Townsville Hospital and Health Service launch North Queensland medical surveys

With the Townsville population expected to skyrocket in coming years, locals are being asked to shape the future of healthcare in North Queensland. Vote in our poll.

With the Townsville population expected to skyrocket more than 30 per cent in just 20 years, North Queenslanders are being asked to help shape the future of healthcare across the region.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service on Monday said it was launching two surveys to “determine future healthcare needs across its almost 150,000km footprint”.

The first Local Area Needs Assessment would survey community members while the second survey would seek responses from private-sector health workers, Townsville HHS staff and other related service providers.

Participants of the online surveys, which are open for two weeks, are asked to provide feedback about the gambit of health issues in the region, including access to healthcare, a lack of specific local health facilities, cultural concerns and diseases particularly prevalent in local areas.

There has been increasing pressure on GPs across regional areas in recent years with concerns raised at the last federal election that a Labor policy could put further pressure on the system and make it more difficult to attract doctors to the regions.

Amid the pandemic, there were also issues raised about the downgrading of some regional health facilities in the North West as attracting staff became more difficult.

Townsville Hospital and Health Service physiotherapist Luke Ibell and clinical coach Tina Thompson. THHS has launched two online surveys for members of the North Queensland community as well as regional medical professionals to help shape the future of healthcare across the region. Picture: Supplied

THHS Public Health Director Dr Steven Donohue said the survey would gather feedback about all health providers from the hospital’s emergency department to, neighbourhood pharmacists and general practitioners.

“The findings from this survey will help identify the region’s emerging needs so healthcare providers can plan for the future,” he said.

“This data will be used to predict what services the region needs to care for the community into the future.”

He said given projections the Townsville population would soar over the next two decades, it was “critical we plan how to cater to emerging health needs”.

“This will give us an insight into the future burden of chronic disease and workforce needs.”

Dr Donohue said the survey was bigger than just evaluating services provided by Townsville HHS and would explore all health-related services across North Queensland.

“We’ve just experienced a pandemic, which has highlighted how important it is to have robust and reliable health amenities, whether that is a hospital, a GP, a pharmacist or a physio,” he said.

“Now is the right time to rethink how healthcare is provided in north Queensland and insights from you and your family will help us do that.”

Non-invasive keyhole surgery. Picture: Generic

Townsville HHS Chief Executive Kieran Keyes encouraged all community members, regardless of their health, to take part in the survey.

“Community participation is a critical part and it is not just about people who live with chronic diseases and regularly attend the hospital,” he said.

“It is about our community, our families, our health and our future.”

He said it was imperative that the experiences and concerns of the community were factored into health planning.

The community member survey can be accessed HERE, for two weeks from Monday, September 26.

Townsville HHS clinical staff, private-sector health workers and other related service providers can access their survey HERE.

Originally published as Townsville Hospital and Health Service launch North Queensland medical surveys