Detailed business case now finalised

PLANS for a new Toowoomba Hospital on the site of the Baillie Henderson campus have reached a major milestone.

Darling Downs Health chair Mike Horan has confirmed the detailed business case for the project has been finalised and was signed off by the project steering committee of Darling Downs Health last week.

In the project’s next step, the business case will go before the board of Building Queensland for approval on September 18.

Mr Horan said a “huge amount of work” had gone into the business case, which has been peer reviewed twice along the way.

“We think it’s a very good case.”

The Chronicle has previously reported the construction of a new Toowoomba Hospital will come with a price tag of more than a billion dollars, and the project will be of a similar scale to the Toowoomba

Bypass construction.

The project could have a four-five year build time.

Mr Horan has previously described the project as a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to future-proof the region’s healthcare offering.

Currently, the Toowoomba Hospital is a hub supporting a geographically diverse region the size of Victoria with approximately 280,000 people – and that figure is forecast to grow to 340,000 by 2036.

In addition, the region has an ageing population with hospital admissions and emergency department presentations growing by 4.5% annually.

Under the plans, heritage buildings will be refurbished and repurposed, while a newlybuilt main acute hospital will become home to most of Toowoomba Hospital’s health services.

Also on the plans are a Cancer Care Centre, an acute mental health building, and space for autonomous vehicles.