Princess Alexandra Hospital Archives

New Mammography Technology Transforms Patient Experience at Princess Alexandra Hospital

Princess Alexandra Hospital recently unveiled new state-of-the-art mammography technology, including Australia’s first sensory suite, to enhance the patient experience and improve breast imaging.

Read: Veloway 1 Upgrade Expected to be Completed Before 2023 Ends

The sensory suite utilises mood lighting, lavender scented walls, and sky window ceilings to relax patients during mammograms and invasive procedures like biopsies. Sally Ball, Assistant Director of Medical Imaging and Head Mammographer at PAH, says the suite offers “dignity and respect” during an otherwise vulnerable experience.

As a breast cancer survivor, Ball understands the anxiety patients face. “Being able to offer a space that puts the patient at ease will relax the patient and result in better quality images,” she said.

PAH is also the first Australian hospital with GE Healthcare’s Senographe Pristina integrated 3D mammography system. The technology improves lesion visualisation without increasing radiation exposure. A new Dueta compression device allows patients to control their own compression for added comfort.

Ball said giving patients control over small things like compression “can make a big difference.” With over 2000 mammograms performed annually at PAH, the new technology aims to transform the standard of care.

According to Ball, “When you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you lose control of so many aspects of your life…Giving back control of even the smallest of things, like compression on a mammogram, can make a big difference to a patient.”

Amit Yadav, Chief Executive Officer of GE Healthcare Australia & New Zealand, said the hospital is leading the nation in adopting this innovative approach to breast imaging. The CEM and CEM biopsy capabilities of the Senographe Pristina system mark an exciting advancement in mammography at PAH.

By integrating contrast enhancement into 3D mammography, radiologists can better detect and characterise suspicious areas in the breast. This leads to more accurate diagnoses and improved patient outcomes.

Read: Hospital Veteran Jamie Bedson Leaves Entire Estate to Princess Alexandra Research Foundation

Published 9-November-2023

Queensland Health Unveils $8 Billion Hospital Expansion Plan, Including Princess Alexandra Hospital

Photo Credit: Shiftchange, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Princess Alexandra Hospital is among the key healthcare facilities selected for major expansion as part of Queensland Health’s $8 billion worth of new hospitals and upgrades under the Queensland Health and Hospitals Plan.

A total of 12 construction companies have been shortlisted as potential tenderers for three new hospitals and nine major hospital expansions, representing a staggering total value of over $8 billion in capital works. With the objective of providing an additional 1,980 beds across Queensland within the next six years, these ambitious projects align with the State Government’s plan to deliver a total of 3,378 additional beds during the same period.

The scope of these projects extends to both regional and South East Queensland, with new hospitals constructed in Bundaberg and Toowoomba, alongside major expansions of Townsville, Cairns, and Mackay hospitals.

In the South East, new hospitals are planned in Coomera and six major expansions for Redcliffe, Ipswich, Logan, QEII, Princess Alexandra, and Prince Charles hospitals.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Yvette D’Ath, expressed her enthusiasm for the progress of these new hospitals and expansion projects, stating that they are moving full steam ahead. The shortlisted contractors have been carefully selected based on a rigorous expression of interest process and extensive engagement between Queensland Health and the construction industry.

“This engagement has meant the tender process to-date has been efficient, transparent and ultimately, competitive and fair,” the Minister said.

To ensure high-quality outcomes, Queensland Health has set stringent standards for the contractors, emphasising design principles that prioritise people, place, value-add, and technology. Successful tenderers will need to meet these standards as they work closely with the newly established Health Capital Division in the Department of Health, as well as the local Hospital and Health Services.

“A level of standardisation across all hospital projects will not only ensure we have contemporary health facilities, but also aim to make the design, construction and operational stages more efficient.

“I look forward to working together to deliver better health services for all Queenslanders.

“The construction of these three new hospitals and nine major hospital expansions will also provide a significant economic boost and support local businesses, creating around 19,947 construction jobs.”

In addition to the hospitals and expansions, the Queensland Health and Hospitals Plan also encompasses the construction of the state-of-the-art Queensland Cancer Centre, expansions of the Hervey Bay and Robina hospitals, the Accelerated Infrastructure Delivery Program focusing on additional beds in 2023 and 2024, and the Building Rural and Remote Health Program.

