Mater’s bulk-billed cancer clinics to cut travel for sick in Redlands

A private hospital and health hub south of Brisbane is growing a reputation as a one-stop shop for cancer patients, offering bulk-billed services.

Mater Private Redland is offering bulk-billed clinics for cancer patients.

A health hub south of Brisbane is growing a reputation for being a one-stop shop for cancer sufferers.

Mater Private Hospital Redland, which is in the same precinct at the state-owned Redland Hospital, has opened psychology and dietetics clinics so cancer patients don’t have to travel into Brisbane for treatment.

Patients who wish to access the new clinics must see their GP to get a referral for the services to be bulk-billed.

The clinics will be based at the hospital’s Mater Cancer Care Centre Redland, which opened in 2019 and now provides oncology services to hundreds of Redlands residents each year.

Mater Private Hospital Redland psychologist Arwyn Warner and Dietitian Katie Mellish.

Mater Private Hospital Redland executive officer Carlie Nielsen said the new clinics meant many Redland cancer patients will be able to access a range of allied health services close to home for free under bulk-billing.

“These new services mean sick patients won’t have to travel into Brisbane to get this specialist care and they won’t face out-of-pocket expenses if they are referred by their GP,” Ms Nielsen said.

“Mater is providing holistic and hassle-free care for patients when they need it most.”

The dietetics clinic, run by Katie Mellish, will provide nutritional advice and programs to

remedy the weight loss and loss of appetite that many cancer patients experience.

The clinics are managed by the growing Mater at Home service, which provides more than 250 in-home care visits for Redlands patients each week.

The private hospital, in Weippin St, is across the road from the Bayside Business Park’s Icon Cancer centre, a medical hub which offers specialist cancer treatments and is equipped with scanning machines and the latest technology.

Last week, the state government started work on its public hospital car park next door to the private hospital.

Redland Hospital is a state government public facility which is next door to the Mater Private Hospital and across the road from the Icon Cancer Centre.

Redland Hospital will get a 270-bay car park on seven levels costing $50.5 million.

But Redland resident Junita Grosvenor said the state hospital needed an MRI machine and more staff to run it.

“It also needs a bowel cancer surgery unit, separate to the general surgical area, which was requested by nursing staff years ago to take the pressure off the general surgery waiting lists,” she said.

But the new carparking has raised concerns about the instigation of parking fees with many concerned about the ticket cost to use the new high-rise car park.

“We hope parking costs are minimal if any,” wrote Coral Brodie.

“Next, we hope to hear that there is progress in all areas of our hospital. Redlands is growing so fast, it is well overdue. The public hospital needs urgent attention.”