Summary
Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is taking a proactive approach to addressing the increasing demand for beds for patients awaiting support from other services by undertaking two separate projects in Sarina to increase capacity by 34 beds.
Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is taking a proactive approach to addressing the increasing demand for beds for patients awaiting support from other services by undertaking two separate projects in Sarina to increase capacity by 34 beds.
Chief Executive Sean Birgan announced today that a dedicated 17-bed adult inpatient unit would be added to the Sarina Hospital campus on Brewers Road to provide care for patients experiencing prolonged hospital stays.
“This is another element of the Mackay Hospital Expansion Project and it’s all about increasing our capacity to provide patients with the right care in the right place,” Mr Birgan said.
“The reality is that the demand for delayed discharge patients is continuing to increase. These are patients who are not in need of intensive hospital care but do need support with daily living, such as from aged care or disability services.
“This week we have about 90 patients across our facilities and with our health partners who are awaiting such support.
“We have a dedicated team working to support these patients and their families to transition to the next step following discharge from hospital.
“We are now taking further steps to address these pressures in a timely manner, by adding a modular 17-bed inpatient unit to the Sarina Hospital campus which we can have functioning in the next six months.
“This unit will be relocated from a hospital site in northern New South Wales, and we will add an additional 20 car-parking spaces as well.”
Mr Birgan explained that the modular unit would be in addition to the transformation of the old Sarina Hospital which will provide a 17-bed transitional care facility at 1 Hospital Street.
This will increase the capacity for patients experiencing delayed discharge in Sarina to a total of 34 beds.
“We completed stage one, or the internal demolition, of the former Sarina hospital project last year and we expect the tender for Stage Two of this project to in the coming weeks,” Mr Birgan said.
Stage Two works include internal refurbishment to provide single, double, triple and quad ensuite inpatient rooms, along with consultation rooms, a lounge and dining room and a cultural family space.
The campus will also undergo driveway and foundation works to improve the way people access the facility.
This project is expected to be complete by late-2027.
Mr Birgan said the two Sarina projects would boost the delivery of care for patients across the entire region.
“This approach addresses two key priorities for us in that we can provide more beds for those delayed discharge patients, which in turn gives us the beds we need to perform more elective surgery,” Mr Birgan said.
“The hospital setting is not always the best environment for those who don’t need acute care but do need support with daily living.
“We also want to provide more options for those who are waiting on elective surgery procedures like hip or knee replacements.
“We are already utilising every bed option that we have across our health service, in Mackay, in our rural hospitals, and with our private sector health partners.
“The increase in capacity in Sarina will benefit people right across our health service region.”