The embattled Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital will receive a $70 million funding boost as the government responds to a string of complaints.
Another 31 beds, a 10 per cent increase, will also be added to the facility under a plan to be announced by Health Minister Cameron Dick on Tuesday.
The move came after the Australian Medical Association called for a funding boost and increased beds at the facility, which opened in 2014.
The $70 million boost would be added to the hospital’s budget over four years.
The AMA’s public plea prompted an urgent meeting between Health Minister Cameron Dick and the AMA Queensland president Chris Zappala on Monday afternoon.
Mr Dick blamed the former LNP government for the problems, pointing to a draft audit report from Paxton Partners, which found the state’s only tertiary paediatric teaching hospital was underfunded by about $23 million a year.
But Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg told News Corp Labor’s 2006 decision to bring Brisbane’s two children’s hospitals together without proper planning or costing caused the problems.
On Monday, Dr Zappala said disheartened staff felt like they were not being consulted about how the hospital should be managed.
He also raised concerns about a shortage of beds in the intensive care unit, problems with appointment bookings and issues with food and parking at the $1.5 billion facility.
But after the meeting with the minister, he was confident things would be turned around.
“I think it represents a very large step forward for the hospital,” he said.
“I’m confident that there will be progress and I’m very pleased and relieved that many of my concerns will be addressed and we look forward to working with the minister closely to implement the plan that he’s outlined.”
Dr Zappala acknowledged there were cultural problems at the facility, which opened last year after the Mater and Royal Children’s Hospitals were merged.
“I don’t know why it’s taken this long and I think that’s been unfortunate because that’s allowed frustration to build and build, not just among people who work there but patients and spectators as well,” he said.
In August, a review into the hospital’s teething problems found its opening should have been pushed back by up to six weeks.
“So they compressed the opening period, so that led to a lot of ‘work arounds’ – staff not getting a lot of orientation, issues with testing equipment,” review author Professor Deborah Picone AM said.
Mr Springborg blamed Labor for the failings, saying the hospital contracts were signed before the Newman Government came into power in 2012.
The hospital opened in November, about three months before Labor was swept back into power.
Mr Springborg said the LNP left behind sufficient funds to spend on beds or staff.
“There are 48 beds that, late in the situation, can be opened,” he said.
“If the issue is beds (or) staffing … there’s money in the budget that we left there.”
– with AAP