Work will start next month on 15 new modular staff accommodation units at Longreach Hospital and Winton Multipurpose Health Service.
Central West Hospital and Health Service Chief Executive Anthony West said Dalby-based New State Builders would undertake the site set up, groundworks, and external works for the modular units.
“Works are expected to start in June and be completed later this year, weather permitting,’’ Mr West said.
The modular units are manufactured in Brisbane and delivered to site through the QBuild Modern Methods of Construction program.
Mr West said the accommodation project would see 5 x three-bedroom units delivered at Winton and 10 single occupancy units at Longreach.
Seven of the 10 proposed new staff accommodation units at Longreach Hospital will be erected on the site of the vacant and decommissioned old nurses’ quarters, which will be demolished over the coming weeks to make way for the new units.
Each unit will be in the form of a demountable building, containing one or more bedrooms, a lounge, dining area, bathroom(s), kitchen, and laundry with an external verandah.
Featuring sustainable design elements such as energy efficiency, the units will achieve a Gold Standard under the Liveable Housing Australia guidelines.
“This new accommodation at Longreach and Winton will make a real difference to our health service’s ability to attract and retain staff,’’ Mr West said.
“These demountable homes will be permanently sited, entirely self-contained, air-conditioned and of high standard, intended to be used by our visiting clinicians and Queensland Health staff.
“As a health service, we are continually reviewing our accommodation portfolio across all locations to ensure the supply of government-supplied accommodation matches the changing nature of our workforce.
“The staff accommodation project will support staff attraction and retention, along with helping to reduce ongoing accommodation costs.’’
New State Builders is undertaking similar work erecting modular staff accommodation units at Charleville and St George hospitals in the South West Hospital and Health Service, with those works currently progressing through the construction stage.
The Longreach and Winton projects are part of a $115 million State Government investment in staff accommodation under the Building Rural and Remote Health Program, which is in turn part of the State Government’s more than $1 billion Building Rural and Remote Health Program.