St Andrew’s Ipswich hospital expansion: $40m redevelopment

New operating theatres, more beds and new services are all part of a massive $40 million makeover of St Andrew’s hospital – but that is not all they have planned.

A major expansion is planned for Ipswich’s only private hospital, three years after it almost doubled in size following a $64 million redevelopment.

Ramsay Health Care has announced it will invest a further $40.5 million to once again expand St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital.

The project will include an extra 39 beds, an expanded renal dialysis unit from 12 to 20 chairs, two new operating theatres, an expanded radiology practice and expanded day rehabilitation space.

St Andrew's CEO Claire Thurwood.

Construction is set to begin by the end of the year and is expected to be completed in June 2023.

In 2018, work was completed on a $64 million redevelopment of the hospital which saw the region’s first private emergency department open and the facility’s capacity increase from 94 to 178 beds.

More than 30,000 patients have been treated at St Andrew’s ED since it opened.

“We are so excited to announce this expansion because Ipswich is one of the fastest growing areas in Australia so it makes sense that residents should be able to access the full suite of medical care close to home,” St Andrew’s CEO Claire Thurwood said.

“As well as expanding our private health care offerings, this project also allows us to broaden our renal dialysis unit for public patients, which means we can further support the (West Moreton Health) by almost doubling the number of patients treated for kidney disease.”

Plans have been approved for a four-storey mental health unit opposite the hospital.

Ms Thurwood said the addition of Dr Ramesh Tripathi and Dr Ian Campbell to an expanded vascular unit was another sign of the need for more health services in the rapidly-growing city.

When Ms Thurwood started at St Andrew’s at the age of 33 in 2019, she said her plan was to grow the level of services available to residents so they didn’t have to travel into Brisbane.

“The growth plan for St Andrew’s is pretty exciting,” she said at the time.

“It won’t stay as it is.

“I’m passionate about improving health services in regional area.”

A four-storey mental health unit to be built across the road from the hospital was approved by Ipswich City Council in August.

A dedicated cancer centre was also given the green light in September last year.

Work has yet to begin on either approved facility with funding for both projects still to be determined by Ramsay Health Care.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

Originally published as St Andrew’s Ipswich hospital expansion: $40m redevelopment