Satellite Hospitals to be renamed ‘Satellite Health Centres’ to reduce confusion

Satellite Hospitals will be renamed “Satellite Health Centres” under a state government decision aimed at erasing confusion about the facilities, but the move comes with a hefty taxpayer-funded price tag.

The Eight Mile Plains Satellite Health Centre. Picture: Queensland Government.

Satellite Hospitals will be renamed “Satellite Health Centre” under a state government decision aimed at erasing confusion about the facilities.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls on Thursday announced the name change at the newly renamed Redlands Satellite Health Centre, which already has been updated on Google Maps.

The Queensland Government expects the name change would cost a total $210,000.

Mr Nicholls said signage, website and stationary changes would cost about $30,000 for each of the seven sites which he considered “money well spent” if Queenslanders better understood the purpose of the facilities, but quotes were yet to be confirmed with signage costs.

“We’ll be able to firm up those costs and of course we’ll report back on those once they’re all taken care of and once it’s all taken place,” Mr Nicholls said.

“They are great facilities, they had a bad name, and we’re fixing up that Labor problem right now.”

Mr Nicholls said a survey of more than 2700 respondents offered six alternative names to replace “Satellite Hospitals”, with 95 per cent choosing “Satellite Health Centres”.

The decision was approved by clinicians and the Australian Medical Association of Queensland.

Other options included “Ambulatory Centres” and “Minor Injury and Illness Clinics”.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls. Picture: Patrick Woods.

It is understood changing signs and documents from Satellite Hospital to Satellite Health Centre will be managed by Queensland Health internally.

The LNP argued then-Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s decision to name the facilities hospitals caused confusion and would result in people attending who required emergency care.

The former government in November 2023 announced $1.35m would be spent promoting the Satellite Hospital program amid repeated criticism the facilities created “confusion and safety concerns”.

They were built to reduce pressure on major hospitals by diverting patients with non-urgent care needs.

Health Minister Tim Nicholls said services would not be cut from name changes, as the funding was set aside for Queensland Health administration.

Labor’s health spokesman Mark Bailey said the government was more focused on changing names than it was in expanding services.

He said services would be improved if funding was spent upgrading facilities and by increasing healthcare workers.

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Originally published as Satellite Hospitals to be renamed ‘Satellite Health Centres’ to reduce confusion