POLICY TO FORGE OUR FUTURE CAIRNS TNQ STATE BUDGET PRIORITIES 2022-23
FNQ REGIONAL HEALTH PLANNING COUNCIL: ALL TNQ STATE ELECTORATE: ALL TNQ FEDERAL ELECTORATES: KENNEDY, LEICHHARDT
BRIEFING NOTE SUMMARY • Cairns Hospital is under constant pressure as the only tertiary-level hospital in Far North Queensland. • Additional primary health and community care initiatives can help to alleviate pressure on the hospital. • There are five identified strategies to ease pressure on hospital services: 1. FNQ Palliative Care Hospice 2. Community-based mental health initiatives 3. A chronic condition care facility 4. Health research and education investment 5. Regional health plan development. • These strategies will ease capacity restraints on the hospital, improve community health services, and divert patients to more appropriate care settings.
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THE ISSUE
Far North Queensland (FNQ) continues to experience a high burden of disease and poorer health outcomes compared with the Queensland average. Cairns Hospital is the only tertiarylevel hospital in FNQ, but it is under constant bed pressure, which negatively impacts the community’s access to acute care services. Unlike large metropolitan areas, there is only one emergency department in Cairns, with no option to divert to any other facilities when the hospital reaches capacity, both in terms of inpatient beds and emergency care. Strategic initiatives are being progressed to maximise capacity at Cairns Hospital – including transitioning Cairns Hospital to university status – to allow the delivery of more and better health services, but additional primary health and community care initiatives can also assist in alleviating the pressure. Communitybased initiatives could divert patients to more appropriate care services, which would help ease pressure on the hospital. To successfully achieve genuine improvements in health and wellbeing in FNQ, investment is required to enable development of a comprehensive regional health care plan, along with expansion of community health services. The five identified strategies are: 1. A Far North Queensland Palliative Care Hospice: The demand for palliative care services within FNQ continues to increase year on year, with more than 650 people being admitted to hospital for palliative care in 2020 and many more receiving palliative care support in their homes. Currently, there are no suitable hospice or respite centres for people with palliative care needs in FNQ. Cairns Hospital and the Gordonvale Palliative Care Unit (an off-site ward of Cairns Hospital) provide acute care for patients needing interventions and life-extending treatment. A communityrun hospice would provide a comfortable residential environment away from a hospital environment to improve the wellbeing of adults and children needing end-of-life care and who cannot manage at home. 2. Community-based mental health initiatives: Mental health and wellbeing can dominate a person’s health status across their lifespan, and the demand for services in FNQ is at a critical point. Self-harm is one of the top five leading causes of death for people under
the age of 65 in Queensland, and suicide and self-inflicted injuries in FNQ are higher than the state-wide rate. Services are needed now to address the doubling of mental health and behavioural conditions since 2001. 3. Establishment of a Chronic Condition Care Facility (healthy living centre) in Cairns’ southern region is required to meet the needs of people with selected chronic illnesses, to empower self-management and reduce repeated presentations to Cairns Hospital. The proposed facility would provide a collaborative approach to managing chronic conditions, thereby freeing up space at hospitals. Potential conditions to be managed include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory diseases, diabetes, cardiac conditions, mental health, and renal disease. 4. Investment in health research and education: Co-contributions to Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service and universities are sought to partner and provide conjoint appointments and research support positions to fully realise integration across clinical, research, and education functions, to enable the university hospital to become a reality. Professorial chairs of medicine, allied health, and nursing are sought, as well as the development of interprofessional teams across relevant research areas for the region (e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, tropical medicine, and chronic disease). Coupled with James Cook University’s intent to offer a full medical degree in Cairns, with the allocation of further Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs), considerable benefits will be realised. 5. Development of a regional health plan: An integrated regional health plan draws together relevant government, council, nongovernment, and community service providers to collectively prioritise and partner to meet the health needs of the community. These initiatives need to be prioritised to meet existing healthcare gaps and improve community services that will alleviate pressure on Cairns Hospital. These initiatives have been selected as they represent service gaps where there are no alternatives to acute hospital care, and where a hospital is often not the right setting for the type of care required.