Queensland Health has called for tender submissions from the shortlisted construction companies for the contracts on these projects:

Project name	Additional beds	Investment	Completion	Construction jobs
New Toowoomba Hospital	118	$1.3 billion	Second half of 2027	3,127
New Coomera Hospital	404	$1.3 billion	Second half of 2027	3,158
New Bundaberg Hospital	121	$1.2 billion	Second half of 2027	2,887
Redcliffe Hospital Expansion	204	$1.06 billion	Second half of 2028	2,573
Ipswich Hospital Expansion Stage 2	200	$710 million	Second half of 2027	1,713
Logan Hospital Expansion Stage 2	112	$530 million	Second half of 2026	1,290
Townsville University Hospital Expansion	143	$530 million	Second half of 2026	1,276
QEII Hospital Expansion	112	$465 million	Second half of 2027	1,120
PA Hospital Expansion	249	$350 million	Second half of 2026	854
Prince Charles Hospital Expansion	93	$300 million	Second half of 2027	728
Cairns Hospital Expansion	96	$250 million	First half of 2026	611
Mackay Hospital Expansion	128	$250 million	Second half of 2026	610

More information about the Queensland Health and Hospitals Plan can be found here.

Published 27-May-2023

Queensland Puts Forward Plans to Manufacture COVID-19 Vaccines Locally

Translational Research Institute at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Woolloongabba has received a $20-million grant to develop mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 amidst the rising number of cases of Delta variant transmissions but the initiative will still need approval from the Commonwealth.

Under the Industry Partnership Program, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said that the grant will ramp up the country’s “capacity to develop our biomedical industry and manufacture vaccines,” as well as open 500 jobs within 10 years.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said that the fund will enable Queensland to produce vaccines for Australia.

“I want Queensland to lead the country in vaccine research, development, and manufacturing, and I’ve been talking to leading biomedical experts about how to do this,” Deputy Premier Steven Miles said. “TMI@TRI was one of their strong recommendations.”

Highlights

Translational Research Institute at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Wollonggaba received a $20 million grant from the State.
The funding will allow Queensland to produce mRNA COVID-19 vaccines locally.
The production will still need approval from the Federal Government.

The State Government has been in preliminary discussions with various Queensland-based biopharmaceutical facilities, as well as leading international manufacturers, to produce the vaccines locally once the Federal Government agrees to the proposal.

The pitch was laid out with Federal Industry, Science and Technology Minister Christian Porter. Mr Miles said that Queensland has the technology and the skills to become a “major player in the manufacture of vaccines internationally.”

Photo Credit: Translational Research Institute/Google Maps

The Federal Government is looking into bids for locally manufacturing CSL, BioChina, Luina Bio, LDT and 10 more brands. One of its requirements is for the facility to be ready within a year. TRI CEO Professor Scott Bell believes that, given the funding, the manufacturing facility could be ready in 18 months.

Australia is already producing AstraZeneca mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as there are facilities on-shore that have the capacity to make this particular viral-vector-based vaccine. AstraZeneca is also willing to outsource vaccine production.

However, the country needs more Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for the under 50s as AstraZeneca is only administered to older patients. Only three countries have the rights to manufacture Pfizer vaccine: U.S., Germany, and Belgium.

Moderna, another mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, is another possibility if issues with local licence are ironed out and secured.

Meanwhile, Princess Alexandra Hospital conducts regular vaccinations for the under 60 years old every Friday and Saturday between 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Check the Queensland Health website for other vaccination locations.

Complete Removal of Flammable Cladding at Princess Alexandra Hospital Needs to Wait Until End of Year

Several months after removal began, most of the flammable cladding from Princess Alexandra Hospital’s high-risk areas have already been removed and are set to be replaced.

Removal of flammable cladding on high-risk areas, which included the main entrances and internal atrium, was already completed in December 2017. However, removal of cladding in the rest of the building will have to wait until the end of the year.

In a statement released last year, former Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick had earlier confirmed the presence of defective cladding in the hospital and had said that removing cladding from the building is a priority.

Management of the cladding removal and replacement will take place in three stages and the hospital administration is confident that soon, all the combustible cladding will totally be removed.

Although the total replacement of the cladding will take time, people are assured that the building does not pose an imminent threat to safety.

Currently, the Princess Alexandra Hospital has a modern fire safety system in place with more than 13,000 fire sprinklers and 6,000 fire detectors. Increased fire preparedness at the hospital including additional security patrols has also been in effect at the hospital since the presence of the defective cladding was confirmed in July.

Cladding Fix on Government Buildings

According to Housing and Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni, Queensland is now internationally recognised to have the most sophisticated approach in dealing with combustible cladding.

Photo credit: ChiralJon/Wikimedia Commons

Since the Grenfell tower fire incident in 2017, the government has launched an investigation on the flammable claddings in Queensland buildings.

The year-long inquiry found about 880 buildings needing further investigation and at least 70 requiring rectification work. The task force is preparing to assess an additional 12,000 privately owned buildings, including around 1,200 residential structures.

Mr de Brenni said that the government is now focusing on making sure that Queensland buildings are safe whether you live in them, work in them, or play in them.

The government is working on recommendations for stronger laws to prevent any more combustible facades to be installed in new buildings and for the State Government to establish a database to keep track of buildings that need further attention.