Miles Doing What Matters: Official opening of Nambour’s new emergency department

JOINT STATEMENT
  • Nambour General Hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department (ED) has been officially opened.
  • The new state-of-the-art facility includes twelve additional ED beds and a dedicated treatment zone for children.
  • The $86 million redevelopment of the hospital is ensuring patients on the Sunshine Coast have access to the highest quality of care when they need it most.

The Sunshine Coast’s newest emergency department has been officially opened as part of the Miles Government commitment to delivering world-class healthcare services on the Sunshine Coast.

The redeveloped ED at Nambour General Hospital has delivered 12 additional beds, which will help staff manage growing numbers of presentations.

It has 44 beds in total including acute, short-stay and ‘fast-track’ beds, as well as three resuscitation bays.

It also features a dedicated acute treatment zone for children. This includes a procedure room that will assist in improving children’s ED experience.

The new triage area includes private assessment rooms, which play an important role in improving patient flow, while also offering patients more discretion when needed.

The ED is the last major section of the Nambour General Hospital redevelopment to be opened, with other completed areas including the new medical imaging department, new same day rehabilitation unit and mental health wards.

The redevelopment has almost doubled the number of beds at the hospital to 255 to meet the growing better service the growing health needs of the Sunshine Coast.

Since opening on 12 June, more than 8,500 patients including 1,000 children have been treated in the new state of the art ED.

Queensland’s Health Big Build is delivering over 3,300 additional hospital beds, including 199 in 2023 and 239 in 2024.

As stated by Queensland Premier Steven Miles:

“Our record-breaking health budget is delivering more beds, more healthcare services and more local jobs.

“We are committed to delivering better healthcare, closer to home and this new state of the art ED is doing just that.

“Nambour is expected to grow 11 per cent by 2036, and so we are building a hospital that will service the community needs now, and as it continues to grow.”

As stated by Minister for Health, Mental Health and Ambulance Services, and Minister for Women the Honourable Shannon Fentiman:

“I’m so excited to see the completion of this project that is delivering state of the art healthcare services for the Nambour community.

“This upgrade is part of our government’s $86 million investment into redeveloping the Nambour General Hospital, which has almost doubled the number of beds from 137 to 255.

“Our government is committed to delivering worldclass health services, closer to home, and hiring more frontline health workers here on the Sunshine Coast and across the State.

“When the LNP were in, they fired around 80 health staff on the Sunshine Coast, including 64 nurses.

“Since they left in 2015, we’ve hired more than 2,652 health staff across the Sunshine Coast including more than 1,500 midwives and nurses, 500 doctors, and almost 120 ambulance officers.”

As stated by Member for Nicklin Rob Skelton:

“This is an investment in the future health of our growing region.

“The residents of the northern and hinterland areas of the Sunshine Coast deserve access to quality healthcare, and they will now be able to access emergency care in a modern, fit-for-purpose ED closer to home.

“When medical or traumatic emergencies happen, residents will have peace of mind knowing this modern, strategically designed emergency department is nearby.”

As stated by Sunshine Coast Health Chief Executive Dr Peter Gillies:

“With our emergency departments busier than ever, the upgraded and expanded facility at Nambour is helping our frontline teams tackle the growing demand.”

“Our hardworking staff can provide care with the latest technology and equipment at their fingertips, in an up-to-date environment.

“We know it’s a stressful time for residents when they need to come to our Emergency Departments, so we are pleased this fresh new facility will improve the experience for those coming through our doors.”

/Public Release. View in full here.