Queensland first hub delivering coordinated health support in the far north  

• More than 1,600 patients across the far north have been treated by a ‘one-stop shop’ for complex healthcare and support this year.
• The Miles Government opened the new Care Coordination Service Centre in Cairns in November 2023.
• Since then, patients from the Torres Strait, all the way south to Tully, have had access to more coordinated and enhanced care.

Thanks to the Miles Government’s new Care Coordination Service Centre (CCSC) in Cairns, communities in the far north have improved access and support to free, high quality healthcare closer to home.

The centre, the first of its kind in Queensland, supports patients with complex care needs to navigate their way through the health system.

It’s already made an incredible difference to Lockhart River resident Patrick Butcher Jnr, who says it’s much easier to access the complex healthcare he needs thanks to support from the CCSC.

A range of co-located patient services such as travel, finance, referral systems, and digital information services are all available on-site to help streamline patients’ complex care journeys.

Importantly, it also acts as a single point of contact for patients who would otherwise need to discuss their complex care with multiple healthcare workers from different disciplines.

The centre also has a telehealth training room and an emergency response room where teams can come together to manage any health emergencies in the Far North Queensland.

Officially opened last November, it is a joint project between the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service, the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, and Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC).

The centre has been receiving referrals from clinicians across the far north, finding the service useful for both them and their patients.

For more information visit: Care Coordination Service Centre | Queensland Health

Quotes attributable to the Health Minister, Shannon Fentiman:

“This amazing initiative has already enhanced the health and wellbeing of those in rural and remote communities across Far North Queensland.

“In the first six months since the Care Coordination Service Centre was officially launched, it has proven to be an enormous success.

“More than 1,600 people have accessed more streamlined care and treatment closer to home, reducing their need to travel, which we know can be a stressful, sometimes costly, experience.

“This is just another way the Miles Government is making it easier for Queenslanders to access the healthcare they need when they need it, no matter where they live.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts Leanne Enoch:

“Every Queenslander deserves the best possible healthcare, close to home, with the least stress possible and this Coordination Service Centre plays a key role in achieving those objectives.

“This centre has important positive impacts for people who are dealing with the uncertainty of illness and the complexities of accessing medical help across long distances or in remote areas.

“This service is helping people right across the north and will also help close the health gap in some of our most remote communities”.

Quotes attributable to Tourism and Sport Minister and Cairns MP, Michael Healy:

“The co-location of services ensures a collaborative approach to providing support and wraparound care coordination for our vulnerable priority patients from across rural and remote communities in the Far North.”

Quotes attributable Barron River MP, Craig Crawford:

“This pioneering project has been proven to provide effective care coordination and logistical support to promote equity in health outcomes for patients accessing health services across Far North Queensland.

“The Miles Government is delivering more free healthcare closer to home by investing in more beds, more specialist health services, and more frontline health workers.

“When the LNP were in, they fired around 300 health staff across the Cairns region including almost 50 nurses.

“Since they left in 2015, we’ve hired more than 1,500 health staff across the region including more than 870 midwives and nurses, more than 310 doctors, and more than 90 ambulance officers.

Quotes attributable to Cook MP Cynthia Lui:

“For our patients, this new hub means they won’t have to repeat themselves multiple times to different teams, when requiring support for accommodation and transport to attend clinical appointments.”

“I’m proud to be part of a government that listens to and invests in Queensland’s Far North communities.”

Quotes attributable to Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) Acting CEO David Harmer:

“The Care Coordination Service Centre provides a great service supported by comprehensive data about patient care coordination needs and an excellent dashboard tool. QAIHC is proud to be part of the CCSC collaboration.

“We’re excited to see the service thrive and grow.

“We’re really looking forward to it being rolled out statewide in partnership between Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations and Hospital and Health Services.

“It’s so important that mob, particularly in rural and remote settings, are able get the help they need with specialist appointments and travel.

“Navigating the health system can be hard, but CCSC really helps take the complexity out organising health care, letting patients connect to different services across Queensland.”

Quotes attributable to Lockhart River resident Patrick Butcher Jnr:

“They’ve supported me with transport and organising food packs.

“To have a service like that, for them to provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, it’s so good.

“All I need to do is rock up at the right time.

“It makes a whole lot of difference to have someone there so you know you’re not forgotten in the health system.

“Since I’ve been going through the service it’s got me back on track and I’m going from strength to strength.”

ENDS

Media contact: Kim Sweetman 0457 600 237