care as the Province is breaking ground on a new second hospital in Surrey and new cancer centre.
“Surrey has been experiencing tremendous growth and people are struggling to get the health services they need while health care workers are burning out,” said Premier David Eby. “We’re taking urgent action while carefully planning for the future. As we break ground on the new, state-of-the-art Surrey hospital and cancer centre, work continues on immediate actions to improve health services in the region, so everyone gets the timely, high-quality health care they need.”
The second hospital in Surrey will bring 168 more hospital beds, including medical/surgical beds, high acuity beds and medical oncology beds, and a second emergency department for the community with 55 treatment spaces and access to specialists through virtual technologies.
It will include a surgical/perioperative suite with five operating rooms, four procedure rooms and virtual care options in all clinical service areas, such as virtual intake, emergency follow ups, outpatient clinics and pre- and post-surgical care, as well as robotics, wearable technology and smart beds.
Fraser Health has executed a Design-Build Agreement with Ellis-Don Design Build Inc., which will be responsible for completing the design and construction of the new facility, making Surrey the first community in decades to get a second hospital.
“The new Surrey hospital and cancer centre gives us a rare opportunity to build a net-new hospital and cancer centre that will add much-needed capacity for health care services in the community,” said Adrian Dix, minister of health. “The facts are the people of the fast-growing Surrey community need a second hospital and they need it as soon as possible. So, despite significant cost escalation due to inflation, supply-chain disruptions and labour shortages, we are moving forward to deliver the new state-of-the-art hospital and cancer centre.”
Adding a second hospital in Surrey will also bring a large medical imaging department, including three CT scanners and two MRI machines, as well as a pharmacy, a full-service laboratory that can perform biochemistry, hematology and transfusions, and academic spaces. As well, a dedicated area for spiritual care and family gatherings will support cultural diversity and spiritual practices.
“The new hospital in Surrey will provide annual capacity for more than 28,000 surgical procedures, 280,000 additional medical imaging exams and 120,000 emergency department visits with the addition of a second emergency department to serve the community,” Dix said.
In addition to building a second hospital in Surrey, the community will also have a BC Cancer Centre with a 50-room oncology ambulatory care unit. The new Surrey cancer centre will include 54 chemotherapy treatment spaces and room for six linear accelerators for radiation therapy to provide care and support for people diagnosed with cancer, two PET/CTs and a cyclotron. This new centre is expected to provide approximately 105,000 ambulatory oncology care visits, 50,000 radiation therapy visits and 22,000 chemotherapy visits each year.
The cancer centre in Surrey is a part of B.C.’s 10-year B.C. cancer action plan, which outlines immediate steps to prevent, detect and treat cancers and deliver improved care for people facing cancer.
A new stand-alone 49-space child care centre will be built to support on-site health care professionals, making it one of the first health care capital projects to include on-site child care services.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to build a new hospital that will truly transform the experience of hospital care. Our services are continuing to grow and evolve with our communities to be sustainable while reducing our environmental footprint,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, Fraser Health president and CEO. “Leading B.C.'s first generation of smart hospitals, the new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre will embed data insights and new technologies into both the design of the facility and delivery of clinical care. This will empower a more patient- and family-centred experience and equip our staff and medical staff to deliver the highest quality care.”
The new state-of-the-art smart hospital will be digitally equipped and technologically advanced. It will be a fully electric hospital, one of the first in Canada. Its central location will also provide opportunities to integrate services with nearby hospitals to better support patients.
Construction of this new hospital and cancer centre is anticipated to be complete in 2029 and open in 2030. It will cater to the growing and complex needs of people. The total cost of the project is anticipated to be $2.88 billion.
This announcement builds on additional actions to transform health care in Surrey. In June 2023, the Province, along with Fraser Health, committed to implementing 30 immediate, medium- and long-term actions to improve the delivery of health care services for patients and health care workers in Surrey.
Government will continue working together with Fraser Health and other partners to further support health care workers and the patients they care for now and into the future. This includes building a second medical school in Surrey, which will be the first entirely new medical school in Western Canada in 55 years.
Learn more
To learn about the progress on the short-, medium- and long-term efforts underway to support patients and health care workers in Surrey, visit:
https://www.fraserhealth.ca/news/2023/Sep/update-on-progress-to-implement-30-promised-health-care-actions-in-surrey
To learn about the June 2023 announcement about actions to improve health care services in Surrey, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HLTH0081-000894
To learn about government’s 10-year cancer action plan, visit:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HLTH0012-000229
Three backgrounders follow.
