Mackay Base Hospital will soon undergo its biggest expansion in over a decade, providing more inpatient beds, car parking and access to services.
Mackay Hospital and Health Service has released the Mackay Base Hospital 15-year master plan which ensures the hospital can continue to meet the healthcare needs of our growing and changing community while supporting our workforce to deliver contemporary models of care.
The master plan sets out a multi-stage, clear vision to progressively expand and enhance the hospital’s services to meet the changing needs of the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday communities.
The first stage focuses on expanding and improving the hospital’s capacity and services, including:
- New clinical services building
- Expansion and refurbishment of the Emergency Department, operating theatres and central sterilising department
- New Mackay Birth Centre
- Expanded back-of-house services
- Refurbished kitchen, biomedical services and morgue
- More car parking
- Rooftop helipad
The new clinical services building will be constructed on the riverside of the hospital, between A, B and F Blocks.
It will include general medical wards, a maternity and women’s health unit, more surgical and interventional services and a rooftop helipad.
A new multi-storey car park will be built, predominately for staff, with up to 1000 car parking spaces when the site is fully developed, and it will include integrated hospital administration spaces.
This car park will be built on the newly acquired site on the Glenella Connection Road, adjacent to the back staff car park.
This will dramatically increase car parks for patients and visitors in the hospital’s main car park, which is closer and more accessible for our most vulnerable community members.
Mackay Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Sean Birgan welcomed the release of the Mackay Base Hospital 15-year master plan.
“The master plan provides a clear vision for the future of healthcare delivery across the Mackay Base Hospital over the next 15 years,” he said
“The hospital has served us well since the last redevelopment was completed more than a decade ago but we’re now at capacity and have outgrown our facility; we need to expand to continue caring for our growing community.
“This 15-year strategic master plan considers the future delivery of care at Mackay Base Hospital to meet the increasing healthcare demands for the people across the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday regions.”
Mr Birgan said the master plan’s staged approach allows the hospital to expand in a coordinated way ensuring minimal interruption to current services.
“Stage one includes the delivery of key priorities of more inpatient beds, expansion of the Emergency Department and operating theatres and an increase in car parking,” he said.
“Main construction works on stage 1 projects are expected to commence in 2027, following completion of detailed design and contractor procurement, with all stage 1 inclusions expected to be delivered in by 2030.”
“It is essential that the hospital expands so it can continue to deliver excellent care to our community now and into the future.”
Proposed future stages of the master plan include further redevelopment and car parking:
- New mental health facility
- New acute services building
- New administration and education, training and research facility
- New central energy facility
- New public multi-storey car park
The timing of individual projects will depend on planning, approvals, procurement and construction requirements.
Read more about the master plan here.