Works officially start on hospital
THOUSANDS of Darling Downs residents will be employed in the coming four years as work officially commences on the region’s new state-of-the-art hospital.
The new $1.3bn Toowoomba Hospital to be built at Baillie Henderson has now begun, with Hutchinson Builders securing a $11.5m contract to conduct the project’s early works.
“This is an exciting step forward, and very shortly the community will see the work starting for a new access road into the hospital and those essential services, like stormwater, water, power, telecommunications,” Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said.
“This project alone will support (more than) 3000 jobs for this region which is absolutely extraordinary.”
In August 2022, Ms D’Ath announced early enabling works were under way at the site, however she said she was thrilled Hutchinson Builders could now “get under way” with the job at hand.
The much-anticipated facility, which will deliver 118 additional beds and additional services, is set for a 2027 completion date.
“Not only will we see a massive influx of jobs created for the construction of the new hospital, but we’ll also see an increase in the number of doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health and other professionals who choose to work in this brand-new facility,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We’ll also need to recruit new administration, operational and support staff to work in the new bigger and better hospital.”
Ongoing staff shortages at Darling Downs Health facilities have caused concern, with many asking how the government plans to fill the roles when they reportedly struggled to fill positions in the smaller and current Toowoomba Hospital.
“We are developing a workforce strategy right now to how we boost those numbers,” Ms D’Ath said.
“We’ve got to look at full scope and people being able to practise to their full potential and their training.”
Ms D’Ath said the Queensland government was working with universities and the federal government to see how the region could secure more health professionals, including further medical placements, international migration and streamlining the process to getting accreditation into the hospitals.
The new hospital is still within the design phase of its construction, however Darling Downs Health Board chair Mike Horan AM said main works would commence early next year.
“Each year we see almost 160,000 people through our emergency departments, (more than) 230,000 outpatient appointments and almost 3000 babies born at Darling Downs Health,” he said.
“I’m confident with works starting on the new Toowoomba Hospital … that Darling Downs Health will become a destination of choice for clinical staff seeking a regional and rural healthcare experience.” Darling Downs Health chief executive Annette Scott said through the design process, the organisation was exploring opportunities to introduce new services and technologies and enhance existing ones.
“When we open this facility, I expect it to be a model of what a contemporary hospital can be, one that is not only patient-centred and focused on the wellbeing of the community and our staff, but has an amenity and feel that sets a new standard for the industry,” she said.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler last week announced the two governments were collaborating to deliver an additional two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics as part of the Primary Care Pilots program across the state.
Toowoomba was chosen as an additional site for a much-needed clinic, after many facilities across the region pulled back on bulk-billing options.
The Toowoomba Urgent Care Clinic will offer bulk billing seven days a week, 8am to 10pm, however it was not yet decided which services will be in the clinic, with expressions of interest open until March 24.
“We know there is a lot less accessible and affordable GPs out there in the community right now, and this clinic is going to be welcomed by the community,” Ms D’Ath said.