Fitzroy Community Hospice weeks away from opening | Video

Queensland’s newest hospice is just weeks away from opening its doors, with the final touches being put on their facility. Take a look inside the new facility.

The first community hospice north of Hervey Bay is just weeks away from opening its doors in Central Queensland, bridging a significant healthcare gap in the region.

The final rooms are being fitted out and the finishing touches are being put in place at the Fitzroy Community Hospice after construction began in 2023.

It has been described as more than a healthcare facility, instead “symbolising a commitment to supporting and caring for individuals and their families during one of life’s most challenging moments”.

The 11-bed facility will allow those with “life limiting” conditions to spend less time in hospital and receive care in a peaceful environment with personalised support.

There are also plans for a future fit out of a two-bedroom unit and further patient room.

Agnes St convent site will be transformed into hospice

Each room has a state-of-the-art bed, which is fitted with equipment to prevent things like bedsores, and a balcony offering picturesque views, with space for loved ones to stay.

The facility will have more than 50 volunteers and 14 full-time staff, with palliative care nurses and specialised staff providing 24/7 care.

The hospice was funded entirely through the generosity of local businesses, stakeholders and individuals committed to providing palliative care to those in need.

Fitzroy Community Hospice CEO and Director of Clinical Services Beth Thomas said it was exciting to see the hospice come to fruition.

“The conception of the idea came from a couple of community members sitting down and thinking about if there was a gap in palliative care services in Rockhampton,” she said.

Fitzroy Community Hospice on Agnes St in Rockhampton.

“They then got together and formed a committee and in 2021 became a registered charity to kick off and apply to the government for a grant, they saw this land was up for sale and approached the Sisters of Mercy with an offer that was accepted.

“The Sisters of Mercy are absolutely thrilled to see this facility being reused for this purpose.”

It has been built in the old Loreto Convent on Agnes St after plans for the facility were approved in 2021.

The convent was built in 1968 to provide accommodation for retired Sisters of Mercy, after the Mother General (Mother M Fabian Connell) saw the need to provide comfortable accommodation for the aged and retired sisters.

The facility had been home to almost 100 Sisters of Mercy before it was decommissioned in June 2020 due to the decreasing need for accommodation for the Sisters of Mercy.

Ms Thomas said the facility provided a “homely” feel and had lots of space for nurses to be able to care for patients.

“What we’re aiming to offer here is symptom management, if they need to come here for a short period because of carer stress and then for also end of life care,” she said.

“If home isn’t an option this will be a facility for them.

“About 60 to 70 per cent of patients, at the moment, want to die at home and as a family member meeting that goal for that patient, they try really, really hard.

“What sometimes happens is, for whatever reason, that just isn’t possible and the patient either ends up in a hospital or an acute area, this will give them an alternative and sometimes there’s feelings of guilt that they haven’t been able to achieve that for them, so it will help alleviate that for them and also give the patient a really comfortable environment.”

A bedroom at Fitzroy Community Hospice.

On Thursday, Rockhampton Mayor Tony Williams presented a cheque of more than $9000 to Fitzroy Community Hospice, who were the beneficiary of funds raised at the Mayor’s Carols by Candlelight in 2023.

Mr Williams said council also threw their support behind the facility by waiving 100 per cent of the infrastructure charges and other reduced fees to allow the hospice to divert the funds back into the project.

“The Fitzroy Hospice is not merely a healthcare facility, it symbolises a commitment to supporting and caring for individuals and their families during one of life’s most challenging moments,” he said.

“I absolutely take my hat off to our 2024 Australian Citizens of the Year, Steve and Debbie Richards, who ignited the idea as well as the Fitzroy Hospice board, volunteers and public who have backed this project from the get-go.

“The final outcome is a state-of-the-art facility and the true measure of success lies in the profound impact it will soon have on the lives of those in our community who are most in need of its services.”