Crisafulli Government to deliver 30 perinatal mental health care beds
- The Crisafulli Government will deliver 30 perinatal mental health beds, including 8 in Townsville, as part of a boost to perinatal mental health services across the State.
- The Crisafulli Government will now undertake a competitive market approach to deliver all 30 beds sooner, with the best value for Queenslanders.
- It follows former health minister announcing a new eight-bed mother-and-baby perinatal mental health unit in Townsville without a competitive tender process and without allocating adequate funding.
The Crisafulli Government will deliver more specialist perinatal inpatient treatment beds and additional community supports for new mothers and their families.
An eight-bed perinatal mental health unit in Townsville will be the first project of several to go through proper procurement processes to deliver the best value for Queenslanders, after the former Labor government ignored protocol and announced a direct agreement with Mater Private Hospital Townsville for the facility.
Townsville is one of six locations across the State the former government announced, on 10 May 2024, would receive an eight-bed perinatal mental health unit as part of a $39 million commitment for 30 new beds.
The former Government was advised at the time of announcement that this level of funding was inadequate to support the delivery and infrastructure required for these beds state-wide and was warned of reputational and commercial risks of proceeding due to potential competitors not having had the opportunity to provide alternative proposals.
The direct procurement process for the Townsville beds was estimated to cost $38 million alone, and the remainder of the beds would never have been delivered by Labor as promised.
In contrast, the Crisafulli Government will deliver all 30 beds sooner, and for the best value for money, by putting all projects through proper rigorous procurement processes.
Queensland Health will continue to engage with Townsville Hospital and Health Service, Mater and other potential providers on the capacity to establish perinatal mental health beds in Townsville.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the Crisafulli Government would deliver 30 additional perinatal mental health beds for Queenslanders.
"The Crisafulli Government is committed to easier access to health services for all Queenslanders and this includes delivering 30 perinatal mental health beds," Minister Nicholls said.
"The facts are the former government awarded a project without procurement processes and without the budget to do the work.
"We are now going back to procurement for these beds and will deliver them for the best value for Queenslanders, when Labor never would have."
Minister Nicholls said this example of failing to properly fund projects was just the latest in a long line of un-funded and underfunded health services and infrastructure.
"To date, we have uncovered more than $18 billion in Labor health blowouts including a $6 billion blowout on the hospital infrastructure program to the $12 billion funding black hole for services, and now inadequate funding for perinatal mental health beds," he said.
"The Crisafulli Government will fix Labor's mess and deliver world-class health services for Queenslanders, including perinatal mental health services."
