The decision to build a single children's hospital was not made lightly. Research clearly shows that patients do better when all services are consolidated. Combining our existing children's services into one hospital will create a critical mass that will bring more depth and breadth to our services. It will also take paediatric services in Queensland to a completely new level that could potentially be recognised among the best in the world.

The new QCH will provide

• 359 public beds (overnight and same day) - 71 more than the Royal Children's and Mater Children's hospitals combined
• a majority of overnight beds will be in single rooms with ensuite facilities and sleeping accommodation for a parent or carer
• all existing services maintained and in most cases expanded, such as new clinics to treat obesity, pain and allergies
• the age range for services to adolescent patients has been expanded up to 16 years for new patients and 18 years for existing patients. Many adolescents currently have to receive treatment in an adult hospital. For example, the Royal Children's Hospital provides services to adolescents up to the age of 14 years
• in-hospital accommodation for families in special circumstances
• multi-level basement car park providing families with direct access to the hospital
• Family Resource Centre providing families with health and other information
• entertainment and green spaces
• integral design features, such as allowance for vertical expansion of the building in future
• environmentally sustainable design features.

Two hospitals competing for resources is not only wasteful because highly specialised services are duplicated, but it is also not child and family-centred. For example, families with a child who requires treatment from multiple specialists should be able to access all of their services in the one place rather than having to travel between services at the Mater Children's Hospital (MCH) and the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH).

Extensive family support facilities will include a large percentage of single room accommodation with ensuite facilities. Parents will also have the option of bedside sleeping in the inpatient areas. There is additional separate family accommodation in the hospital for families in special circumstances. In addition, family accommodation is planned to be built within the precinct. There will also be a family resource centre located in QCH where parents can have access to the most updated information on their child's condition.

A site feasibility study has shown that it is not feasible to build the new QCH on the current RCH site. The RCH site contains several buildings that are listed on state and national heritage registers and building consultants have not been able to develop a workable alternative option as to how the new QCH could be delivered on the Herston site without significant delay and cost. In addition, developing the QCH around these buildings would cause considerable disruption to the operation of the RCH. The site next to the current MCH provides the land space required for the new QCH without interruption to existing paediatric services. The South Brisbane location also allows easy access to bus and rail transport and the South Bank Park Lands, cultural and retail districts

By the time the new QCH opens it is planned that there will be two new cross river links at Hale Street and through the Clem Jones Tunnel.

Yes. The QCH will be a government-owned and operated public hospital for children and young people throughout Queensland. It will be managed by Queensland Health.

The new QCH will be a considerably larger building and have more beds than the current MCH and RCH combined. The new QCH has also been designed to cope with further expansion capacity in the areas of emergency, operating theatres and clinical wards.

All existing paediatric specialities and sub-specialities at the RCH and MCH will be in the new QCH. Adolescent services will be added to the QCH and the hospital has capacity to grow to meet future needs and innovations in health technology and health care. Services themselves will improve with the primary focus during planning being on delivering the right treatment, in the right place, at the right time and by the right person.

Clinical expertise will be concentrated and duplication of equipment and resources will be avoided resulting in improved services for children, young people and their families. Consolidation of services has already commenced with the relocation of the Queensland Children's Cancer Centre to the RCH and the Queensland Paediatric Cardiac Service to the MCH.

Research and education facilities are integral to a hospital of this nature and the Government has allocated separate funding ($80 million) for the research building. Dedicated clinical education facilities are also incorporated throughout the design of the QCH building.

Yes. Before the new QCH opens in 2014 a new paediatric emergency department and inpatient and ambulatory services will be established at The Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane's north, so local residents will continue to receive high-quality emergency care for their children 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This new $45.6 million children's emergency department will be built by 2012.