Cairns Hospital’s $24.5m expansion of the Emergency Department is opening on August 28

Cairns Hospital’s $24.5m expansion of the Emergency Department is only days away from opening, with more beds and the opportunity to take on more staff in a bid to ease pressure on the hospital.

Cairns Hospital’s $24.5m expansion of the emergency department is only days away from opening, with more beds and the opportunity to take on more staff in a bid to ease pressure on the hospital.

Work on the new emergency department started in July last year and was designed to relieve increasing patient loads and complement plans to transition the hospital to tertiary status.

The newly expanded 298 sqm area of the emergency department will open from August 28 and has increased the available beds from 47 to 53, and includes a dedicated X-ray suite, refurbished resuscitation bays, an additional procedure room and upgrades to waiting areas, storage and staff facilities.

Director of Nursing Erin Howell, Acting sector director of CHHHS Susan Henderson, and Acting director for ED Nora McCullagh ahead of the newly refurbished emergency department opening on August 28. Picture: Kristina Puljak

Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service (CHHHS) chief executive Leena Singh said the emergency department upgrade was in addition to the Cairns Hospital Expansion.

The opening comes after the announcement of a new surgical centre in May, which will altogether deliver 96 beds for the Cairns and Hinterland region, made up of 64 beds at Cairns Hospital, and 32 additional beds at a new, state-of-the-art surgical centre.

“(This) project would expand the capacity for the ED to care for increasing number of patients,” Ms Singh said.

“The hospital’s ED experienced its busiest day in history on May 2, 2022, with a total of 314 patients seeking emergency care; and we have been edging towards that number in recent weeks.

“With a growing population and Cairns an increasingly popular holiday destination, we know this number is only going to keep getting bigger, so we need the ED to keep up with population growth.”

Acting sector director of CHHHS Susan Henderson in the newly refurbished emergency department opening on August 28. Picture: Kristina Puljak

Acting sector director of CHHHS Susan Henderson said the expansion will match community growth.

“(The expansion) will meet the community demand and volume within the department,” Ms Henderson said.

“It is also set to increase all staffing levels across the board, so there will be an increase in medical, nursing and administrative staff.”

Acting director for ED Nora McCullagh said the enhanced resuscitation capacity was a big plus for the department.

“We will also have isolation and negative pressure areas, making treating infectious patients easier for the staff,” Ms McCullagh said.

“Having in-house X-ray will also enhance that care.”

Originally published as Cairns Hospital’s $24.5m expansion of the Emergency Department is opening on August 28