Consultation begins for Bribie Island after-hours trial

Ahead of community consultations about after-hours GP care on Bribie Island, Brisbane North PHN CEO Libby Dunstan met with newly-elected State Member for Pumicestone Ali King to provide a full briefing on the initiative.

The PHN engaged consultants Beacon Strategies to run a series of four focus groups with local consumers, health service providers and other stakeholders in February 2021.

Feedback gathered via the focus groups will inform the co-design of an appropriate after-hours model of care for Bribie Island.

Ms Dunstan said elected representatives play an important information sharing role within the community and she appreciated the local MP’s interest in improving healthcare on the Island.

“As part of our consultation we met with Ali King to bring her up to speed on the Australian Government’s commitment to trial a new after-hours medical service on Bribie Island,” Ms Dunstan said.

“It’s essential that the State Government understands the scope of our project, given it has plans to establish a ‘Satellite Hospital’ on the Island.

“There exists an opportunity at this early planning stage to explore any synergies between the two projects and leverage these to maximise the benefit to local residents,” she said.

In 2019, the PHN conducted an after-hours needs assessment, the findings of which indicated there were no after-hours services available on Bribie Island and that the community needed to travel a considerable distance to access after-hours primary healthcare.

Funding for the trial was secured following consultation with Federal and State MPs, local doctors, and representatives from the Queensland Ambulance Service and Caboolture Hospital.

In September 2020, Federal Member for Longman Terry Young announced that the Australian Government would invest $500,000 into the trial.

The following month, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a State Election commitment to invest $265 million to deliver seven new innovative Satellite Hospitals across South East Queensland.

Three of the proposed locations for Satellite Hospitals – Pine Rivers, Caboolture and Bribie Island – are within the Brisbane North PHN region.

Pictured above: PHN CEO Libby Dunstan with State Member for Pumicestone Ali King in February 2021.