Health and wellbeing
RECORD INVESTMENT IN OUR FRONTLINE CARE
Investing in the health of all Queenslanders, where and when it is needed, is a priority of the government. A strong health system supports a healthy population, which is a key driver of labour productivity and overall economic growth.
Record growth in health funding
The 2024–25 Queensland Budget is delivering a record investment in the health system with growth of 10.6 per cent in operating funding in 2024–25, well above the historical average of 6.9 per cent.
To ensure patients get treated at the right place, at the right time, and to meet the growth in demand for health services, this Budget provides an uplift to Queensland Health’s operating budget of $4.393 billion over the next 4 years. This funding will address emerging demand and cost pressures, and invest in quality health services across Queensland.
The health funding uplift will focus on improving the flow of patients through hospitals and more timely access to care, including by improving ambulance responsiveness, addressing pressures on emergency departments, reducing waiting times for surgery and specialist clinics, as well as boosting First Nations health, women’s health care and the health workforce.
Putting Patients First
In 2024–25, Queensland Health will take further action to tackle ramping and relieve health care pressures through the expansion of the Putting Patients First plan.
This Budget provides an overall investment of $1.14 billion in 2024–25, building on the $764 million investment made in 2023–24 to improve the flow of patients through our hospitals and create additional bed capacity in response to the rise in acute hospital presentations. We are continuing to deliver on this commitment to Queensland patients by helping those working in the public health system to better manage increasing demand through targeted strategies aimed at providing new and innovative ways of delivering care, closer to home and keeping Queenslanders well and out of hospital.
This investment will support the rollout of the free Meningococcal B and Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccines for eligible infants, children and adolescents. Alongside a continuation of the free influenza vaccination for all Queenslanders, this is the largest state government-funded vaccination program in Queensland’s history.
This investment will also be directed to improving hospital discharge initiatives through the expansion of the successful Long Stay Rapid Response and Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Hospital Bedside Hearings programs. This will enable people who are medically ready for discharge to transition to more appropriate accommodation for ongoing care needs.
Support for the Queensland Ambulance Service
For many Queenslanders experiencing a health emergency, their first connection is with the highly experienced and dedicated officers in the Queensland Ambulance Service.
The 2024–25 Budget is supporting an uplift to the Queensland Ambulance Service of $265.9 million over 4 years, in response to growing and changing demand. This additional funding will enable the recruitment of 188 ambulance operatives and 80 specialised positions to drive service delivery improvements and innovative models of care. This is in addition to the Queensland Government’s commitment for an additional 735 ambulance operatives during this term of government.
The 2024–25 Budget is also supporting a $30 million boost to the Queensland Ambulance Service’s base capital program, providing critical infrastructure to equip ambulance operatives on the frontline to meet the growing and changing demand for pre-hospital care services.
Queensland Health workforce
This government is committed to investing in our frontline health workforce now and into the future.
The 2024–25 Budget provides an additional $158.4 million over 4 years in new funding and $215.9 million from internal Queensland Health resources, in response to Queensland Health’s most significant workforce challenges; with a focus on supporting and retaining the current workforce; building and attracting new pipelines of talent; and adapting and innovating to find new ways to deliver. This investment will support Queensland Health to build a sustainable and supported workforce to deliver high-quality healthcare across Queensland.
The 2024-25 Budget will also invest $64 million over 4 years to implement a new electronic workforce rostering system to enable best practice in rostering frontline staff to deliver safe, affordable, sustainable, and high-quality care to Queenslanders.
First Nations First
The Queensland Government will invest $324.7 million, including $209.9 million in new funding, to accelerate efforts to address inequity in health and wellbeing outcomes for First Nations Queenslanders, by putting First Nations First and putting the Queensland Government back on track to close the gap by 2031.
To achieve this, Queensland Health will uphold a key priority in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap by strengthening and empowering the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community-Controlled Health Sector, in particular the Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council, including the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health to invest in First Nations health and wellbeing hubs. The commitment will deliver on the Health Q32 – First Nations First Strategy, with significant investments across 4 priority areas: eliminating racism, reshaping the system, transforming care and strengthening our workforce.
Building a stronger health system
Queensland Health is committed to building a stronger, more sustainable health system.
