A new surgical and rehabilitation facility which is set to open early next year at the Herston health development will further reduce patient waiting lists as part of the elective surgery blitz following COVID-19.
The $340 million Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) is the first building at the $1.1 billion Herston Quarter which is expanding the world-renowned Herston Health Precinct.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said after providing hundreds of jobs during construction, surgical services at the 182-bed public health facility will be ready to go when it opens in early 2021.
“My Government is investing $250 million to ramp up elective surgery that was suspended during the height of the pandemic, and this new facility will join in the already ongoing work to reduce waiting lists,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“The state-of-the-art STARS will perform elective surgery and planned procedures across a range of specialities including gastroenterology, general surgery, Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), ophthalmology, urology and orthopaedics alongside the RBWH campus.
“Five new operating theatres and three endoscopy suites will be open at STARS by March 2021, followed by two more operating theatres by June, totalling seven.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Steven Miles said the facility would not just benefit people in Brisbane and South East Queensland, but the whole state.
“The Palaszczuk Government has invested in this new facility and in a quarter-of-a-billion-dollar elective surgery blitz so that Queenslanders can have their surgery quicker,” Mr Miles said.
“An additional 14,000 gastroenterology procedures, 12,000 surgical procedures and 4,830 diagnostic procedures will be performed each year by creating extra capacity at RBWH and other public hospitals.
“It will also provide hundreds of jobs. When STARS opens next year approximately 670 clinical and non-clinical staff will be working at the new hospital and this number will grow to approximately 900 health workers and non-clinical jobs once it is fully operational.”
“Up to 400 construction workers have been on site each day.”
Member for McConnel Grace Grace said STARS will also expand services for people needing rehabilitation for major trauma, brain injury and burns.
“New specialist equipment has already been carefully installed in STARS including two CT scanners and two X-ray machines and a new state-of-the-art MRI,” Mrs Grace said.
“Patients across Queensland will not only benefit from specialist surgical and planned procedures, but also general and specialist rehabilitation care and specialist outpatient services.
“STARS brings together complex rehabilitation, surgery and outpatient services to increase access to specialist public healthcare and decrease waiting times for treatment.”
STARS is the first building to be constructed as part of the $1.1 Billion Herston Quarter redevelopment being delivered by Australian Unity in partnership with Metro North.
