Gold Coast must get a new hospital or existing health facilities face paralysis

JUST four years after it opened the Gold Coast University Hospital is headed for “paralysis” unless another facility can be built in the city’s fast growing northern suburbs.

Gold Coast University Hospital foyer Photo: David Clark

JUST four years after it opened the Gold Coast University Hospital is headed for “paralysis” unless another facility can be built in the city’s fast-growing northern suburbs.

The warning by a former MP and GP is backed by hospital insiders aware that the Coast cannot afford to wait a decade for another mid-range hospital to be built.

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The hospital’s emergency department recently became the second busiest in Australia and births in the past 12 months have increased to 5129, up from 3787 five years ago.

Dr Alex Douglas, the former Gaven MP, told the Bulletin: “They need to have a new hospital by 2021 at the latest. It probably should be at Coomera. It should become a major birthing unit.”

Dr Alex Douglas in Parliament when the MP for Gaven. Pic Darren England.

A new hospital would cost about $800 million, start with 200 beds and within nine months need to have double that amount, Dr Douglas said.

“You need to take the load off the Parklands ED. You would want to try and get their receptions down by 30 per cent. Their growth is too high,” he said.

“With maternity, you want to take 50 per cent of the (new) growth, and 20 per cent of the nearly 5000 deliveries they have now (at the University Hospital). And you have to have a case load for psychiatrics as well.”

Dr Douglas from the Opposition benches in 2005 first warned Labor of a looming health crisis.

In just ten years to June 2011, the suburbs of Pacific Pines, Upper Coomera and Gaven increased by almost 30,000 making it the fastest-growing region in Queensland.

A year later Dr Douglas, in a report in the Bulletin, said: “We have to start planning a new obstetrics hospital, either on the corner site of the hospital or at Upper Coomera.’’

The Government has built the new University Hospital at Parklands only to be confronted by a similar growth scenario with the population expanding around Pimpama and Coomera.

Ambulances outside of the Gold Coast University Hospital at Parkwood. Picture Mike Batterham

The Opposition has tracked eight months of ramping outside the hospital’s ED, and in one recent incident a patient remained on a stretcher for four hours as staff were confronted by record presentations.

“I don’t think the demographics have changed (in terms of families arriving here). If they don’t do it (build another hospital), you will paralyse the GCUH. You will get bed block,” Dr Douglas said.

Dr Judy Searle, an experienced obstetrician who is standing for Labor in Southport, said Queensland Health had begun planning for a new hospital.

A member of the Gold Coast Hospital Board, Dr Searle has stood down during the election to campaign on a platform of increasing frontline services.

“I’m scared of the Libs got in again that there would have cuts to those services. That just can’t happen,” she said.

“I did a shift in Emergency (recently). I saw what pressure they’re under. We couldn’t afford to lose one more health service provider in that front line.”

Dr Judy Searle who is the Labor candidate for Southport/

The growth in the Coomera corridor had placed extra stresses not just on obstetrics and the ED but secondary and tertiary care services.

“If we don’t get growth in all services in that area we will be failing that community in the north,” Dr Searle said.

“Our Emergency Department is just going full strap. They’ve hit the record for admissions. The Gold Coast community can feel confident that the team that delivers that care in front line services is second to none. ‘

A new hospital was on the forward mapping by Gold Coast Health as part of a regional plan.

“It’s getting real now. It’s going to be costed. It’s at the stage of exploring sites and ramping up the process,” Dr Searle said.

“I think people are planning for years not decades for that sort of investment. I’ve heard the Government completely understands — that it is on their list where investment has to go.”