Rockhampton Hospital is the largest major hospital in
Central Queensland
Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coas ...
, Australia. Operated by
Queensland Health
Queensland Health is the name of the overall public health service in the state of Queensland, Australia. Like all other states and territories in Australia, the Queensland Government provides low- or no-cost primary, secondary, and tertiary ...
as a public hospital, the hospital offers a wide range of medical services to a population of about 230,000 throughout the
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of the ...
,
Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...
, the
Capricorn Coast
The Capricorn Coast is a stretch of coastline in Central Queensland, Australia and is part of the Shire of Livingstone (formerly part of Rockhampton Region).
Geography
The Capricorn Coasts takes its name from Cape Capricorn () on Curtis Is ...
and
Emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...
communities.
Geography
The hospital is located in
The Range about 4 km from the
Rockhampton CBD, on a block bounded by Canning Street, North Street and Quarry Street.
History
![StateLibQld 2 292095 Nursing staff at Rockhampton Hospital, ca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/StateLibQld_2_292095_Nursing_staff_at_Rockhampton_Hospital%2C_ca._1908.jpg)
The Rockhampton Hospital site at The Range was established in 1867, and was the second site of a hospital in the city. However, none of the buildings from the 19th century survive. The present buildings of the hospital are from the 20th and 21st century. Two of the 20th century buildings are heritage listed:
* a
medical superintendent's residence constructed in 1936
* the
Therapies Building (a former Outpatients Department incorporating the purpose-built Kenny Clinic built in 1938 to implement the
physical therapies
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...
of Sister
Elizabeth Kenny
Sister Elizabeth Kenny (20 September 1880 – 30 November 1952) was a self-trained Australian bush nurse who developed an approach to treating polio that was controversial at the time. Her method, promoted internationally while working in Austra ...
for the treatment of
poliomyelitis
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe sym ...
)
Other buildings of note that were once situated on the Rockhampton Hospital site include the Lady Goodwin Maternity Hospital (a
maternity hospital
A maternity hospital specializes in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth. It also provides care for newborn infants, and may act as a centre for clinical training in midwifery and obstetrics. Formerly known as lying-in hospitals, most o ...
opened in 1930 named in honour of the wife of Queensland Governor
John Goodwin, demolished in 1986), the Rockhampton Hospital Nurses' Quarters (a five-storey accommodation building opened in 1954 and demolished in 2008) and the original Rockhampton Hospital Post Office (an on-site
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
opened in 1949 and relocated in 2018).
Name change
In 1998, the name of the hospital was changed from Rockhampton Base Hospital to Rockhampton Hospital.
The term "
base hospital
A base hospital is an Australian hospital serving a large rural area, perhaps equivalent to an American District Hospital. It is often supported by smaller hospitals in local communities.
References
Hospitals in Australia
Hospitals
Types o ...
" is now considered by some hospital boards to be archaic and redundant.
Regional hospitals were initially named and classified as "base hospitals" in an attempt to secure funding but can now be potentially confusing for tourists who associate the word with military.
After the name change, all signage at Rockhampton Hospital was amended to remove the word "base".
Hospitals in other regional Queensland cities followed suit, such as in
Cairns
Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...
where the hospital name was similarly changed from Cairns Base Hospital to
Cairns Hospital
Cairns Hospital, known as the Cairns Base Hospital between 1932 and 2013, is the largest major hospital in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is located at 165 The Esplanade, Cairns North, Cairns. The hospital offers general services to Cair ...
in 2013 with the hospital board there regarding the word "base" as not correctly reflecting the number and complexity of services provided by the hospital.
[
Despite no longer being called Rockhampton Base Hospital, local media, politicians and community members continue to incorrectly refer to the hospital by its former name.
]
Redevelopment
Cancer Services Building
A cancer services building, incorporating new radiation oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...
services, was officially opened by Cameron Dick at Rockhampton Hospital in 2015. The seven-storey building includes three floors of cancer services, an expanded intensive care unit
220px, Intensive care unit
An intensive care unit (ICU), also known as an intensive therapy unit or intensive treatment unit (ITU) or critical care unit (CCU), is a special department of a hospital or health care facility that provides intensiv ...
, two general hospital ward
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergency ...
s, a plant room, staff office space and a rooftop helipad
A helipad is a landing area or platform for helicopters and powered lift aircraft.
While helicopters and powered lift aircraft are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard s ...
.
The oncology services were established at the hospital after many years of lobbying from the community for better cancer treatment options in Central Queensland.
500 cancer patients were expected to be treated in the new building within its first year, with the new oncology services creating 19 full-time jobs.
Carpark
After many years of complaints from the community about the lack of parking at Rockhampton Hospital, a new 597-space multi-storey carpark
A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...
which took 18 months to build at a cost of $25 million, opened in March 2019.
The original Rockhampton Hospital Post Office in Canning Street, which first opened in 1949, had to be removed to make way for the carpark.
It was relocated to the Rockhampton Heritage Village at Parkhurst and a new modern post office was built on the hospital site, at the corner of North and Quarry Street.
Criticism
Despite the redevelopment, Rockhampton Hospital continues to struggle with demand during busy periods, with a shortage of beds for patients in the emergency department often causing instances of "ambulance ramping" where patients are forced to wait in ambulance
An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport.
Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...
vehicles outside before being admitted for treatment during busy periods.
According to data, ambulance ramping at the hospital increased 27% in the twelve months to February 2021.
After the witnessing the hospital in a " Code Yellow" situation during a visit, Queensland Shadow Health Minister Ros Bates
Rosslyn Mary Bates (born 25 May 1962) is an Australian politician. Bates has been a Liberal National Party member of the Parliament of Queensland since March 2009, representing the electorate of Mudgeeraba.
Early career
Prior to entering poli ...
called for the hospital to be expanded even further.
References
External links
{{Authority control
Hospitals in Queensland
Buildings and structures in Rockhampton