Our vision is for a robust hospital and health service that includes fit-for-purpose spaces, multi-disciplinary health services, research, education and community partnerships.
West Moreton has the highest population growth in Queensland with the population across Somerset, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Ipswich expected to almost double to more than 588,000 by 2036.
As the West Moreton community expands, we are committed to transforming and optimising our care through service redesign, research and innovation to continue to meet the healthcare needs of our growing and diverse community.
West Moreton Health has developed a staged approach to delivering new infrastructure, services and models of care in a co-design partnership with our staff, community and other healthcare providers.
The Queensland Government has provided $146.3 million under the Building Better Hospitals program to develop the first stage of the Ipswich Hospital Expansion.
The staged development is responding to the significant growth in demand for healthcare by bringing our Ipswich-based acute, non-acute, outpatient and community services together in modern facilities with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
Our Stage 1 projects have included:
- an expansion of Ipswich Hospital that created:
- a 26-bed medical and surgical ward
- Allied Health Services Outpatient Unit
- Oncology Day Unit
- construction of the new Mental Health Acute Inpatient Service on Chelmsford Ave
- a state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging suite at Ipswich Hospital.
The Mental Health Acute Inpatient Service currently under construction on Chelmsford Ave will provide a fit-for-purpose environment for the delivery of person-centred, contemporary models of mental health care.
Designed to reflect a residential environment, this purpose-built unit will give consumers access to internal courtyards, gardens and outdoor areas, and multiple barbecue areas for families, to support their recovery and wellbeing.
We have partnered with health consumers, carers and expert clinicians to ensure the unit provides a safe space to improve wellbeing.
The ground level will contain offices and limited parking for government vehicles. There will be two clinical floors. On the top level, an enclosed bridge will link the new unit with Ipswich Hospital for the safe movement of consumers, staff and deliveries.
The Mental Health Acute Inpatient Service is expected to open in mid-late 2023 and will mark the completion of stage one of the Ipswich Hospital Expansion.
Once the new Mental Health Acute Inpatient Service is open and operational, the current Mental Health Unit at Ipswich Hospital will be demolished. This land will be held in reserve for future development as part of Stage 2.
Our neighbours
West Moreton Health aims to be a good neighbour as we build this new facility. We know construction can affect nearby residents and we will continue to do all we can to minimise impact.
For information and enquiries, please email WMCommunications@health.qld.gov.au.
West Moreton Health is working towards increasing our capacity to deliver more complex specialist care to the community. This will allow consumers to be treated closer to home instead of travelling outside the region for essential healthcare. Currently, one in three consumers are treated elsewhere.
West Moreton Health is committed to developing health precincts that meet consumers’ needs, using technology and innovation to provide services more efficiently and sustainably. This means doing things differently in the future.
In the short, medium and long term, we are working to identify the mix of infrastructure, services and digital solutions West Moreton Health will need to meet future demand in acute, non-acute, outpatient and community health settings.
West Moreton Health has completed a preliminary business case to identify the infrastructure and services needed to deliver complex care to our growing population.
This work seeks to improve:
- access to healthcare
- health outcomes
- consumer and staff satisfaction
- safety in healthcare delivery
- sustainable healthcare delivery
- healthcare environments that are built fit-for-purpose
- the local economy.
The Stage 2 Ipswich Hospital Expansion proposes a staged redevelopment of the Ipswich Hospital site on Chelmsford Ave.
The Queensland Government has begun planning the creation of a $24.5 million Alcohol and Other Drugs withdrawal management and rehabilitation facility.
The facility will provide 10 withdrawal management beds and 35 residential rehabilitation beds.
We are working with the Department of Health to find a suitable location.
Read more here.
A satellite healthcare facility at South Ripley will ease demand on Ipswich Hospital and provide care closer to home for residents in this residential growth corridor.
With the Queensland Government, West Moreton Health has arranged a mix of services needed in South Ripley that supports public healthcare delivery and provides better care closer to home.
On opening there will be a range of services including treatment for minor injuries and illnesses, along with imaging and outpatient services.
This means many people will be able to access treatment without having to visit a major hospital.
Located at 150 Botany Drive, South Ripley, the facility is expected to open in Spring 2023 and will also have free parking.
This is part of the government’s $265 million program to build seven satellite healthcare facilities in South East Queensland.
Co-located on the site will be a 90-bed sub-acute facility, with planning for this building currently under way.
To find out more, visit Ipswich healthcare facility | Queensland Health.
West Moreton Health is committed to engaging regularly with people and businesses interested in the design and delivery of our capital works program.
To get involved, register an expression of interest as a consumer representative, ask a question or give feedback, please email WMCommunications@health.qld.gov.au, phone (07) 3810 1111 or write to West Moreton Health Communications and Engagement, PO Box 73, Ipswich QLD 4305.
Follow the latest updates on the West Moreton Health Facebook page, LinkedIn site or at www.westmoreton.health.qld.gov.au/news.