Leaked health chief’s email reveals Redland Hospital expansion shelved

A leaked email from a top state government bureaucrat has revealed plans for a major clinical upgrade at a southside hospital have been shelved.

Redland Hospital’s planned stage 2 expansion was referred to in an email by Metro South Health Chief Financial Officer Robert Mackway-Jones.

A leaked email from a top state government bureaucrat has revealed plans for a major clinical upgrade at a southside hospital have been shelved.

The email, from Metro South Health chief finance officer Robert Mackway-Jones, told senior Health staff in October the Redland Hospital expansion stage 2 was not “identified” in the next budget.

“It has been noted as a project for consideration in the next tranche of the capital program (2028/2032),” Mr Mackway-Jones wrote in an email.

“Given this, further work to finalise the project deliverables will not continue at this time.”

The email triggered concerns that a new $48 million carpark, which opened at the hospital this week, had taken precedence over the stage 2 expansion works for the major clinical upgrade.

Oodgeroo MP Mark Robinson, whose electorate includes the hospital at Cleveland, said the major clinical expansion was “deprioritised” despite the completion of the carpark, which opened this week, and funding for a small Intensive Care Unit underway.

He said deprioritising the stage 2 works would also affect the future role of the new Intensive Care Unit, which has also faced delays and is now due to open in 2024

“The government has built a grossly overpriced car park which was delayed and has not yet completed the promised ICU as part of stage 1,” he said.

“In the meantime, they deprioritised stage 2, which is necessary to support the stage 1 ICU expansion works while slowly building a satellite medical centre which has no overnight beds or emergency department.”

“The decision to build a large carpark and a satellite medical facility has delayed the hospital expansion plans, which are now mothballed.”

The stage 2 expansion works, previously expected to commence after stage 1 in 2024, will now be considered for funding in 2028-2032.

Stage 2 was designed to provide additional support facilities for the six-bed ICU.

The state government denied the claims.

Metro South Health acting chief executive Noelle Cridland said Stage 2 had not been postponed indefinitely.

“As is standard practice for health infrastructure projects, a detailed business case for further development of the Redland Hospital (Stage 2) has been completed and submitted to Queensland Health for consideration,” she said.

“This is a standard process for government infrastructure projects and is not related to Olympics infrastructure requirements.

“The business case must be considered before a decision on funding is made to ensure value for money for taxpayers.”

Capalaba MP Don Brown called on the state Opposition to release its funding arrangements and commitments for stage 2 of the hospital expansion.

AMA Queensland president Dr Maria Boulton said the expansion of Redland Hospital must be delivered, not mothballed indefinitely.

She called for urgent action to address alarming concerns about risks to patients after the hospital was named the second worst in Queensland in December for waiting more than a day in the emergency department to be admitted to a bed.

The federal government committed $16 million for the carpark in 2019 and also funded $30 million for the stage 1 upgrade with the state government adding in $32 million.

Originally published as Leaked health chief’s email reveals Redland Hospital expansion shelved