- The Crisafulli Government is delivering a new Transit Care Centre for Ipswich Hospital to free up space in the emergency department and reduce ramping.
- The $9.6 million investment will double the capacity of the existing Transit Lounge.
- The Centre will also include a single, centralised location for Queensland Ambulance Service pick-ups and drop-offs.
The Crisafulli Government will double the capacity of Ipswich Hospital's Transit Care Centre, delivering on a key election commitment that will ease pressure on the busy emergency department and reduce ramping.
The $9.6 million investment is part of the Crisafulli Government's Hospital Rescue Plan to cure Labor's Health Crisis.
The new and upgraded Ipswich Transit Care Centre will help the hospital keep pace with demand as the local population continues to grow, delivering on the Crisafulli Government's Easier Access to Health Services Plan for health services when you need them.
Importantly, the improved transit lounge will also help bring down ambulance ramping rates in Ipswich, after a decade of Labor inaction caused ramping to soar. The Crisafulli Government has committed to reduce ramping rates statewide to below 30 per cent by 2028.
Transit lounges are interim waiting areas used for patients awaiting discharge or admission, or for outpatient appointments. They free up inpatient beds and ensure emergency and acute care spaces are available for those who need them most.
The new Ipswich Transit Care Centre is expected to be complete by June next year, and will be double in size, expanding from five beds and eight chairs to ten beds and fourteen chairs.
It will employ additional nursing, allied health, operational and administrative staff and will move to extended operating hours providing 24/7 coverage with tailored weekend and public holiday services to meet community needs.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering the following to reduce ramping and ease the burden on the Ipswich Hospital emergency department:
- Ipswich Hospital expansion
- Transit Care Centre upgrade
- New Mater Hospital Springfield
- Ripley Satellite Health Centre Sub-Acute Expansion Project
- $1 billion boost for Queensland Ambulance Service
- $581.4 million for continued access to hospital beds across the state
- $55 million to improve patient flow.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the new Transit Lounge was part of the Crisafulli Government's wider Hospital Rescue Plan expansion of the Ipswich Hospital, including 200 new overnight beds, a new emergency department, operating theatres, expanded coronary care unit and a multi-storey car park by 2028.
"Labor had a decade to address the challenges at Ipswich Hospital but did nothing, leaving the ED overstretched and record high ramping rates," Minister Nicholls said.
"Ipswich Hospital services one of the fastest-growing regions in the state and ramping remains a key issue inherited from Labor's Health Crisis.
"As part of this upgrade, we will also deliver a single, centralised location for Queensland Ambulance Service pick-ups and drop-offs, helping streamline handovers and support timely patient transfers across the region."
Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause said the Transit Care Centre was a big win for all communities serviced by Ipswich Hospital.
"The Crisafulli Government is delivering essential health services across the region after Labor left us on life support," Mr Krause said.
"The Transit Lounge upgrade is one of several initiatives that will help ease pressure at Ipswich Hospital, which will in turn have a positive flow-on effect on other nearby health facilities."
West Moreton Health Chief Executive Hannah Bloch said the Transit Care Centre will play a vital role in helping patients safely transition in and out of hospital.
"It provides a dedicated space for those awaiting discharge, transfers, or transport - freeing up inpatient beds and ensuring emergency and care spaces are available for those who need them most," Ms Bloch said.
