Greater Springfield’s long-awaited public hospital has reached a landmark moment, with Mater Hospital Springfield confirming a staged opening schedule and its first staff already on the ground preparing to receive patients.
The nine-storey facility on Health Care Drive will begin welcoming patients from 13 April, with antenatal clinics the first to open their doors, followed by surgical outpatient clinics in the same week. Operating theatres and the intensive care unit follow on 20 April, with full maternity services introduced on 27 April. The Emergency Department and paediatric ward, the services locals have waited longest for, complete the rollout on 25 May.
For Springfield Lakes residents who have spent years travelling to Brisbane or Ipswich for acute care, the news brings genuine relief. This hospital will mark the first time emergency care, maternity, paediatrics and intensive care are all available within the community itself.
A Building That Is Already Buzzing
Construction contractor John Holland and the Mater team have just handed over the completed facility, and more than 100 staff have already moved in for onboarding, training and simulations. The corridors that were empty building site just months ago are now alive with medical and non-clinical teams running through scenarios in the actual spaces where they will care for patients.
General Manager Suzanne Hawksley said reaching practical completion was a proud milestone for everyone involved in the project. “Reaching practical completion and seeing our teams come together for training and preparation is an exciting step as we prepare to open our doors to the community in the coming weeks,” she said.
Midwifery unit manager Tess Willis, who oversees the birth suites and Pregnancy Assessment Centre, said the chance to train inside the real building had been transformative for her team. “After months of planning, it’s incredibly exciting to finally be inside the hospital and start simulations in the spaces where we’ll be caring for families,” she said. “Mater Mothers’ Springfield is expected to welcome around 1700 babies each year, and we’re now looking forward to welcoming mothers into the new hospital in less than two weeks.”
What the Hospital Will Deliver
The facility represents a $1 billion investment, comprising $393 million in capital funding, a $638 million operational commitment over the first four years, and a $26 million land contribution from Mater. Once fully operational, the hospital will provide 186 public beds, including a 54-bay Emergency Department, and is forecast to handle 185,000 patient presentations a year.
More than 1,000 staff will work across the campus, including more than 50 midwives serving six birth suites, a Pregnancy Assessment Centre and a dedicated maternity inpatient ward. The hospital is also expected to increase employment in Greater Springfield by an estimated eight per cent.
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 original facility grew from an 80-bed private hospital into an integrated campus, and the new public hospital on the adjacent site now completes the vision. The expansion will deliver 186 public beds for the community, meeting its health needs for decades to come.
A Region That Has Outgrown Its Infrastructure
Greater Springfield’s growth has been extraordinary. Greater Springfield became Queensland’s newest city in 1997 and has quickly grown to now be home to more than 54,000 people. The western corridor population is projected to grow substantially in the years ahead, and the hospital has been specifically designed to scale with that demand.
Hawksley acknowledged the significance of the moment for a community that has gone without these services for years. “Mater has been delivering world-class care to Greater Springfield for more than a decade now,” she said. “We are incredibly excited to be entering a new era with Mater Hospital Springfield expanding local access to healthcare.”
Jordan MP Charis Mullen, who has been a vocal advocate for a public hospital in the region since her election in 2017, has described the project as a transformative milestone for the community she represents.
How to Find Out More
Mater Hospital Springfield is located on Health Care Drive, Springfield Central. The Emergency Department opens 25 May. For visiting hours, service information and updates as the hospital opens progressively, click here.
Published 10-April-2026
