Balanced budget despite record demand for Cairns and Hinterland Hospital Health Service

With more than 180,407 presentations to emergency departments and a record 8423 emergency surgeries, demand for healthcare across the Far North is growing.

The Cairns Hospital from the air. Picture: Supplied

With more than 180,407 presentations to emergency departments and a record 8423 emergency surgeries, demand for healthcare across the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service is growing.

Staff also performed 10,415 elective surgeries across the health service’s footprint.

Details of the organisation’s performance were released on Thursday as the CHHHS 2023-24 annual report was tabled in parliament.

According to the report, staff ensured 100 per cent of the most urgent (Category 1) patients were seen on time within the region’s emergency departments.

And the median waiting time for treatment in emergency departments in 2023-2024 was 16 minutes, an improvement of two minutes from the previous year.

CHHHS chief executive Leena Singh said the health service managed unprecedented levels of patient demand while still balancing a budget.

“This is despite daily challenges such as high demand for inpatient beds, constrained sites for physical growth of Cairns Hospital, and a global shortage of health specialists,” Ms Singh said.

Construction work has begun on the $50 million James Cook University Cairns Tropical Enterprise Centre, adjacent to the Cairns Hospital precinct at the intersection of Sheridan Street and Charles Street, Cairns North. Picture: Brendan Radke

“This has meant only five per cent of patients have needed to be referred to Townsville or Brisbane for highly specialised acute services, meaning we are treating a record amount of Far North Queenslanders in their own region.

“We remain committed to delivering health services to Queenslanders closer to where they live.”

During the 2023-24 financial year, the HHS invested a total $1.429bn in healthcare, averaging $3.9m per day to provide public health services and delivered a balanced year-end result.

CHHHS mental health service director Wade Norrie, CHHHS chief executive Leena Singh and Member for Barron River Craig Crawford announce the state government’s $27.3m pledge to integrate Cairns' mental health facilities for better patient care in July. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

Ms Singh said to meet the record demand, the health service had a vision for the next 20 years of establishing a health and innovation precinct in Cairns.

“This would encompass additional university, private sector and health investment into research, development, clinical trials and education.

“These sectors will attract clinicians across all specialities and be a retention incentive for clinicians to stay in the region while continuing to develop their skills and contribute to clinical enhancements via research.

The $26.4m Cairns Hospital emergency department expansion at the Cairns Hospital was completed in August, with six additional beds, a dedicated ED X-ray suite, new acute care rooms and upgraded resuscitation bays now being used by emergency patients. Cairns Hospital emergency department clinical nurse Lerisa Simpson-Harris, Member for Barron River Craig Crawford, Member for Cairns Michael Healy and clinical nurse Sharnee Dalglish inspect the emergency department's new X-ray suite. Picture: Brendan Radke

“This is also the pathway for the health service to take Cairns Hospital to a full tertiary-level hospital, allowing even more Far North Queenslanders’ access to services closer to home.”

She said the continued demand on health services meant the Cairns Hospital footprint needed to be expanded.

“During 2023-24, we received approval to proceed with the planning and development of an eight-bed adolescent mental health ward at Cairns Hospital; a four-bed mum and bub unit and planning began on the $19.3m Cairns Youth Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Service at Edmonton,” she said.

“We have completed the detailed design of the Cairns Surgical Centre and over the next two years we will be constructing additional capacity of 96 beds as part of the $250m Cairns Hospital Expansion Project.

Work has begun on the $5.5m upgrade of the roof of the heritage-listed Mossman Hospital Picture: Supplied

“We officially opened the new $86.4 million Atherton Hospital Clinical Services building, began construction on the new $14.8 million Cow Bay Primary Health Centre, and began work on the $5.5 million upgrade of Mossman Hospital’s roof.”

Originally published as Balanced budget despite record demand for Cairns and Hinterland Hospital Health Service