Gold Coast Hospital

Gold Coast Hospital, located at 98–136 Nerang Street, Southport was a major teaching and referral hospital and the third largest in Queensland.[1] The Gold Coast Hospital had one of the busiest emergency departments in the state.[2] The Hospital admitted over 60,000 patients annually.[3]

For the nearby operational hospital built as a replacement, see Gold Coast University Hospital.

Geography
LocationGold Coast, Queensland, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates27° 58' 20.64" S, 153° 24' 36.00" E
Organisation
Care systemPublic Medicare (AU)
TypeTeaching, Referral
Affiliated universityGriffith University, Bond University
Services
Emergency departmentLevel I
Bedsapproximately 500
History
Opened1922
Closed28 September 2013
Links
Websitegoldcoast.health.qld.gov.au
ListsHospitals in Australia

History

The site of the Gold Coast Hospital, also formerly known as the Southport Maternity Hospital, was first identified as being a suitable location for a hospital in 1921 after a number of other locations had been considered.[4] An initial parcel of land fronting Nerang and Queens Streets was offered by the owner Mr. W. R. Black who had purchased the property specifically for use as a public hospital. Confirmation of the acceptance of Mr. Black's offer was noted at a meeting of the Women's Hospital Committee presided over by Mrs. Murray-Prior at the Southport School of the Arts in September 1921.[5]

The site, also known as the 'old rectory' and approved by the Home Office as being suitable for hospital, was retained by Mr. Black on the understanding that it would be sold at the purchase price to the Southport Memorial Hospital Committee, which had been established in 1918,[6] when funds and plans had progressed further.[7] A series of fund raising events took place in the following years and by 1926 it was reported that £2,000 had been raised[8] and additional land surrounding Mr. Black's property had been secured.[9]

The committee of the Southport and District Public Memorial Hospital applied to the Brisbane and South Coast Hospital Board requesting that an initial twelve bed facility be built on the site. At the time, the South Coast region was without public hospital facilities and patients were transferred to Brisbane. The committee undertook to calculate how may local residents had required transportation and treatment in Brisbane over the previous three years.[10] In 1929, Mr. A. Pope, from the Brisbane and South Coast Hospital Board, addressed a meeting of the Southport Town Council and explained that a hospital in Southport would be held over.[11]

Despite the efforts of the Southport Hospital Committee, which included members of the Southport Town Council on its board, and the local community, construction of the hospital had not commenced by the 1930s.[12] In 1934, the site and £100 debt, was offered to the Brisbane and South Coast Hospitals Board on the condition the land was used for hospital purposes. The transfer of the five and a half acre parcel of land valued at £2,500[13] went ahead although the new owners stressed that the subsidiary hospital would not be built immediately.[14][15][16]

The following year, other sites were under consideration[17] and, by 1938, the Brisbane and South Coast Hospitals Board were recommending that the site be subdivided and sold with the proceeds being used to acquire a property known as Staghorn which was considered to have better drainage and a more favourable location.[18]

In December 1950 construction of a maternity hospital was nearing completion on the site originally selected in 1921. Following a shark attack of a life saver, Leo Vincent Ryan, at Burleigh Heads,[19] which highlighted the lack of emergency facilities in the region, the decision was made to build a general hospital adjoining the new maternity hospital.[20] At the time, in addition to Brisbane, the nearest public hospital was at Murwillumbah, New South Wales.[21]

The 18 bed maternity hospital opened on 14 January 1952[22][23] and, at its official opening in July 1952 it was reported that 156 babies had been born in the intervening seven months at the hospital.

By 1954, the region had 20,000 residents, plans for the general hospital had not progressed and the lack of public hospital facilities was being discussed in the newspapers.[24] The matter was raised in the Queensland State Parliament and it was acknowledged that there were insufficient funds due to 'every penny' going to the South Brisbane Auxiliary Hospital.[25]

Six years later, on 2 April 1960 and after four decades of lobbying, the Southport General Hospital was officially opened. It consisted of four buildings containing two wards, operating theatres, x-ray facilities and quarters for staff and amenities.[26]

Publicity

In February 2008, it was reported that Queensland's public hospitals were putting lives at risk by failing to deliver adequate care across a range of key areas. The report found nine instances where public hospitals failed one of the 13 surgical indicators, with the Gold Coast Hospital responsible for three of these.[27]

Closure

On 28 September 2013, the Gold Coast Hospital at Southport closed. All patients were transferred to the new Gold Coast University Hospital at 1 Hospital Boulevard, off Parklands Drive in Southport.[28] The Gold Coast also has a public hospital located in Robina near Robina station.

