Tuggeranong’s new $8.5 million hydrotherapy pool replaced the Canberra hospital pool which closed in 2020. Photo: Nicholas Ward.
Even as Canberra celebrated the opening of a brand-new hydrotherapy pool in Tuggeranong, news filtered out that the south side would lose one of its major facilities from next year.
The Calvary John James Hospital’s current hydrotherapy pool will permanently close when work begins on its new rehabilitation gym.
Responding to questions from Region, the hospital confirmed no new pool was planned for the redevelopment.
“The proposed redevelopment of Calvary John James Hospital includes a rehabilitation gym without a hydrotherapy pool. The existing pool will remain operational until construction begins,” a Calvary spokesperson said.
Calvary is currently in the process of a major $500 million redevelopment that will upgrade the hospital’s surgical facilities, recovery bays, and its gym.
It has said the redevelopment will establish a benchmark for healthcare infrastructure in the region, describing the proposed new facilities as state-of-the-art.
But the removal of one of the territory’s hydrotherapy pools will be a blow for the many Canberrans who utilise the service.
Those on the south side who want the rehabilitation option will now have to travel to Tuggeranong or Hartley Life Care in Woden.
Hydrotherapy is a water-based exercise program using warm water to facilitate exercise and rehabilitation. It is used for various conditions, including arthritis, joint replacement recovery and chronic pain.
Arthritis ACT are major utilisers of the therapy due to its low impact on the body.
According to exercise physiologist Sophie Bullock, the ACT is already struggling to meet demand for hydrotherapy rehabilitation and needs at least one more facility to cope.
The city was down one facility after the closure of the Canberra Hospital hydrotherapy pool in 2020. The new Tuggeranong hydrotherapy pool was designed to replace this facility and was completed earlier this month.
Though the development has been praised by various groups, its five-year construction time left a major gap between the hospital pool closing and the new one opening.
According to Ms Bullock, it has been a difficult period.
“It’s been a challenging five years,” she said.
The hydrotherapy pool at Calvary John James Hospital will remain open until the hospital’s redevelopment gets underway.
A development application has been submitted and is pending approval.
An exact closure date for the pool is not known. The hospital confirmed it would make an announcement once a timeline for the development process is finalised.
Construction is expected to commence at some point in the first half of 2026.
