No overnight beds in state’s seven new hospitals

Labor has been accused of ‘misleading Queenslanders’ after it was revealed seven new hospitals won’t have vital overnight beds.

No overnight beds will be included in the seven new satellite hospitals promised by the State Government, prompting the Opposition to accuse Labor of ‘misleading Queenslanders’ by failing to fix the health system.

Satellite hospitals will be built at seven fast-growing locations across the southeast, which the State Government has claimed would take pressure off Queensland’s overwhelmed health facilities.

However Health Minister Yvette D’Ath revealed in response to a question on notice the $265m hospital spend would not facilitate the creation of additional long-stay beds.

“I am advised that while these facilities will not contain overnight beds, important services such as oncology and renal services will be housed in these satellite hospitals,” she said.

“The provision of these services in our satellite hospitals will deliver increased bed

capacity across our existing public hospital network.”

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, deputy Steven Miles and Pumicestone MP Ali King at the announcement of new satellite hospitals in October. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

The revelation prompted Opposition Health spokeswoman Ros Bates to accuse the government of misleading Queenslanders.

“This was a flagship announcement by Labor before the election but now we know these are multipurpose facilities with no overnight beds … these are not hospitals,” she said.

“You can’t take your child to the Tugun satellite hospital if they’re having an asthma attack, you can’t take your father if he’s having a heart attack and you can’t take your grandmother if she’s fallen over and broken her hip.

“Labor has seriously misled people who were told they were getting hospitals in their area and this simply isn’t true.”

Opposition Health Spokeswoman Ros Bates has hit out at the state for not including overnight beds as part of seven new hospitals. Photographer: Liam Kidston.

However, Ms D’Ath said the seven satellite hospitals would target early intervention and conduct minor surgery to free up space in Queensland’s major emergency hospitals.

“You think of all that day surgery where people are currently still taking up space in a room and also surgical theatres that can be done in our satellite hospitals,” she said.

“That’s creating extra space where there can be overnight beds created in our primary hospitals.

“If people are getting treated quicker then it means their conditions are not becoming chronic.”

The hospitals – built at Bribie Island, Ripley, Redlands, Brisbane Southside, Pine Rivers, Gold Coast and Caboolture – are not expected to open until 2023.

“Our satellite hospitals will help people get treatment quicker and earlier and more local to their homes,” she said.

In the first quarter of this year, 622,609 people presented to emergency department across the state, a 14 per cent increase on the same period last year.

About 161,878 of those – 26 per cent – were not seen within the clinically recommended time frame.