The Queensland Government has released a new masterplan for the expansion of The Prince Charles Hospital at Chermside, with Stage One set to deliver 104 new hospital beds, including a new 80-bed mental health facility, Premier David Crisafulli and Health Minister Tim Nicholls said in a joint statement on Sunday (8 November). Public consultation on the masterplan is now underway.
The statement says the plan includes a new Cardiac Cath Lab, an expanded emergency department and a new mental health facility, with the expansion delivered as part of the government's Hospital Rescue Plan of three new and 10 upgraded hospitals.
Stage One
The statement says Stage One will also deliver a bigger Emergency Department, an expansion of the Cardiac Catheterisation Lab service and a new lab, as well as a new Integrated Care Centre with paediatrics and overnight beds for transplant and cardiac services.
Citing the hospital's status as Australia's leading cardiothoracic hospital, the government says the first treatment spaces will be delivered by 2028, as part of the Chest Pain Assessment Unit within the expanded Emergency Department. Construction of the new mental health facility is expected to be completed in 2031.
Queensland Health's Hospital Rescue Plan project page describes The Prince Charles Hospital as a major tertiary level cardiac hospital in Brisbane's north, employing around 3,200 staff and providing specialised care for more than 420,000 Queenslanders each year. Metro North Health had earlier described the expansion as including at least 93 additional beds.
Stage Two and Public Consultation
Stage Two of the expansion will include a new Acute Services Building, which will house a new and expanded Emergency Department, Cardiac Investigations Unit, operating theatres, Intensive Care Unit and other supporting services, the statement says.
"Over two stages The Prince Charles Hospital will receive a major upgrade so it's equipped to service the Northside for years to come, with the health workers needed to run it," Premier Crisafulli said.
The government says consultation gives the local community an opportunity to have its say on the future of The Prince Charles Hospital.
Independent Sangster Review
The government says it developed the new masterplan after the independent Sangster review identified major problems with the expansion as planned under the former Labor Government, including a $488 million cost blowout, a delay of at least 18 months and an underestimation of clinical needs.
The review, led by hospital infrastructure specialist Sam Sangster, examined the state's hospital capacity expansion program, ABC News reported when it was released in April 2025.