Sunshine Coast University Hospital Program

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Sunshine Coast University Hospital is a new public tertiary teaching hospital being developed by the Queensland Government to meet growing demand for hospital services.

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It will open with about 450 beds in late 2016, with the expectation that its fully built capacity of 738 beds will be utilised by 2021.
Sunshine Coast University Hospital is Australia’s first major new, not replacement tertiary teaching hospital for more than 20 years.
A $1.8 billion project, the public hospital is being built as part of the 20-hectare Sunshine Coast Health Campus that will incorporate the Sunshine Coast Health Institute (SCHI). There is also a collocated private hospital that has been operating since late 2013.
The SCHI’s dedicated and integrated research and learning spaces will enable health professionals to participate in teaching, research and clinical practice in one convenient location. The SCHI will foster knowledge through research, contributing to improvements in patient care, as well as educating and training all categories of staff.
The Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service is developing SCHI in partnership with the University of the Sunshine Coast, TAFE Queensland East Coast and a second university that will deliver medical education.
When fully commissioned, the new hospital will offer an expanded range of public hospital services not currently available on the Sunshine Coast. These include:

• A comprehensive cancer care, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy


• specialised medical and surgical services, including maxillofacial surgery and major trauma service


• an acute rehabilitation service


• inpatient child and adolescent mental health services.

Sunshine Coast University Hospital will be the centrepiece of the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service’s network of hospitals, which includes Nambour General Hospital, Caloundra Health Service, Gympie Hospital, Maleny Soldiers Memorial Hospital and a comprehensive range of community and primary health services.
This project is Queensland’s first public hospital Public Private Partnership (PPP). Exemplar Health, a consortium comprising Lendlease, Siemens and Capella Capital, with partners Spotless Facilities Services, will design, construct, partially finance, commission and maintain the hospital buildings (including car parks) and grounds for a period of 25 years from late 2016, when the hospital opens.
The contract requires the facilities to be maintained to an agreed standard through the contract term. This will enable clinicians and hospital management to focus on patient care, while Exemplar Health maintains the built environment.
The PPP contract does not include the provision of any clinical services. Support services included in the scope of the PPP include security, pest control and car parking services.
The new hospital will require approximately 3000 staff when it opens. This will increase to around 4600 staff when the fully built capacity is commissioned by 2021.
Staff of the SCHHS are determined that the new hospital will deliver high quality, safe, patient-centred health care.
Clinical departments are collocated in the western main hospital building, while the eastern ‘Lakeside’ building houses some of the research and teaching facilities of the SCHI and the Cancer Care Centre, as well as the Intensive Care and Coronary Care units.
The mental health unit sits adjacent to the emergency department, which is located so it is easy to find from any point on the campus.
Inpatient units are spacious and light-filled with views to the surrounding landscape. These units form physical links between the east and west main hospital buildings.
There will be about 3500 car parking spaces. The main multi-storey car park adjacent to Sunshine Coast University Hospital has direct access to the hospital via overhead bridges and will include 180 spaces for people with a disability, up to 180 electric vehicle charging stations and a 100-place childcare centre for staff.
There will also be access to public transport, while pedestrian and bicycle access will be encouraged with a network of shared pathways, cycle storage and secure end-of-trip facilities including lockers and showers for staff.
The buildings are designed to link seamlessly with the outdoors to incorporate the natural healing properties of the coastal environment, reduce the load on building systems and increase the availability of natural light and fresh air.
The visual connection to the surrounding landscape will assist orientation and ease of navigation for hospital patients and visitors. Building orientation and passive solar protection to all openings will reduce heat load, reflected heat and glare.
The net effect will reduce energy consumption, as well as create a cooler external environment and protect the building facade and internal finishes. This is consistent with creating cooler built environments to counter the urban ‘heat island’ effect.
Flexibility is built into the design to enable the hospital buildings to adapt to changes in demand and healthcare innovations, extending the life of the facilities.
Sustainability and energy-efficient features of the hospital include:

• rainwater harvesting and water reclamation


• solar hot water systems


• high performance, maintainable and durable building fabric and enclosure


• energy-efficient lighting in the main hospital building using an Australian-designed control system (Organic Response) that reduces the amount of cabling required


• an environmental management system that meets the benchmark ISO 14001 international standard


• a building management system for efficient building operation, monitoring and maintenance


• the use of sustainable and environmentally responsible products.

Sunshine Coast University Hospital fast facts
CONSTRUCTION STATISTICS

• Site resources peaked at about 1800 daily on-site workers in mid-2015


• About 11,000 construction workers will be inducted on site over the life of the project


• It is estimated that it will take about 4.15 million man-hours to build Sunshine Coast University Hospital