New facility for North Queenslanders living with persistent pain
- Crisafulli Government opens new North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service at Townsville University Hospital.
- $4.4 million facility consolidates different specialties into one centralised hub, supporting patients with living with chronic and persistent pain.
- New centralised site provides easier access to health services, saving patients' travel time and money.
The Crisafulli Government has delivered a brand new health facility to support North Queenslanders living in constant pain.
The new $4.4 million North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service at Townsville University Hospital, will offer a centralised home for patients and improve access to health services.
The service currently receives more than 2,000 referrals each year across a large region encompassing Mackay, up to the Torres Strait, and west to the Northern Territory border.
Until now, North Queenslanders involved in persistent pain management, including cancer patients and those with spinal cord injuries, were required to travel between several locations to access care from different specialties, costing time and money.
The new facility consolidates all disciplines involved in pain management including medical, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and psychology staff.
It will consist of six clinical consulting rooms, three clinical interview rooms, procedure room, and three-bed recovery-and-day infusion bay.
The project was scheduled to be completed in 2021-22, but under the former Labor government it was subject to major delays.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start to Queensland and is working tirelessly to diagnose, treat and cure Labor's Health Crisis.
Queenslanders won't have to pay for Labor's patients' tax after it was recently abolished by the Crisafulli Government, reducing the cost burden for Queenslanders seeing their local GP and ease the pressure on our emergency departments.
Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Tim Nicholls said the North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service was a significant and tangible improvement of health care delivery for those living in pain.
"The new facility is a welcome change in the way North Queenslanders access chronic pain management services, easing the burden for patients with chronic and persistent pain, and saving them time and money," Minister Nicholls said.
"Improving access to health services in regional Queensland and delivering local service solutions that meet the needs of the community is part of the Crisafulli Government's Easier Access to Health Services plan.
"Queenslanders overwhelmingly rejected Labor's lies at the election, and they continue to offer nothing more than mistruths and scare campaigns.
"We've wiped out the threat of Labor's patients' tax for Queenslanders visiting their GPs and are committed to reducing the surgery waiting list through our $100 million Surgery Connect Surge."
"The Crisafulli Government is committed to delivering a fresh start for Queensland and we are restoring the much needed health services regional Queensland deserves."
North Queensland Persistent Pain Management Service Director Dr Hannah Bennett said the upgraded facility would provide the 'gold standard' for pain management.
"Before this service opened our staff were located across multiple sites limiting the ability for collaboration, case conference, clinician support and joint patient consultations," Dr Bennett said.
"This new facility allows us to work together as a team to provide the highest quality care and pain management services for our patients in the north."