Demolition and Re-development

In mid-2014, demolition of the 20 buildings on the 3.4 hectare site commenced to free up the area for new commercial development opportunities within the Southport Priority Development Area. Completion of the demolition works was expected by mid-2015.[29] Developer Nerang St Pty Ltd filed a development application for residential and commercial towers in 2017,[30] with approval granted in March 2018.[31]

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See also

References
  1. "Gold Coast Hospital" (Facility Profile). Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 17 February 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  2. "Heavy demand for Gold Coast Hospital emergency dept". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 April 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  3. "Gold Coast Hospital". gold coast health. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  4. "LACK OF STAFF". South Coast Bulletin (875). Queensland. 7 March 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "SOUTHPORT". The Brisbane Courier (19, 873). 30 September 1921. p. 4. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. "LACK OF STAFF". South Coast Bulletin (875). Queensland. 7 March 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. "MEMORIAL HOSPITAL". The Brisbane Courier (21, 354). 5 July 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. "SOUTHPORT". The Telegraph (15, 444). Brisbane. 29 May 1922. p. 8. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  9. "MEMORIAL HOSPITAL". The Brisbane Courier (21, 354). 5 July 1926. p. 8. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "SOUTHPORT NEWS". Daily Mail (7220). Brisbane. 20 April 1925. p. 9. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "Hospital Control". South Coast Bulletin. 1 (13). Queensland. 15 March 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. "SUBSIDIARY HOSPITAL". The Courier-Mail (392). Brisbane. 29 November 1934. p. 18. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. "DEEDS HANDED OVER". Queensland Times. LXXVI (15, 216) (DAILY ed.). 21 August 1935. p. 7. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  14. "SOUTHPORT HOSPITAL SITE". The Courier-Mail (280). Brisbane. 21 July 1934. p. 16. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. "SOUTHPORT HOSPITAL SITE". Queensland Times. LXXV (14, 987). 24 November 1934. p. 8 (DAILY.). Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. "Southport Hospital Site". The Telegraph (CITY FINAL LAST MINUTE NEWS ed.). Brisbane. 10 December 1934. p. 11. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. "SOUTHPORT HOSPITAL". South Coast Bulletin (875). Queensland. 7 March 1945. p. 2. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. "SOUTHPORT". The Courier-Mail (1464). Brisbane. 12 May 1938. p. 11 (Second Section.). Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  19. "SHARK ATTACKS". South Coast Bulletin (1171). Queensland. 29 November 1950. p. 13. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  20. "GENERAL HOSPITAL FOR SOUTH COAST". Maryborough Chronicle (24, 588). Queensland. 5 December 1950. p. 1. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  21. "No Provision Yet NEW HOSPITAL AT SOUTHPORT". Queensland Times (25, 171) (Daily ed.). 16 November 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  22. "New coast hospital". The Courier-Mail (4685). Brisbane. 3 December 1951. p. 3. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  23. "NEW SOUTHPORT MATERNITY HOSPITAL". South Coast Bulletin (1239). Queensland. 9 January 1952. p. 16. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  24. "HOSPITAL IS COAST CRY". Brisbane Telegraph. 3 February 1951. p. 7 (LAST RACE). Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  25. "Full Backing For Coast Hospital". South Coast News. 3 (12). Queensland. 27 November 1954. p. 6. Retrieved 21 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  26. "Southport General Hospital, Nerang Street, Southport, 22 August, 1961". Picture Gold Coast. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  27. Wardill, Steven. "Queensland's public hospitals fail health tests". The Courier Mail. Archived from the original (Web article) on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 12 February 2008.
  28. "{title}". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  29. "{title}". Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  30. Potts, Andrew (8 March 2017). "Revealed: Developers plan eight towers and retail precinct for old Gold Coast Hospital site". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  31. Gameng, Monica (20 March 2018). "$550m residential development to rise on old Gold Coast Hospital site". Plantminer blog. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.

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