The Federal Minister for Health & Aged Care, The Honourable Sussan Ley MP, and Queensland’s Mental Health Commissioner, Dr Lesley van Schoubroeck, has joined Healthe Care Australia to officially open the Gold Coast’s newest hospital, Robina Private Hospital.
The $24.6 million purpose-built hospital provides specialist mental health and medical services and is located on Bayberry Lane adjacent to the public Robina Hospital. It is a key addition to the Queensland Government’s growing Robina Health Precinct.
Stage One, a 90 bed, three level hospital with group therapy rooms and consulting suites, delivers private mental health and general medicine services for inpatients, day patients and outpatients.
The masterplan for the site outlines future development phases with an additional 54 beds as well as surgical services including operating theatres and imaging.
Operated by Healthe Care, one of Australia’s largest private hospital groups, Robina Private Hospital benefits from the company’s strong track record in providing acute medical, surgical, rehabilitation and mental health services across Australia.
Healthe Care Chief Executive Officer, Mr Steve Atkins, says there was an immediate need for additional, vital health services on the Gold Coast.
“We have built Robina Private Hospital to meet the strong community demand for mental health and general medical services in the fast-growing Gold Coast region,” he said.
“The hospital’s 60 mental health beds are supported by private services for the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, youth and young adult mental illness, older persons’ mental health concerns and perinatal mood disorders. Neurostimulation services will commence next year.
“The 30 bed general medical ward allows visiting physicians, including geriatricians, to take an integrated, patient-centric approach to the delivery of care. Services include general medicine, geriatric medicine, renal medicine and endocrinology.”
Queensland Mental Health Commissioner, Dr Lesley van Schoubroeck says there is an on-going demand for mental health services in Queensland and the addition of 60 new beds was a major coup for South East Queensland.
“Queensland’s public sector provides just over 1400 mental health beds and while we might argue that community based treatment options are preferable, there remains an ongoing demand for beds in mental health wards,” she said.
“My congratulations to Healthe Care for this initiative. The additional 60 mental health beds will take pressure off the public system and make a difference to those Queenslanders who are unable to access inpatient clinical care when they need it.”
Healthe Care Australia partnered with the Australian Unity Healthcare Property Trust (HPT) to develop Robina Private Hospital. Currently the HPT owns five healthcare properties in partnership with Healthe Care, with over $120 million to be invested in projects either currently underway or in advanced planning stages to commence in 2017.
The partnership was first established in 2006 to build, improve and expand healthcare services to meet the growing healthcare needs of the Australian community.
Mr Chris Smith, Head of Healthcare Property at Australian Unity, says the opening of the Robina Private Hospital is significant for Australian Unity’s HPT as it’s the first greenfield private hospital development the company has undertaken since its formation 18 years ago.
“Australian Unity’s partnership with Healthe Care to develop Robina Private Hospital is an exceptional example of a healthcare operator and specialist property manager working together to deliver critical services that will make a tangible difference to the quality of life of patients and their families in the community,” he said.
“Purposely co-locating the new hospital alongside Robina Hospita supports the delivery of integrated healthcare services to residents of the Gold Coast, who in the past have had to travel to Brisbane for care.
“Well considered greenfield developments like these provide mutually beneficial outcomes for patients, the broader community and investors in the Healthcare Property Trust. The HPT is pleased to support Healthe Care’s continued growth to provide acute and sub-acute health care services in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.”
Robina Private Hospital is run by Chief Executive Officer and Director of Nursing, Anna Styles-Tape, a Registered Nurse with 19 years experience in senior management roles across public, private and not-for-profit hospitals. She will work with an experienced team of six psychiatrists and six physicians that have been credentialed to the hospital.
Healthe Care also owns and operates the 104 bed private mental health-focused Currumbin Clinic on the southern Gold Coast. The company recently announced a major renovation and expansion of that facility next year.
All admissions at Robina Private Hospital are for voluntary patients who are privately insured or self-funded.
Robina Private Hospital admitted its first patient in October.