Backgrounders
What people are saying about the new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre
Mike Starchuk, MLA for Surrey-Cloverdale –
"As a former firefighter, I know the importance of having increased access to cancer care and emergency services; having a new hospital and cancer care centre is great news for the people of Surrey and the region. These facilities will provide increased health care services for patients who need access to emergency treatment, operations and imaging. Health care professionals will also be working with cutting-edge facilities, providing greater support for those who need it most.”
Jagrup Brar, MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood –
"The new BC Cancer Centre and hospital in Surrey will provide people with more life-saving treatment space and increased therapy facilities close to home. This means patients will get the medical treatment they need with the important support of family and loved ones. We are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art health care, now and into the future."
Rachna Singh, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers –
“With the groundbreaking of this hospital, we lay not just bricks and mortar, but the foundation of a healthier and brighter tomorrow for our community. This new facility shows that we are making progress, addressing the increasing demand for the health care in Surrey and ensuring the quality medical services are accessible to all.”
Garry Begg, MLA for Surrey-Guildford –
“In a fast-growing city like Surrey, the new hospital is essential as a beacon of hope and an opportunity to expand our health care services to meet the needs of our dynamic community, where every resident’s well-being matters. As well, the BC Cancer Centre represents our commitment to those facing the toughest of battles, ensuring the best care is close at hand.”
Harry Bains, MLA for Surrey-Newton –
"We are continuing to work proactively to accommodate the future demand for health care services in British Columbia, especially in growing communities like Surrey. The new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre will help us meet the current needs of the community, while ensuring people in Surrey and throughout the province have appropriate health care support as they age."
Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whalley –
"Providing timely and accessible health care and ensuring a cancer-free future for more people in British Columbia are two of the highest priorities within our health care system; the new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre brings us closer to making these goals a reality."
Ravi Kahlon, MLA for Delta North –
“We know that people in the Surrey and the North Delta region need more access to health care. The new Surrey Hospital and BC Cancer Centre is going to transform the delivery of health care services for our communities and help ensure that people can get the care they need sooner, and closer to home.”
Jinny Sims, MLA for Surrey-Panorama –
“We are excited to see work begin on the new hospital that will serve our developing community. This hospital will provide additional care and resources closer to home for many families and reflects our commitment to delivering quality care to our community.”
David Byres, president and chief executive officer, Provincial Health Services Authority –
“We are excited to reach this important milestone for the new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre. People living in Surrey and surrounding communities will soon have greater access to life-saving, patient-centred cancer care with the building of a cancer centre at the new Surrey hospital. This will complement services already provided at our existing BC Cancer Centre in Surrey and provide more access, care and support for patients and families facing cancer.”
Heather Findlay, chief operating officer, BC Cancer –
“Today marks an important step towards expanding life-saving cancer care. The new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre will improve access to cancer care services in the community, leading to better health outcomes. This additional cancer centre in Surrey will help meet the demand for expanded cancer services for people living in the fastest growing community in B.C.”
Improving health care in Surrey
People in Surrey are another step closer to better access to health care as the Province breaks ground for the new Surrey hospital and BC Cancer Centre.
This new state-of-the-art hospital will:
- provide annual capacity for more than 28,000 surgical procedures for an aging and growing population;
- add annual capacity for nearly 280,000 additional exams in medical imaging;
- channel nearly 120,000 emergency department visits per year away from other Fraser Health hospitals; and
- cancer care capacity for 105,000 ambulatory oncology care visits, 50,000 radiation therapy visits, and 22,000 chemotherapy visits.
Thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be created during construction of the new Surrey hospital and cancer centre.
Throughout construction, there will be increased employment opportunities for groups typically under-represented in the construction industry such as Indigenous Peoples, women, youth ages 16-24, visible minorities, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. There will also be apprenticeship opportunities for tradespeople and promotion of Indigenous cultural and business opportunities.
Quick facts:
- The population of B.C. is overall getting larger, but there has been a significant growth in the population of Surrey:
- Growth in population:
- Surrey has been growing at a rate of 9.7 per cent annually.
- It is estimated that approximately 1000 new residents are moving to Surrey each month.
- Based on recent growth rates the estimated current population of Surrey is thought to be more than 600,000 people.
- With growth, Surrey also faces other challenges linked to growth in number of homelessness and the drug-toxicity crisis.
- In 2021, more than 30,000 people in B.C. were newly diagnosed with cancer and more than 11,000 died because of cancer.
- In May 2023, the Province announced concept plan approval for new cancer centres at the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and at the Royal Inland Hospital.
- For information about the new cancer centre in Nanaimo, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HLTH0031-000819
- For information about the new cancer centre in Kamloops, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2023HLTH0070-000811
To learn more about how we are transforming health care in Surrey, visit the webpage here.