The vastness of our state means that not all Queenslanders are in close proximity to a hospital should the unimaginable occur. The Queensland Government continues to look for ways to bring emergency health services closer to Queenslanders.
The 2024–25 Budget is investing an additional $142.2 million over 4 years in vital specialist retrieval and emergency helicopter services in Torres Strait, Bundaberg, Mount Isa, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Mackay, and Brisbane.
WOMEN AND GIRLS’ HEALTH STRATEGY
Women and girls are a valued part of our society and improving women and girls’ health will improve our economy. To that end, improving the health and wellbeing of Queensland women and girls across their life course, is the foundation to ensuring women and girls can fully participate in their social, cultural and economic lives.
All women and girls must be able to access safe, quality care where their concerns are heard and believed. Healthy women and girls strengthen our economy and are a big part of what makes Queensland great.
Women and girls experience different health outcomes to men – women generally live longer but experience more years living with chronic conditions and are almost twice as likely to experience mental health conditions.
In response, the Queensland Government has released the Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032, a commitment to prioritising the health and wellbeing of women and girls in Queensland.
With a new injection of $247.9 million over the period to 2027–28 to address gender-based health inequity, the government is rectifying disinvestment and underinvestment in women and girls’ health. With this new injection of funds, and combined with funding for existing services, the government will now spend over $1 billion over the next 5 years to target and provide activities and services that focus on women’s health and wellbeing.
The strategy was developed with many organisations, and almost 12,000 Queenslanders shared their experiences and suggestions on how to improve the health of women and girls. This was the largest response to any government survey in Queensland’s history and has informed how this record investment is being delivered.
The strategy is supported by an Investment Plan that outlines key initiatives under 6 priority health action areas:
- healthy lifestyles and bodies – Queensland women and girls are supported to maintain healthy lifestyles, behaviours, body weight and positive body image
- sexual and reproductive health – reproductive and sexual health of Queensland women and girls is optimised across their life course
- mental health and wellbeing – Queensland women and girls experience enhanced mental health and wellbeing
- health response to domestic and family violence, and sexual violence – Queensland women and girls experiencing domestic and family violence, and sexual violence have access to sensitive, trauma-informed and culturally safe healthcare
- maternal health – Queensland mothers and babies are healthy and cared for close to home and community
- chronic health conditions and cancer – Queensland women and girls live longer, healthier lives and are supported to prevent and manage chronic conditions.
These 6 priority health action areas are underpinned by system reform goals:
- enhance the health of priority communities
- increase prevention and early intervention
- improve health literacy
- increase access to gender-informed, integrated and equitable care
- continue to develop an informed and trusted workforce
- build a strong evidence base.
Ultimately, the strategy aims to make a measurable difference in care for women and girls and the health outcomes they experience.
For more information about the Queensland Women and Girls’ Health Strategy 2032 and associated Investment Plan, refer to website https://www.health.qld.gov.au/system-governance/strategic-direction/plans/women-and-girls-health-strategy.
HOSPITAL AND HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE
As Queensland’s population expands, so does the demand on the health system. The Queensland Government is committed to delivering world-class healthcare facilities to all Queenslanders. The total capital investment program in 2024–25 for Queensland Health is $2.167 billion.
In the 2024−25 Budget, the Queensland Government is providing a $1 billion boost to the Capacity Expansion Program to optimise patient flow within hospitals, reduce wait times and improve healthcare delivery. Along with additional funding committed by the Australian Government and philanthropic contributions to the Queensland Cancer Centre, the Capacity Expansion Program now totals $11.215 billion over 6 years to deliver around 2,200 additional overnight beds at 15 facilities across the Queensland health system.
The Queensland Government is committed to delivering an additional 3,378 beds by 2031–32 – this includes more than 230 beds scheduled to come online in 2024–25.
This budget will invest:
- $200 million over 7 years from 2024–25 to completely redevelop and deliver a contemporary Cooktown Multi-Purpose Health Service facility to support modern models of care.
- $60 million over 2 years for the Cairns Health and Innovation Centre which will deliver additional capacity for clinical services within the existing Cairns Hospital Precinct and provide necessary health education, training and research facilities for future medical professionals in Cairns.
- $12 million in 2024–25 to replace existing staff accommodation in the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service which will support recruitment and retention of health workforce in the Torres and Cape region.
