Cairns Base Hospital
Location
165 The Esplanade
Cairns Qld 4870
Contact Details
| PO Box 902, Cairns Qld 4870 |
Phone: 07 4226 0000 |
Visiting Hours
- All wards (unless otherwise stated) - 1000 -1300 and 1500 -2000. Rest period from 1300 to 1500
- Cancer Care Centre - 0800 - 1700 (Monday - Friday). Closed PH and weekends. As a safety precaution visitors are to wear shoes while in the day unit. All children and babies visiting patients in the day unit must be accompanied and supervised by a carer at all times.
- Intensive Care Unit (ICU) - No visitors between 0800 and 1000. Two visitors per bedside at other times (within reason)
- Medical 4, Oncology - 1000 -1300 and 1500 to 2000. Please note: Visiting outside of these hours needs to be approved by the Team leader or NUM.
- Mental Health - 1500 - 2100 (Monday to Friday), 1000 - 2100 (Saturday and Sunday)
- Special Care Nursery (SCN) - doors to the SCN are locked at all times. Parents are welcome to visit anytime with visiting consent forms available for parents to determine who can visit their baby. It is preferred that no more than 3 visitors per baby at the one visit.
- Surgical Care Unit - 1000 - 2000 - a rest period is encouraged from 1330 - 1530. Nursing handover is from 1500 -1530 so all visitors are asked to leave the patients rooms at this time.
Cairns Base Hospital provides community and specialist hospital services for Cairns and its immediate surroundings and is the major referral centre for Tropical North Queensland. Services include all major health specialties (medicine, surgery, women’s health, paediatrics and mental health) and more than 30 sub-specialties. The hospital also is a major provider of outreach specialist services to remote and rural areas, including:
The hospital has around 450 overnight beds.
In June 2002, a seven-year $130 million redevelopment program was completed at Cairns Base Hospital, substantially upgrading the health facilities and services available for Far Northerners.
The current $454 million Cairns Base Hospital redevelopment will result in a bigger and better hospital for the region, with an additional 168 beds by 2015.
Emergency Department
In 2008, the Cairns Base Hospital Emergency Department treated 42,891 patients, compared with 39,460 patients in 2007. Patients presenting at emergency are given a triage rating based on the national triage scale:
- Resuscitation – Treat immediately
- Emergency – Treat within 10 minutes
- Urgent – Treat within 30 minutes
- Semi-urgent – Treat within 60 minutes
- Non-urgent – Treat within 120 minutes
Cairns Base Hospital’s Emergency Department generally meets these national benchmarks for the most urgent category. 100% of Category 1 patients are seen immediately. The national target for Category 2 is 80%; and currently around 79.6% are seen on time.
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Elective Surgery
Patients requiring elective surgery are categorised by the consultant at the public health care facility. For category 1 patients (with a condition that has the potential to deteriorate quickly, to the point that it may become an emergency), admission within 30 days is desirable. As at January 1, 2009, 61 category 1 patients at Cairns Base Hospital (56% of the total) had waited longer than this. For category 2 patients (with a condition causing some pain, dysfunction or disability, but which is not likely to deteriorate quickly or become an emergency) admission within 90 days is desirable. As at January 1, 2009, 269 patients (35%) on this list had waited longer. More information on elective surgery waiting lists can be found on the Queensland Health web site
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Capital Developments
- The $454.6 million staged redevelopment of Cairns Base Hospital will deliver 168 additional beds by 2015. It has already delivered the Cairns North Community Health Facility, Liz Plummer Cancer Care Centre and new car park.
Service Developments
- Hospital’s first Cardiac Catheter Laboratory opened in January 2006. Funding of $2.2 million allocated for a replacement catheter lab, work to start in 2009
- $400,000 allocated for relocation of Oncology Unit within hospital in 2009
- Emergency Department: $11.1 million to expand ED, including 12 extra beds (8 general, 3 cardiac and one resuscitation). Expansion scheduled for 2009-12
- $1.43 million allocated for expansion of renal medicine services. Completed end of 2007
- New, $1.52 million CT scanner installed at Cairns Base Hospital July 2006. An MRI licence was approved in February 2008. Unit to be installed by 2009
- 25 new beds opened, with final seven opened on week of May 28 – June 3, 2007
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Cairns Base Hospital Snapshot
In 2008, there were:
- 5741 total admissions
- 9359 surgery procedures
- 42,891 Emergency Department attendances
- 18,489 dialysis treatments
- 4091 oncology treatments
- 2601 births
As at February 1, 2009 Cairns Base Hospital employed 2097 full, part-time and casual staff, including 233 doctors and 1101 nurses.
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