Better health services for all Queenslanders
9.6% GROWTH
in operating funding in 2023-24
Delivering for Queensland
Investing in the ongoing delivery of health services protects the overall wellbeing of Queenslanders and their communities as well as supporting enduring economic benefits. A strong health system supports an active and productive population and enables participation in the workforce. It also contributes to improvements in labour productivity over the longer term.
Protecting the health of a growing Queensland
The government continues to deliver a world class health system for our community. The 2023–24 Budget provides for $24.153 billion in operating funding, a 9.6 per cent boost to the health system, for total funding of $25.791 billion. This growth recognises that the system continues to face heightened pressures including a shortage of clinical and scientific staff and high inflation in the cost of critical inputs, including clinical supplies and construction. These impacts have been exacerbated by pressures in the primary health care, aged care and disability care systems, and in the private hospital sector.
To ensure patients get treated at the right place, at the right time, the 2023–24 Budget provides an uplift of $2.888 billion over 5 years from 2022–23 to the health operating funding envelope, to address demand and cost pressures and support programs and initiatives targeting improving ambulance responsiveness and reducing ramping, addressing pressures on emergency departments, reducing wait times for surgery and specialist clinics, as well as boosting women’s health care and mental health care.
Our frontline health workers
The government is committed to bolstering our frontline health care workers, providing good jobs and better services for Queenslanders through effective strategies.
The Workforce Attraction Incentive Scheme will provide interstate health practitioners up to $20,000 to move to Queensland and up to $70,000 for doctors who decide to take up a job in regional and remote Queensland.
The government is also building the future health workforce through initiatives such as expanding health pathways from school-based traineeships to university programs and partnering with universities to guide program requirements to meet future workforce needs.
As part of this approach, the 2023–24 Budget includes an additional $22 million over 4 years to provide a cost-of-living allowance to support student nurses and midwives to undertake placements, in rural and regional parts of the state.
Improving access to health services for all Queenslanders
Queensland is the most decentralised state in the country and the Queensland Government continues to look at innovative ways to bring emergency health services closer to all Queenslanders, including virtual care options and Satellite Hospitals.
The 2023–24 Budget is providing $70.3 million over 4 years to increase the accommodation and fuel subsidy under the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme to support and enable financially vulnerable Queenslanders to seek the clinical care they need.
Additional funding of $586.1 million for a new 10-year commercial agreement between Queensland Health and LifeFlight Australia will be provided in the 2023–24 Budget to deliver emergency helicopter services. LifeFlight has bases in Bundaberg, Mount Isa, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Roma and Brisbane.
Hospitals and health infrastructure
In the 2022–23 Budget, the government provided a significant investment of $9.785 billion to increase bed capacity across the state, under the Health and Hospitals Plan which will deliver 3 new hospitals and 11 major hospital expansions and a new cancer centre.
In 2023–24, Queensland Health will continue the delivery of this ambitious program, which has now awarded more than $3 billion of contracts to deliver expansions in Brisbane, Ipswich, Mackay, Logan, Townsville and Cairns.
Significant additional capacity will also come online in 2023–24 including:
- All 7 Satellite Hospitals at Caboolture, Kallangur, Ripley, Eight Mile Plains, Tugun, Bribie Island and Redlands will open.
- As part of the $269.3 million Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery Program additional bed capacity will be delivered at QEII, Princess Alexandra, Redland and Gold Coast University Hospitals
- Major redevelopments at Caboolture and Logan Hospitals.
The 2023–24 Budget includes $150 million for a new mental health facility at the Redland Hospital, which will more than double mental health capacity and will free up critical land on the hospital site for potential future expansion.
An additional $10.8 million in 2023–24 is provided for an additional 40 new ambulance vehicles and critical equipment to support and equip frontline ambulance operatives.
