Early Satellite Hospital results showing promising signs for Caboolture

• Almost 1,800 people have presented to the Caboolture Satellite Hospital’s Minor Injury and Illness Clinic since it opened in August
• August Tier 3 capacity alerts at Caboolture Emergency Department have significantly dropped compared to August last year
• Over 90% of patients seen were discharged without having to be transferred to another hospital

Early reporting at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital has shown promising signs for the fast-growing North Brisbane region.

Since the Satellite Hospital’s Minor Injury and Illness Clinic opened on 3 August, almost 1,800 people have presented requiring care.

Significantly, over 90 per cent of patients who were seen were discharged after receiving care. Only three per cent of patients had to be transferred to another hospital.

This early data is a promising sign that the vast majority of people presenting at the Minor Injury and Illness Clinic are presenting for the right reason.

Tier 3 capacity alerts at Caboolture Hospital for the month of August have also dropped significantly compared to last year. Since the Satellite Hospital opened at the beginning of August, there was one Tier 3 capacity alert. This is compared to four alerts in August 2022.

Early data also indicates that the number of low acuity Category 4 and 5 presentations at Caboolture Emergency Department in August has decreased by approximately 150 people compared to August last year.

Additionally, more low acuity patients presented to the Satellite Hospital’s Minor Injury and Illness Clinic than they did at the Emergency Department.

The average Length of Stay for each presentation at the Caboolture Satellite Hospital Minor Injury and Illness Clinic was two hours.

Satellite Hospitals have recently been opened in the Redlands and Ripley, with Satellite Hospitals in Kallangur and Tugun set to open later this year.

Two more Satellite Hospitals in Eight Mile Plains and Bribie Island will open in 2024.

The Satellite Hospital program goes hand in hand with other health infrastructure projects being progressed by the Palaszczuk Government.

Together, these projects will bring 3,378 new hospital beds online, including almost 500 beds in this financial year.

Quotes attributable to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman:

“This early data shows some promising signs that our Satellite Hospitals are doing exactly what they are intended to do.”

“We built these facilities to direct non-urgent patients away from our busy hospitals and Emergency Departments, and into Minor Injury and Illness Clinics where they will receive more appropriate care.”

“I am very pleased to see that the number of Tier 3 capacity alerts at Caboolture Hospital have dropped in August compared to the same month last year.”

“I am also excited to see that low acuity presentations at the Emergency Department are lower.”

“While it is early days and we will continue to monitor the impact that our Satellite Hospitals have on the broader health system, I am heartened by these early signs.”

“Our government is focused on driving better performance in our hospitals across Queensland, and this is possible because of nation-leading health infrastructure investment.”

Quotes attributable to Caboolture Emergency Department and Caboolture Satellite Hospital clinician Dr Sean Clark:

“We have seen strong growth in the number of presentations since opening a little over a month ago.”

“We continue to see a wide range of presentations, mostly joint and limb pain along with some respiratory illnesses due to the time of year.” 

“There is a buzz around being the first Satellite Hospital in the state.”

“Metro North is exceptionally proud to open this service, particularly in this region.” 

“The right sort of patients are presenting at the facility which is positive. We work closely with the Caboolture Hospital Emergency Department and will transfer patients when appropriate. A range of clinics also run out of the Satellite Hospital, boosting a number of services for the community.” 

“The Caboolture Satellite Hospital is already proving successful in providing additional health care support for the community.”

“We are continuously reviewing the patterns of presentation to ensure we adapt the service and the staffing to best support the local community.”

ENDS

Media Contact: Phoenix Campbell 0439 949 719