Agency Budget Highlights 2011-12
In 2011-12 Queensland's health budget will increase by 10.6 per cent to $11.046 billion. That is a record health budget for Queensland.
The budget focus
The 2011-12 Health Budget will focus on:
- building projects - including hospital expansions, new beds and new emergency departments
- research and technology—creating a world-class system with world-class clinical staff, and investing in cutting-edge technology and research
- innovation and flexibility - finding flexible and innovative new ways to deliver services to more Queenslanders, closer to home.
By focusing on these priority areas, we can create a sustainable and high-quality health system that helps achieve our Toward Q2 ambition to make Queenslanders Australia's healthiest people.
top of pageBuilding projects
Queensland Health has the largest health building program in Australia, totalling $6.998 billion, with $1.820 billion being invested in 2011-12.
Hospital projects
- $1.297 billion will be invested in hospital projects in 2011-12 including:
- $723.6 million ($5.197 billion total commitment) to continue development of the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital and the Gold Coast University and Queensland Children's Hospitals. The development of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital means that approximately 10,000 patients will no longer have to travel to Brisbane to access the new services each year. The Gold Coast University's new and expanded health care services mean more patients can be treated closer to home. The Queensland Children's Hospital will offer children, young people, and their families access to the best treatment and health care facilities available in Queensland and be purpose-designed to cater for the distinct needs of different age groups
- $7.3 million ($80 million total commitment) to ensure the new Queensland Children's Hospital is supported by a world-class academic and research centre. The centre, to be completed in late 2014, will ensure that the new children's hospital becomes the focus for exemplary training and education in paediatric care in Queensland
- $245.8 million to continue redevelopments at Cairns, Mackay, Mount Isa, Rockhampton and Townsville Hospitals, with a total investment of $1.403 billion — supporting regional Queenslanders in having greater and more flexible access to services closer to home
- $47.4 million to continue the $146.5 million Faster Emergency Care in our Hospitals initiative - upgrading the emergency departments at Logan, QEII, Toowoomba, Caboolture, Ipswich and Redland hospitals. In addition, a dedicated paediatric emergency department will be built at the Prince Charles Hospital and rehabilitation services will be increased at Townsville, Yeppoon and Mt Morgan.
- $145.8 million ($334 million total commitment) will be invested in 2011–12 to continue the development of the Translational Research Institute on the Princess Alexandra Hospital campus. It will make our state a magnet for some of the world's best scientists.
- $29 million will be invested in community health services in 2011–12, including the Robina Health Precinct and the Thursday Island Chronic Disease Centre.
- $4.9 million will be invested in staff accommodation programs and upgrades in 2011-12.
- $3.1 million in 2011–12 to continue the replacement of the residential aged care facility in Cloncurry. This means more aged care patients can be supported within their own community.
- $61.2 million will be invested in information and communication technology equipment to replace, upgrade and provide future capability.
Health reform
National Partnership Agreement (NPA) on Improving Public Hospital Services provides Queensland Health with $675.6 million over five years from 2009–10. This funding has increased the scope of a number of existing projects — providing real benefits for the community by expanding facilities to meet current and future growth in demand, supporting increased access to elective surgery, reducing emergency department waiting times and enhancing sub-acute care. The following projects received formal approval through the NPA to proceed:
- Increased funding of $70.4 million operational and $47.1 million capital funding for Logan Hospital to expand emergency department services and improve patient flow, including meeting the needs of paediatric patients and their families.
- Increased funding of $61.5 million operational and $22 million capital funding to expand the emergency department at the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (QEII) Hospital. This will provide for the delivery of a brand new emergency department with eight short stay beds and twelve chair transit lounge, a new endoscopy unit with two procedural rooms, recovery and admissions area and ten palliative care beds.
- $61 million increased funding over four years to continue the Surgery Connect Program, which enables the treatment of elective surgery patients who have been waiting longer than clinically recommended.
- $40 million increased funding over four years to redesign clinical services with a focus on emergency department access and treatment times to deliver the best evidence-based models of care that are safe, effective and well coordinated.
- $26.5 million operational and $7.3 million capital funding to improve paediatric services at Caboolture and Redcliffe Hospitals. This includes additional sameday and short-stay beds to improve paediatric patient flow through the emergency department, an improved paediatric waiting area in the emergency department, additional paediatric outpatient clinics and consultation rooms.
- Increased funding of $6.1 million operational and $3 million capital funding for Toowoomba Hospital to improve functionality and patient flows with upgrades to the emergency department, and four additional short stay beds collocated with the emergency department transit lounge.
In addition, the Australian Government is providing $7 million additional funding in 2011-12 ($97.7 million over five years) under the Health and Hospitals Fund Regional Priority Round to:
- construct mental health community care units in Nambour, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Toowoomba
- develop regional inpatient mental health services in Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba and Maryborough
- construct new procedure centres at Townsville and Cairns Base hospitals.
More beds and treatment spaces
In 2011–12, it is expected that Queensland Health will deliver over 350 bed and bed alternatives, and more than 30 additional emergency department treatment spaces across Queensland—including at the Prince Charles, Townsville, Nambour, Robina, Rockhampton and Bundaberg hospitals. This is part of the Queensland Government's commitment to open more than 1,700 beds and 250 emergency department treatment spaces by 2016 across a range of Queensland Health facilities. This means these hospitals will have increased capacity to treat more patients, within a more flexible environment—resulting in shorter wait times for patients.
Natural disaster recovery
In response to the recent natural disasters in Queensland, $18.1 million total funding over two years will be provided by the Queensland and Australian Governments under the National Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements (NDRRA). This will be used to repair and replace equipment, and repair Queensland Health facilities damaged in the recent natural disasters—such as roofs, internal walls, fire panels and air conditioners.
Mental health
Our commitment to mental health services in Queensland continues with the record investment of $950.7 million in 2011–12, an increase of $60.7 million on the 2010–11 budget.
The total investment in mental health services will support the delivery of mental health promotion and prevention activities (including suicide prevention strategies) and timely access to assessment and treatment including community-based services, acute inpatient services and extended treatment services. In 2011–12, this will provide approximately 15,000 mental health acute admitted patient episodes of care and more than 70,000 mental health patients will access community mental health care.
It will also enable the recruitment of 126 additional community mental health staff to provide specialist mental health support over the next two years in the areas significantly affected by the recent natural disasters, and in partnership with the Australian Government will deliver enhanced accommodation, emergency access and community based crisis support.
World-class clinical staff
The number of doctors, nurses and allied health staff in our public hospitals has grown by more than 4,700 since March 2009. This means more staff working on the frontline making a difference to Queensland patients.
New and continuing initiatives
In 2011-12, Queensland Health will drive several health initiatives:
- Up to $2.5 million over four years from 2010–11 to support the delivery of Jamie's Ministry of Food Australia, which teaches basic cooking skills and food literacy to improve nutrition and health. This means more Queenslanders will be empowered through education to understand and adopt healthy cooking habits.
- $39.1 million total funding over four years from 2010–11 to implement the Statewide Persistent Pain Health Services Strategy.
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