Calls for a new regional hospital in the Lockyer Valley have intensified following media scrutiny about ‘bed block’ and locals being shut out of the Gatton and Laidley hospitals.
Lockyer Valley Regional Council Mayor Tanya Milligan said Council has been lobbying the State Government to plan for a larger regional hospital for a decade.
“Council is acutely aware that there is a desperate need for a purpose-built regional hospital - and it is extremely frustrating and disappointing that we’re unable to get any traction,” she said.
“Our local health system is already buckling under the pressure of meeting current demand, and our fast-growing population needs action now on planning for critical health infrastructure to support it into the future.
“The staff at our local hospitals are doing a great job, but they‘re doing so with inadequate resources for a population of our size.”
Mayor Milligan said anything less than a new regional hospital would be a band aid fix.
“While we welcome the recent investments in the region's existing hospitals, including a new CT scanner, ultrasound service and upgraded X-ray service, these uplifts are equivalent to putting a band aid on a gaping wound – it is simply not good enough.
“Our region has a combined total of 41 hospital beds and with our population set to grow to 57,000 by 2041, this is glaringly unsustainable.”
The Lockyer Valley is currently serviced by two small hospitals – one in Gatton and one in Laidley. Both hospitals are classified as level 2 clinical services and provide limited specialist services. A lack of maternity services means women must travel outside the region to give birth.
According to an ABC report, State Government data suggests a third of the Lockyer Valley’s 41 hospital beds are being used by long-term patients waiting for an aged care or disability support service, causing ‘bed block’.
Mayor Milligan said she regularly hears stories of local patients being turned away from Gatton or Laidley hospitals due to a lack of services or available beds.
“People in the city would be up in arms if they had to travel 30, 40 or 50-plus kilometres to access basic health care, but this is our reality,” she said.
“Too many of our residents are being forced to travel outside the region to access many public health services, and this is only set to get worse if nothing significant changes.”
Mayor Milligan said the regional hospital could also be designed to cater to the 1,500-bed Lockyer Valley Correctional Centre, which opened in September 2025.
“Rather than transporting inmates on a three-hour round trip to Brisbane to receive hospital treatment - which is not only time consuming but costly - a section of the new regional hospital could be purpose-built to accommodate the security needs of inmates,” she said.
She said while Council did not have a preference for where the regional hospital should be located, Plainland, with its easy access to the highway, was an obvious choice.
“Our region, and Plainland in particular, is undergoing considerable growth,” Mayor Milligan said.
“We’re urging the State Government to take action now to secure land in a strategic location and start planning for a regional hospital in earnest.
“The writing is on the wall. We can’t be still just talking about this in another 10 years.”
