Brick by brick, we're building a new children's hospital

Patients of the Mater Children's Hospital and Royal Children's Hospital showed off their LEGO skills to launch two models of the new Queensland Children's Hospital.

The models, which are both 2m x 1.5m and 200kg, contain over 170,000 LEGO bricks and were designed and built by Australian LEGO certified model maker, Ryan McNaught.

The models are on display in the foyers of the Mater Children's Hospital and the Royal Children's Hospital.

New QCH brochure

Construction of the Queensland Children's Hospital signals the beginning of a new era in children's health care for our state. As the centrepiece of a major investment in health services for our youngest patients, the Queensland Children's Hospital is on schedule to open its doors in South Brisbane at the end of 2014 (click on the image to the right to read our new brochure).

Construction of new Leukaemia Foundation Queensland village under way

Work has begun on the Leukaemia Foundation of Queensland's new patient accommodation village at Boggo Road Urban Village in Dutton Park.

Children’s Health Services chief executive officer Dr Peter Steer joined LFQ chief executive director Peter Johnstone to turn the first sod on the development, which is scheduled for completion early 2012.

The new LFQ ESA village at Boggo Road Urban Village will have 30 units (five three-bedroom and 25 two-bedroom units), which is nine more units than the Foundation's existing village on the corner of Graham Street and Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane.

The Boggo Road site is close to Brisbane’s two main haematological treating hospitals – the Princess Alexandra Hospital and the Mater Hospital - and from 2014, the new Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH). The Boggo Road precinct also incorporates community facilities including parklands, restaurants, cafes, retails shops, pedestrian and cycle paths, and public transport connections.

The relocation of the LFQ ESA Village is an important step in the delivery of the QCH because once it has moved, its South Brisbane premises will be demolished, clearing the way for the construction of the QCH Academic and Research Facility.

QCH reaches street level

It's full steam ahead on construction of the Queensland Children's Hospital with the slab floor of level one completed this month. After many months of work on the four-level basement car park, construction has now reached street level and the outline of the new hospital will start to take shape in the South Brisbane skyline. Minister for Health and Member for Ferny Grove Geoff Wilson was on hand to kick off the final cement pour of level one at the site with the help of two young patients - three-year-old Mitchell Gorman and four-year-old Bryce Marshall. To mark this project milestone, the handprints of the Minister, Mitchell and Bryce were pressed into a concrete plaque which will be later included within the hospital's green space. With level one of the QCH now complete, construction for the rest of 2011 will focus on building the lift cores up to level 12 and the slab floors and columns up to level 6.

Revamped playground for Mater Children's Hospital Special School

For the past year Mater Children's Hospital Special School students have watched as excavation of the new Queensland Children's Hospital site has been underway. Earlier this year as part of the hospital's excavation, the school's outdoor play area was dug out for the installation of pipe works. Since then, Queensland Health and Abigroup have been working to build a new and improved recreation area for the students to enjoy. Staff and students of Mater Children's Hospital Special School celebrated the return of their outdoor play area this month when it was officially handed back to them by Parliamentary Secretary for Health Murray Watt. Mr Watt wished the children plenty of fun in their new and improved playground and thanked the school principal, staff, students and parents for their patience while work on the Queensland Children's Hospital continues.

First sod turned for the Queensland Children's Hospital

Premier Anna Bligh, with the help of seven-year-old Jack Ford, turned the first sod for the new Queensland Children's Hospital at South Brisbane on 9 March 2010. For the remainder of 2010 site works will focus on excavation of the hospital's four-level basement car park. The car park will eventually provide families and patients with about 660 parking spaces and safe and direct access to the hospital building.