Palaszczuk Government restores Wynnum Manly health services

The Palaszczuk Government has delivered on its promise to restore Wynnum’s 24-hour primary care service and maintain local health services.

Officially opening the new $13.6 million Wynnum Manly Community Health Centre (Gundu Pa) today, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk toured the centre as part of a community day, which offered locals a sneak peek of the state-of-the-art facilities which will open to the public on October 24.

“This new Centre provides a significant boost to local health services and restores the community’s access to round-the-clock health care,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“It also delivers exactly what the community asked for – maintained health services in the local area.

“I stood with local health workers and the Wynnum-Manly community when the Newman-Nicholls Government closed the Moreton Bay Nursing Care Unit and cut the 24 hour primary care facility at the Wynnum Hospital in Lota.

“Those cuts extended right across Queensland - 4400 health workers lost their jobs and 244 of those were in the Metro South Hospital and Health Services area, which covers the Wynnum-Manly community.

“I know how those frontline service cuts devastated this community, and I promised that if we were elected, we would fix it, and we have.

The Premier said the new centre secures health services in the local community, with allied health, BreastScreen, child development, chronic disease and oral health services all relocating from the existing Wynnum Health Service at Lota.

“The centre also provides a boost to the area’s health services, including new specialist outpatient clinics, a rehabilitation gym, and expanded oral health service and BreastScreen services,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick said he was thrilled to see the fulfilment of a promise made to the Wynnum-Manly community.

“There has been a real sense of expectation in the community as this new centre has taken shape,” Mr Dick said.

“Importantly, the Primary Care Centre transferring from Wynnum Health Service in the next few weeks will transition to a 24-hour service from the day the centre opens to the public later this month.

“This is exciting news for the people of Wynnum-Manly who pushed for the return of this essential 24-hour service.”

Mr Dick said a range of new specialist outpatient clinics including general medicine, general surgery, respiratory, geriatrics, endocrinology, antenatal, obstetrics and paediatric clinics would become a new feature at Gundu Pa.

“With more than 11,000 families in the Wynnum-Manly region, we know that a facility such as this must to cater for the diverse needs of a broad population group,” Mr Dick said.

“Expanding services in specialist clinics, oral health and BreastScreen, coupled with new mental health clinics and specialist telehealth support, will see us deliver improvements right where the community needs them.”

“I’m also pleased that all services at the existing Wynnum Health Service will be maintained locally, with general medical beds moving to the neighbouring Casuarina Lodge facility, and palliative care beds to be delivered at the nearby Blue Care aged care facility.”

Member for Lytton Joan Pease said she was proud to be a part of the Palaszczuk Government that had returned frontline health services to the Bayside.  

“Gundu Pa – Medicines Stones Place is a fantastic public health facility that will meet the needs of our community now and into the future,” Ms Pease said.

“The Bayside made it very clear that we wanted to see the return of 24-hour GP Clinic and to ensure that all our public health services were maintained, and the Palaszczuk Government has delivered this and more.

“I would also like to thank the staff of Wynnum Health Service, who have worked at the Lota site delivering outstanding health services and care during the construction of Gundu Pa.”

Work commenced on the Gundu Pa site in October last year and construction of the building was completed by March this year.

“Since then, it has been a hive of activity inside the facility to create modern, purpose-built spaces for the range of health services to be provided,” Ms Pease said.

“This project delivers on the Government’s commitment to maintain health services in the community and provide a significant boost to local health services that are safe, effective and tailored to the needs of the community.”

Photos from the official opening can be viewed here.

Media contacts:

Michelle Wellington (Premier’s office) 0437 323 834

Catherine Palmer (Minister Dick’s office) 0424 823 424