Forefront of the Frontline breakfast

Forefront of the Frontline breakfastThe private health sector is being called on to play a larger role in leading the innovative response to increased demand for health services from our aging and growing population. From Mater’s new facility at Springfield, to the St Stephen’s Hospital at Hervey Bay, the design and construction of new private health facilities across Queensland have seen significant technological advances designed to meet this growing challenge.The Property Council hosted former President of the Australian Private Hospitals Association, Richard Royle, for an industry breakfast on the 6th of April to explore these emerging trends and their impact on Queensland’s property sector.Richard outlined the scale of the challenge, noting that if nothing changes by 2046 all government expenditure will have to be directed to meet healthcare requirements. Despite the growing demand, Richard foresees that brownfield health developments will continue to outweigh new greenfield projects. There is expected to be a continued focus on extending and improving existing assets given the difficulty to make new private hospital stack up financially.The growing preference for both health care professionals and consumers is for one-stop-shop hospitals. Richard outlined that this trend is creating a significant master planning challenge. However, the biggest challenge facing the industry is how to adapt to new digital technologies. It is in the digital space that Richard sees the private sector setting the pace, with St Stephen’s Hospital at Hervey Bay becoming Australia’s first full digitally integrated health facility. Richard was joined for a panel discussion by Christine Riley, Capital Works Project Co-ordinator for UnitingCare Health, which was moderated by Ross Elliott, Senior Business Advisor – MacroPlan Dimasi. Christine defined the growing challenge for the sector is how to fit bigger facilities onto existing footprints. Christine also outlined how modular construction methods, particularly for regional health facilities, represent an increasingly mainstream approach to hospital design.The Property Council would like to thank Richard, Christine and Ross for sharing their considerable insights into where the property and health industries intersect, and RCP for their generous sponsorship of the breakfast. Photos from the breakfast can be found here.Event sponsor: