State budget: Toowoomba leaders, unions call on Palaszczuk Govt to fund new hospital

The state budget is just 24 hours away, and pressure is mounting on the state government to kickstart construction on a new hospital in Toowoomba.

Artist impressions of the new Toowoomba Hospital at the site of the old Baillie Henderson Hospital site. Photo: Supplied.

Pressure is mounting on the State Government to fund the new Toowoomba Hospital, as residents and key industry figures hold their breath ahead of Tuesday’s new budget.

Toowoomba’s economic leaders have joined the chorus of calls for Treasurer Cameron Dick to announce the funding this week, which would create a state-of-the-art health precinct in the city’s northern suburbs.

If funding was granted, it would come more than five years after a large parcel of land near Baillie Henderson Hospital in Cranley was selected as the ideal site.

More importantly, the construction time if approved this week would coincide with the current hospital reaching capacity — even when factoring in recent expansions.

Darling Downs Health and Hospital Service chairman Mike Horan. Picture: Dominic Elsome

Darling Downs Health chairman Mike Horan told The Chronicle earlier this month that a 21-bay extension to the existing emergency department would stretch its lifespan out by another five years.

This five-year time frame is the minimum period required to build a new hospital, according to the Australian Medical Association’s Darling Downs representative Dr Ben Wakefield.

“Even if it’s actioned in the next budget, it will take it five years before patients are being seen in the next hospital,” he told The Chronicle two weeks ago.

“If you read between the lines of the announcement from DDH (about the ED expansion), that’s got a five-year time limit on it, so even they’re aware of its immediate need.”

Work has also started on a new isolation ward at Toowoomba Hospital and a day surgery at Baillie Henderson.

Mr Horan has received no guarantees the funding is coming, but felt “hopeful” after making a strong presentation to cabinet in March.

The Treasurer’s office has remained tight-lipped on announcements from the budget, including money for a new hospital in Toowoomba.

Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce CEO Todd Rohl said the State Government needed to at least clarify the time frame for the hospital.

“It needed to be funded three budgets ago,” he said.

“The Toowoomba Hospital has been one of the key pieces of infrastructure that the chamber has been fighting for.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise CEO Ali Davenport.

“The health sector is our biggest employer, so we need it now – not in 10 years.

“It at least needs to be in the forward estimates — they need to articulate its timing and it needs to be funded soon.”

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise CEO Ali Davenport said the funding needed to arrive this budget.

“We haven’t heard anything, but it’s obviously very important, as will anything in the budget that will support our region,” she said.

Away from health, Ms Davenport said she wanted to see more in the budget to support the skills shortage felt across the Darling Downs.

UNIONS CALL FOR HOSPITAL FUNDING, WITH CONDITIONS

Two major unions representing health workers have backed the calls for the Queensland government to fund the new Toowoomba Hospital in this week’s state budget — as long as it improved conditions for staff.

The Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union and the United Workers Union have thrown their support behind a new major health precinct, slated for a large parcel of land near Baillie Henderson Hospital in Cranley.

It comes after the Australian Medical Association and sources inside Darling Downs Health revealed how the current hospital was still using “stone age” technology, such as paper charts.

QNMU organiser Helen Anderson said the union supported any funding that improved the conditions of workers.

“The Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union fully supports a new hospital for Toowoomba,” she said.

“We have long campaigned for an updated facility to better meet the needs of the region’s patients and staff including frontline Queensland Health nurses and midwives.

“The QNMU will continue to campaign for improved facilities and conditions for patients and staff and fair wages for Queensland Health nurses and midwives.”

UWU public sector co-ordinator Adam Kerslake said any new health funding in the budget must be tied to a better deal for frontline workers.

“United Workers Union supports investment in health infrastructure in Toowoomba,” he said.

“However, alongside new infrastructure the government also needs to have a plan for the essential workers that provide the services.

“This includes direct secure employment and decent pay rises.

“The failure to adequately invest in primary and secondary health services has shifted service provision to high-cost acute care settings and seen the hospital system struggle to keep up with demand.”

Originally published as State budget: Toowoomba leaders, unions call on Palaszczuk Govt to fund new hospital