West Moreton Health Archives - Springfield Lakes

Ipswich Hospital Expansion to Deliver New Transit Care Centre

Ipswich Hospital will receive a major upgrade through a new Transit Care Centre and long-term expansion works to increase capacity and reduce emergency department pressure.

Transit Care Centre Upgrade in Ipswich

Ipswich Hospital will undergo a $9.6 million upgrade to its Transit Care Centre. The facility will double in size, increasing from five beds and eight chairs to ten beds and fourteen chairs. Once completed, it will provide 24/7 coverage and include additional nursing, allied health, and administrative staff.

The expanded centre will act as a centralised location for Queensland Ambulance Service transfers and patient transitions. It is designed to free up inpatient beds by accommodating patients awaiting discharge, admission, or outpatient appointments. Construction is expected to be finished by June 2026.

Ipswich Hospital Expansion Program

Alongside the Transit Care Centre upgrade, Ipswich Hospital is part of a $1.2 billion redevelopment program to meet the needs of the fast-growing West Moreton region. The expansion has been planned in stages, guided by population forecasts, service demand, and staff and community consultation.

Stage 1, valued at $146.3 million, was completed in mid-2024. It delivered a 26-bed ward, new oncology and allied health services, and a new building for acute mental health inpatient services.

Stage 2, budgeted at $925 million, is currently underway and will deliver a new acute services building with 200 additional beds, a larger emergency department, six operating theatres, a satellite medical imaging service, and a central sterilisation service. Major construction began in 2024 and is scheduled for completion in May 2028.

Ipswich Hospital expansion — *Photo Credit: Google Maps*

Supporting the Region’s Growth

Ipswich and the broader West Moreton region are among the fastest growing areas in Queensland, with the population forecast to reach more than 636,000 by 2046. The combined investment in the Transit Care Centre and hospital expansion aims to address this growth by expanding local health service capacity.

Next Steps

The Transit Care Centre upgrade is set to be completed by June 2026. The larger expansion program will continue in stages until 2028. Both projects are expected to increase hospital efficiency and reduce emergency department demand.

Published 16-Aug-2025

New Ipswich Hospital Ward on Track for Completion

The Ipswich community will soon benefit from the much-needed redevelopment at the Ipswich Hospital as the first new ward to be built in seven years is on track for its targeted completion date.

The new 26-bed medical and surgical ward, which falls under West Moreton Health’s 15-year Master Plan, is set to open in September 2021. The new facility includes a patient transit lounge, which goes in line with the hospital’s patient-centred care.

This project is part of Stage 1 of the Ipswich Hospital Expansion following the opening of the Oncology Day Unit in April and the Allied Health Services – Outpatients area in May.

Queensland Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette D’Ath, Member for Ipswich Jennifer Howard and Member for Bundamba Lance McCallum visited the site at the end of May to check the development’s progress and was met by West Moreton Health Chief Executive Dr Kerrie Freeman.

“These expansion projects will make a significant difference to the patients in our care,” Dr Freeman said.

“The master-planned Ipswich Hospital Precinct is vital to ensuring we meet the health needs of West Moreton residents now and into the future in a safe and sustainable way as we move towards becoming a tertiary hospital.”

Construction for the Ipswich Hospital ward started in mid-2020 and was projected to be ready before the flu season.

“It will help meet a rapid growth in demand and will mean more patients from the region can be treated closer to home,” Ms Howard said.

Construction Begins for $91 Million Acute Mental Health Unit in Ipswich Hospital

Work on a 50-bed Acute Mental Health Unit (AMHU) will start at West Moreton Health amidst the government’s commitment to expand the Ipswich hospital precinct.

The AMHU, which is part of the Stage 1 expansion and was funded $91 million, is set for construction in mid-April 2021 with a projected opening date for late 2022. Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette D’Ath confirmed that BESIX Watpac will build the three-storey facility.

Designed with three courtyards for the patients and their families, the mental health unit will also be surrounded by native trees, shrubs and a bush tucker garden.

“When staff and consumers transition to the new building, the existing mental health unit at the hospital will be demolished,” Member for Ipswich West Jim Madden said. “An enclosed overhead bridge will link the new facility with Ipswich Hospital for the safe movement of patients, staff and equipment.

“The demolition will free up valuable land on the hospital site for future expansion and development of the Ipswich Hospital Precinct.”

Apart from the construction of AMHU, the project has moved on to the business case study of Stage 2 of the master plan, putting West Moreton Health a step closer to reaching its goals to provide person-centred care as Ipswich’s population increases.

Experts predict that in 15 years, more than half a million people will consider West Moreton in Ipswich their home, doubling the region’s current population.

“The Palaszczuk Government has invested more than $146.3 million over 5 years for Stage 1 of the master-planned expansion of Ipswich Hospital and related health services to meet the needs of the fast-growing region,” Ms D’Ath said.

“Delivering the master-planned Ipswich Health Precinct has been a top priority for the Palaszczuk Government because it means that locals will have improved access to top-quality healthcare and create local jobs along the way.”