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Queensland Government
Link to Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)
 
Queensland Health

FAQs

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Why is a new hospital being built on the Sunshine Coast?

The Sunshine Coast is one of Australia's fastest growing residential areas and holiday destinations.  Rapid population growth, together with changes and increases in the types of illness and injury in the community, means the demand for health services is also rising.

In response, Queensland Health is building the new $2.03 billion 738 bed Sunshine Coast University Hospital at Kawana to help meet this growing demand.

In addition, other public health facilities across the Sunshine Coast Health Service District are being re-developed.

The type of health services provided on the Sunshine Coast and the way they are delivered is changing.

Sunshine Coast Health Service District is building a network of services to be delivered in new and redeveloped facilities to make it easier for patients to access the right level of medical care in the right type of setting.

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When will the Sunshine Coast University Hospital open?

The hospital will open towards the end of 2016.

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How many beds will it have?

The new hospital will open with 450 beds in 2016 and grow to a 738 bed facility by 2021.

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What health services will the hospital offer?

The hospital will offer a wide range of tertiary level medical care, which will lead to fewer patients having to travel to Brisbane to access some treatments. Services include:

  • emergency department
  • cancer care services including radiotherapy and chemotherapy
  • specialised medical and surgical services including neurosurgery, cardiac surgery and paediatrics
  • maternity service including a special care nursery for unwell newborns
  • rehabilitation service
  • mental health unit
  • renal service
  • interventional and diagnostic services including a PET scanner for diagnosing certain types of cancer, and a cardiac catheter laboratory.

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Will there be enough beds in the hospital?

Yes, Queensland Health has used the latest population projection data and inpatient activity data and forecasts to plan for the right number of public beds on the Sunshine Coast.

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What else will be built on the Kawana site?

In addition to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, a number of other developments will be built on the Kawana site:

  • a collocated private hospital opening towards the end of 2013
  • Kawana Health Innovation Park (on-site health related commercial opportunities to support the two hospitals)
  • Skills, academic and research centre
  • car parking with over 3,000 car spaces.

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How long will it take to build the hospital?

Building a hospital of this size requires a tremendous amount of work to transform a vacant 20 hectare site into a functioning health facility.
The journey to plan, design and build the hospital involves:

  • finalising health services planning: 2010-2011
  • procuring the hospital: 2011 – 2012
  • building the hospital: 2013 – 2016
  • phased opening of new beds: 2016 - 2021.

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Will the new hospital be delivered as a Public Private Partnership (PPP)?

The Queensland Government has announced that the Sunshine Coast University Hospital will be delivered as a PPP.

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What is a PPP?

PPPs have been used by governments in Australia and overseas to deliver large social infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools.

This method of procurement involves the government entering into a long-term contract with the private sector to finance, design and construct the hospital, and to operate some of its non-clinical services.

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How many beds will be in the District in 2016 compared to now?

The District currently has a total of 578 public inpatient beds. This number will increase significantly between now and when the Sunshine Coast University Hospital opens in 2016 – when the District's public bed numbers will increase to more than 1,000 beds in total.

These beds will be shared across the new Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Nambour, Caloundra, Gympie, Maleny, public beds at the Noosa Private Hospital and the new private hospital to open on the site in Kawana towards the end of 2013.

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Will more services be available on the coast before the Sunshine Coast University Hospital opens? If so what?

Yes, more public acute services and beds will be available on the Sunshine Coast starting this year.
Sunshine Coast Health Service District is expanding services at Nambour General Hospital (NGH) and Caloundra Health Service (CHS) to meet demand now - and to ensure the District is equipped with the specialist staff and expertise needed to open the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2016. The service developments include:

  • a new 96 bed ward block at NGH - opened in August 2010
  • a new cardiac catheter lab at NGH – 2011
  • expanded endoscopy services with a new dedicated endoscopy procedural suite at NGH – 2011
  • a new vascular procedural suite at NGH 2011
  • radiation oncology service for public patients on the coast through a private provider – 2011
  • new outpatient neurosurgery service – 2011
  • an increase in emergency department (ED) capacity at the CHS including 10 new treatment bays – 2011
  • refurbishment of NGH main block including expansion of the ED, medical imaging, pharmacy, pathology and maternity services – 2011 to 2012.

In addition, when the private hospital at Kawana opens towards the end of 2013 Queensland Health will purchase services equivalent to 70 beds for use by public patients in the private facility. This service purchase arrangement will increase to 110 bed equivalents from 2014, with a service arrangement to continue until 2018.

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What will happen to Nambour General Hospital when the new hospital opens in 2016?

Nambour General Hospital will continue to play a vital role in delivering local acute services once the Sunshine Coast University Hospital opens.

It is planned for Nambour to retain approximately 280 beds and operate a level two emergency department from 2016. Significant capital investment has been committed to ensure Nambour remains fit for purpose long after the Sunshine Coast University Hospital opens.

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What will happen to Caloundra Health Service when the new hospital opens?

The Caloundra Emergency Department will close and services will be transferred to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital when it opens in 2016.  The new hospital and Nambour will operate EDs from 2016 and beyond.

Caloundra will operate primarily as a community health facility from 2016. It is planned for Caloundra to also be a centre for palliative care and renal dialysis.

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What will happen to the Caloundra ED between now and 2016?

The Caloundra ED is being expanded to assist with increasing demand between now and 2016. The developments will prepare the way for the transfer to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in 2016. The developments include:

  • new pathology testing facilities
  • 10 new treatment bays
  • reconfiguring bed stock to provide acute care capacity
  • significant investment in additional medical and nursing staff.

