Mater Hospital Springfield on Health Care Drive is days away from welcoming its first babies, with Mater Mothers’ Springfield set to open, giving families across Greater Springfield, Ipswich and West Moreton access to maternity services they have never had locally before.
The opening marks one of the most significant milestones in the community’s history. For more than a decade, Springfield families expecting a baby have had no choice but to travel to Brisbane, Ipswich or Logan to give birth. That changes this week, with six birthing suites, a 16-bed maternity ward, a 16-cot Neonatal Critical Care Unit and a 24-hour Pregnancy Assessment Centre all coming online on level five of the new hospital.
Mater Hospital Springfield General Manager Suzanne Hawksley said the moment had been years in the making.
“It’s hard to believe we will soon be welcoming our first babies,” Hawksley said. “We are all excited to be part of such a huge moment for Springfield and its wonderful families.”
Antenatal clinics have already been running at the hospital since it began its staged opening on 13 April, meaning some expectant mothers are already familiar with the building where they will give birth.
A hospital built for one of Australia’s fastest-growing communities
The nine-storey Mater Hospital Springfield represents a $1 billion investment in healthcare for the western corridor, comprising $393 million in capital funding and a $638 million operational commitment over the first four years, alongside a $26 million land contribution from Mater. Construction was completed by John Holland, with more than 100 staff already onsite for training, simulations and onboarding before each service opened.
Once fully operational, the hospital will carry 186 public beds, a 54-bay Emergency Department, and is forecast to handle around 185,000 patient presentations annually. The maternity service alone is expected to deliver approximately 1,700 babies each year.
The facility employs more than 1,000 staff including over 500 nurses and midwives, and more than 130 doctors. The Springfield Lakes News estimates the hospital will increase employment across Greater Springfield by around eight per cent.
Mater Group CEO Julia Strickland-Bellamy said the hospital reflects the organisation’s longstanding commitment to communities experiencing rapid growth.
“Mater Hospital Springfield will transform health services across the western corridor, delivering high-quality care in the heart of the community,” Strickland-Bellamy said.
Care closer to home for Springfield families
Mater Mothers’ Springfield is part of Australia’s largest maternity service network. The Springfield campus offers six birthing suites, two of which include birthing baths with mood lighting and Bluetooth connectivity, alongside a 16-bed inpatient maternity ward, a 24-hour Pregnancy Assessment Centre and a 16-cot Neonatal Critical Care Unit for babies requiring lifesaving care or born prematurely.
For the first time, families in the catchment, Greater Springfield, parts of Ipswich and West Moreton, can now access the full Mater Mothers’ service from antenatal appointments through to birth and postnatal care without leaving their community.
The Mater Health Hub in Springfield, a two-minute drive from the main hospital, provides additional support including a Fourth Trimester Essentials programme, women’s health physiotherapy and a drop-in breastfeeding clinic.
Mater has been part of the Springfield community since 2015, when it opened Mater Private Hospital Springfield as the master-planned city’s first hospital. That campus grew from an 80-bed facility into an integrated private precinct. The new public hospital on the adjacent site completes the vision.
What’s still to come
The maternity opening on 11 May is not the hospital’s final milestone. The Emergency Department and paediatric ward open on 25 May 2026, completing the full service rollout. The paediatric unit is expected to handle around 2,500 inpatient admissions annually, covering conditions including chest infections, asthma, epilepsy, croup and jaundice.
Mater Hospital Springfield is at Health Care Drive, Springfield Central. For service information, visiting hours and updates as the hospital continues its staged opening, visit mater.org.au/hospitals/mater-hospital-springfield.
Published 28-April-2026
