Facilities
The Sushine Coast University Hospital mostly operates from the main hospital building, featuring 6 functional floors with further rooftop plants and a helicopter landing pad.
Level G contains the main entrance, emergency department, fast track area, paediatric emergency department, imaging services, medical assessment and planning unit, transit unit, spiritual care centre, liaison and support offices and the main reception. It also houses a large retail and food court, security offices and the surgical decisions unit.
Level 1 contains multiple ambulatory care clinics, allied health, the pharmacy, health information management and the acute renal clinic, as well as a connection to the P1 car park.
Level 2 contains 16 operating room suites, [16] an interventional procedural suite, a day surgery unit, dentistry clinics, biomedical technology services, the clinical investigations unit and the post-anaesthesia care unit.
Level 3 primarily contains staff facilities, being the volunteers' offices, sterilising support services, the sleep assessment unit and various other amenities.
Level 4 contains the women's and families' clinic, neonatal care unit, birthing services, maternity inpatient unit, and the child and adolescent inpatient unit.
Level 5 contains the rehabilitation unit and the Pathology Queensland laboratory.
Levels 6 and 7 are rooftop areas containing plant machinery and the helipad, respectively.
Levels 3, 4 and 5 additionally provide access to inpatient units, including the cardiac, respiratory, infectious diseases, general/medical/surgical, orthopaedics/vascular and stroke/delirium/neurology wards.
To the east of the main hospital building lies the Adem Crosby Centre, providing care across 3 levels, including radiation oncology and chemotherapy, as well as housing the Intensive Care Unit and Coronary Care Unit. [17]
The Mental Health Unit is located to the south-west of the main hospital building and provides inpatient mental health care across 4 wards: [2]
- Adolescent Unit (Rosella)
- Adult Unit (Kamala)
- Mental Health ICU (Melaleuca)
- Older Persons Unit (Waratah)
The Kamala Mental Health Adult Inpatient Unit (MHAIU) is a 20-bed unit that provides 24-hour mental health care and crisis intervention to persons over the age of 18. [18]
Within the Emergency Department, the hospital contains 5 resuscitation bays, one being paediatric, and one isolation room along with 24 acute beds for emergent but non life-threatening injuries and 15 short stay beds for patients expected to be discharged within 1–24 hours. The front of house pod also contains 15 treatment bays, a mental health assessment bay, an ophthalmology bay, and a procedure room. [19]
The Cardiac Care Unit located inside the Adem Crosby Centre is a 10 bed facility providing care for adult cardiology patients with acute illness and STEMI patients. All 10 beds are fitted with telemetry equipment in addition to regular monitoring equipment. [20]
Controversies
In 2021, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia ruled the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service were in contravention of the Disability Discrimination Act1992, and ordered 17 breaches to be rectified, including:
- Replacing of all directory signs
- Use of Braille signs
- Refinishing polished floors
- Reducing reflective services
Prior to the rectification works, visually impaired persons regularly reported becoming lost or disoriented within the hospital. In one case, this lead to a man being unable to locate a bathroom leading to a case of urinary incontinence. [21] [22] [23]
In 2022, a man died after a routine sclerotherapy performed at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital. The Deputy State Coroner will be hearing an inquest into the man's death in December 2025 to identify the circumstances in which the man died and if his care was appropriate. [24]
In February 2022, a right to information request revealed a "toxic culture" within the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service, with two whisteblowers suspended, allegations of bullying and intimidation, and a "punishing, chaotic and dysfunctional" work environment. In addition, during the reign of Director-General Dr John Wakefield, 24 senior staff members resigned shortly before the Sunshine Coast University Hospital's CEO also resigned. It was also noted that the Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Nambour General Hospital were the two worst-rated hospitals statewide for elective surgery wait times, with only 1 in 3 patients seen within recommended clinical timeframes. [25]