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Will staff continue to be consulted about the project?

Planning the health services and procurement for the Sunshine Coast University Hospital is advancing well.

Staff have been participating in user group workshops to review and update the functional design brief for the hospital, which will include consideration of departmental design, equipment and models of service delivery.

District staff are also planning for the upcoming clinical service expansions at both Nambour and Caloundra.

Workforce planning will also require extensive staff support and input to ensure a practical workforce strategy is in place well ahead of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital opening.

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Will there be an opportunity for the broader community to participate in the project?

Yes, Queensland Health believes it is very important for the local community to participate in the planning for the new hospital.

In July 2010, Queensland Health held four community forums across the coast seeking input about the hospital design from the community.  The feedback was very constructive and will be used in the design brief for the hospital where applicable.

A Community Reference Group was also established by Queensland Health in 2010 comprising 15 local residents, health users and health providers.

The Community Reference Group will assist Queensland Health in informing the broader community of progress on the project as well as provide advice and input into the design of the hospital.

The Sunshine Coast Health Service District is also planning a number of other opportunities for the community to find out more information about the project and to participate in its development over the next few years.

Details about opportunities in your local area will be posted on the project web site at www.health.qld.gov.au/scuhospital/ and in your local newspapers closer to the time.

In the meantime, please feel free to contact the project at SCUH-information@health.qld.gov.au for more information or to register your interest in participating in future activities.

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Will there be car parking on the Kawana campus?

Yes, multi-level staff and public car parking with over 3,000 car spaces will be built on the Kawana campus to coincide with the opening of the public hospital.

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Why is the hospital being built at Kawana?

The 20 hectare greenfield site on the corner of Lake Kawana Boulevard and Kawana Way provides a rare opportunity to plan and build a brand new health campus from the ground up.

The site is large enough that it will allow the expansion and redevelopment of each of the site components well into the future. It is also centrally located and will be accessed easily via road and public transport networks.

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Will the Kawana site flood?

At present the site is completely undeveloped and has no infrastructure in place such as drainage.

The new hospital will be designed and built to meet Q500 (which means a once in every 500 years rain event) flood levels.  The hospital will also be built taking into account the impact of future climate change.

To progress the development of the site, the project team has completed a site masterplan which includes planning the drainage systems and placement, ground levels, building levels and heights and road systems.

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When will the collocated private hospital open?

After a detailed evaluation and negotiation period, Queensland Health has selected Ramsay Health Care as the successful private hospital operator, with works on site set to commence in October 2011. The private hospital is set to open towards the end of 2013.

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Why is a private hospital being built on the site?

The collocation of a private hospital with Queensland Health's new public hospital provides a great opportunity for the Sunshine Coast.

The collocation will provide patients with easier access to a range of services locally and greater choice in which provider they choose to access them from.

In the long term the collocation will increase the District's ability to attract doctors, nurses and allied health staff – who will be drawn to the region by the variety of employment opportunities available to them - all on the one campus.

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How many staff will work in the new hospital?

Over 3,500 doctors, nurses, allied health and other staff will work in the new hospital when it opens in 2016.  This will see almost 2,500 new health staff recruited to the Sunshine Coast Health Service District.

In addition, the private hospital is expected to employ almost 1,000 staff when it opens.

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Will there be many construction jobs available during the building stage?

The project will provide a boost to the local economy with a large number of jobs created during the construction phase, and after opening.

It is anticipated that over 300 workers will be on the private hospital site during construction.

During the peak of construction on the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, over 2,000 construction workers will be on site.

The SCUH development is creating almost 11,000 jobs in total over the life of the project.

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What has been happening on the project in the past 12 months?

The past 12 months has been a very busy time for Queensland Health with health service and procurement planning ramping up. Here is a glimpse at what has been achieved:

  • regular consultation with clinicians and key stakeholders to progress health service, facility and site planning
  • ongoing presentations and meetings with community groups and interested parties such as Rotary Clubs
  • continued staff participation in detailed service planning workshops to identify the type and amount of services in the hospital and the proposed layout of these services in the hospital
  • completion of the Stage 2 of Masterplan for the Kawana site was completed in April 2011. The plan provides a vision for the layout of each of the developments on the Kawana site. The executive summary can be viewed on the web site
  • expressions of Interest for the development of the private hospital closed on 7 June 2010. Ramsay Health Care and Healthscope both submitted bids in November 2010 to build and operate the private hospital.
  • after a detailed evaluation and negotiation period, Queensland Health has selected Ramsay Health Care as the successful private hospital operator, with works on site set to commence in October 2011 and the private hospital to open towards the end of 2013.
  • planning is continuing with Stockland, the Sunshine Coast Regional Council and other government departments for the development of supporting infrastructure around the Kawana site such as road networks, intersections and water and sewerage services
  • planning the skills, academic and research centre in conjunction with education partners
  • on 13 April 2011 launch of Expressions of Interest from private consortia to build the new public hospital.

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How do I find out about what's happening on the project?

You can access information about the project by:
visiting the project web site at www.health.qld.gov.au/scuhospital/
sending us an email at SCUH-information@health.qld.gov.au

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Where to from here?

Key project milestones include:

  • 2011 – 2012 procure the PPP consortium for the SCUH
  • 2011 – 2013 build the private hospital
  • 2013 – 2016 the PPP consortium will build the SCUH
Useful information


Last Updated: 13 July 2011
Last Reviewed: 13 July 2011