Cairns Hospital expansion: New surgical centre ‘paused’ to restart planning

A Cairns Hospital project the minister declared was “essential” to dealing with elective surgery waitlists will be paused, before it had begun. Why the project must restart.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 23, 2025: Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls during a health infrastructure event in Brisbane. Picture: Tertius Pickard

A Cairns Hospital project “essential” to addressing the region’s elective surgery waitlist will be paused before it begins, so plans can be redrawn following forecast budget blowouts.

An independent review into capacity expansion programs across Queensland hospitals recommended the government continue the refurbishment of Cairns Hospital’s B and D blocks involving 64 overnight beds, but “pause” a new four-theatre 32-bed surgical centre, which hadn’t yet started.

The recommendation was accepted by the state government, despite Premier David Crisafulli in March stating: “There absolutely is no change,” when responding to Opposition leader Steven Miles’ warning of a plan to delay the delivery of hospital beds in Cairns.

The refurbishment already underway is now expected to finish in the second half of 2027, rather than next year.

Inside the construction site of the Cairns Hospital Expansion Project. Picture: Elodie Jakes

However, the surgical centre as well as the relocation of the helipad will be paused to appoint a new design team and potentially explore “alternate funding and financing structures.”

The new design is expected to maintain four theatres, but expand the number of beds from 32 to 40.

Both the refurbishment and the new surgical centre were budgeted for $250m, but the review found the project was forecast for $628m. It reported the refurbishment would chew up $179m of the original budget, leaving just $71m for the new surgical centre, which itself was forecast to cost $447m.

Part of the remaining $71m will now be redirected towards new plans for the surgical centre with the balance to be allocated to “urgently address plans to relocate the helipad.”

QG Air Rescue 510 emergency helicopter departs the Cairns Hospital helipad after delivering the patient in a serious condition. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Several universities have expressed interest in a co-located development of a health innovation and research precinct at Cairns, with one university having secured substantial funding for the innovation precinct project,” the review read.

“The current surgical centre project, if delivered in isolation of this opportunity, risks the development of such a precinct at Cairns.”

At Cairns, there were 3338 people on the planned surgery waitlist in the October to December 2024 quarter and 512 people who were ready for operation waited longer than the clinically recommended time for their procedure.

The hospital has 12 operating theatres – two for emergency and 10 for planned surgeries, but Health Minister Tim Nicholls said there was often crossover between the allocations before committing to delivering a new surgical centre he deemed “essential to dealing with elective surgery waitlists.”

Queensland Opposition leader Steven Miles and Cairns MP Michael Healy. Mr Miles warned there was a plan to delay the delivery of hospital beds and Mr Healy is now calling for new deadlines. Picture: Brendan Radke

Cairns MP Michael Healy noted the review did not provide a deadline for the surgical centre and called on Mr Nicholls to provide detail.

“Tim Nicholls has hit the pause button on the surgical centre and (he) is going slow on the important health infrastructure our growing city needs,” Mr Healy said.

A spokesman for Mr Nicholls said planning for the surgical centre and relocation of the helipad would “progress” this year, but did not provide a completion timeline.

Originally published as Cairns Hospital expansion: New surgical centre ‘paused’ to restart planning