134 Mental Health Beds for Regional Queensland
Patients across regional Queensland will benefit from 134 new mental health beds thanks to a $75 million injection from the Australian Government delivered through the 2011-12 Budget.
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Joint release
The Hon Wayne Swan MP
Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer
The Hon Nincola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
The Hon Mark Butler MP
Minister for Mental Health and Ageing
5 May 2011Patients across regional Queensland will benefit from 134 new mental health beds thanks to a $75 million injection from the Gillard Government delivered through the 2011-12 Budget.
Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer Wayne Swan said these projects will greatly improve access to quality health care, while also stimulating the local economy and creating jobs.
“Finding room in this very responsible Budget for expanded health services has been difficult, but shows what a high priority it is for the Gillard Government,’’ Mr Swan said.
A major component of this new funding resulted from a bid by the Bligh Government to deliver more mental health services sooner to regional Queenslanders.
Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon and Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler explained the $75 million will be used in three projects to improve mental health infrastructure across regional Queensland.
“Helping Australians who have a mental illness get the care they need, when they need is a key priority for the Gillard Government,” Minister Roxon said.
Minister Roxon said the Gillard Government would provide Queensland Health with $40 million to construct community care units for mental health patients at Nambour (15 beds); Bundaberg (20 beds); Rockhampton (20 beds); and Toowoomba (24 beds).
“This project will improve access to specialist mental health services for people from a broad area of the state,” Ms Roxon said.
“These new residential care units will also reduce isolation and stress for mental health patients who have to travel a long way from home to get the help they need.”
Minister Butler explained that an additional $33 million will be provided to Queensland Health for regional acute, sub-acute and extended mental health services.
“A total of 55 new acute and sub-acute mental health beds will be opened in Hervey Bay, Toowoomba, Bundaberg and Maryborough,” Minister Butler said.
“These new beds will provide specialist mental health services for patients living in rural and remote communities in Southern Queensland regional areas, helping to reduce travel times for patients.
Far North Queensland is also set to benefit from the announcement with a $1.7 million Gillard Government contribution to a $3.09 million project with Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland.
“This $1.7 million contribution is being provided to redevelop a mental health facility that will provide expanded mental health services for high-need patients reaching across Far North Queensland,” Minister Butler said.
Queensland Health Minister Geoff Wilson welcomed the news that the Federal Government would work in partnership with the State to deliver new mental health services for regional Queenslanders.
“This Commonwealth investment of more than $70 million across the state comes on top of Bligh Government’s investment of more than $90 million over four years to operate these services in these important regions,” he said.
Minister Roxon said the Queensland Health and Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland projects had been selected for funding from the Health and Hospitals Fund (HHF) regional priority round. She said the applications were assessed by the independent HHF Advisory Board and found to satisfy the funding requirements.
“These new projects and many other projects around Australia being funded from the Fund’s Regional Priority Round will help strengthen regional health and hospital services and build a better system for the future,” she said.
“These projects are part of the Government’s $5 billion commitment to health and hospital infrastructure as part of its national health reform agenda.’’
Media Contacts:
Minister Roxon: 02 6277 7220
Minister Butler: 02 6277 7280
Queensland $75 million mental health infrastructure summary
The $33.1million provided to Queensland Health will provide for:
- construction of a new 18 bed mental health acute care unit at Hervey Bay Hospital
- construction of a new 16 bed acute care mental health unit at Mt Lofty Nursing Home at Toowoomba
- redevelopment of the Bundaberg Hospital mental health unit which will include 4 new acute beds
- redevelopment of an existing 17 bed older persons acute/sub acute unit at Maryborough Hospital
The $1.7 million provided to a $3.09 million project Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland for the construction and fit out of a redeveloped and expanded mental health facility providing in-house support services and outreach services that spread across North and Far North Queensland.
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