REGIONAL PLANNING
ADVANCE CAIRNS PRIORITIES 2021/22
CAIRNS UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL COUNCIL: ALL TNQ STATE ELECTORATE: ALL TNQ FEDERAL ELECTORATE: KENNEDY, LEICHHARDT
BRIEFING NOTE SUMMARY
• In 2020, the Queensland Government announced an operating budget of over $1 billion for the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service. • Cairns and Hinterland HHS has a vision for Cairns Hospital to transition to Cairns University Hospital by 2025. • University hospital status will facilitate expanded services, reducing the need to travel outside the region for medical treatment, and supporting workforce attraction and retention • The CHHHS master planning process has identified over $500 million in infrastructure needs over the next 20 years.
THE ISSUE Expanded clinical services and a qualified and comprehensive workforce at Cairns Hospital are critical for meeting the health needs of Tropical North Queensland’s (TNQ’s) growing population. Over the past five years, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) has addressed this need with an expansion of clinical services at Cairns Hospital, including: • locally based urology services; • a new adolescent ward; • 24-hour availability of the cardiac catheter laboratory and built a second cardiac catheter laboratory; • an expanded intensive care unit; • in-reach into nursing homes and increased geriatric support in the Emergency Department; • expanded cardiac outreach service; • a dedicated stroke service; • increased cancer care, renal dialysis and endoscopy services; and • increased telehealth services to provide care closer to home. In 2020, the State Government announced an operating budget for CHHHS of over $1 billion1. 06
ADVANCE CAIRNS STATE BUDGET SUBMISSION
Additionally, work has commenced on the new $70 million Mental Health Unit and $67.9 million has been committed to expand the Cairns Hospital Emergency Department, build a preadmission clinic, a third endoscopy procedure room and hybrid surgical theatre and to provide critical upgrades at Cairns Hospital. In the coming years, CHHHS is aiming to obtain university status to enhance the clinical services of its health facilities with expanded education and research. The agenda will be to provide excellence in health care, maximising the range of specialty services provided. This will reduce the need to travel outside the region for medical treatment. Following these investments, the Cairns Hospital will be delivering its highest level of care to date. However, to cater for growing demand and address the critical health challenges facing TNQ, there remains an urgent need to recruit Cairns-based clinicians to provide specialist services currently being delivered elsewhere. The CHHHS completed a master planning process in 2019, identifying infrastructure needs worth over $500 million over the next 20 years.
• To attract, retain and educate the workforce required, JCU’s College of Medicine and Dentistry requires an extra 50 Commonwealth Supported Places, 30 International places and an allocation of scholarships through the Destination Australia scholarships program.
1 State of Queensland (Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service) Annual Report 2019–20. 2 https://www.myhospitals.gov.au/hospital/310000214/cairns-hospital/emergency-department
