Gold Coast University Hospital - GCUH

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Gold Coast University Hospital - GCUH

GCUH provides specialised health services that meet the needs of patients as well as the learning re

As one of Australia's fastest growing cities and most popular tourist destinations, the Gold Coast required a facility that could incorporate flexibility into the design to allow for future expansion. The Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) is a highly efficient design with capacity to change and grow to meet future health service needs of the community. Delivering a structure the scale of the Gold Coast University Hospital required a number of detailed planning and design stages. This process commenced back in 2005 and encompasses health service delivery, design and construction. The facility is comprised of seven main buildings, with a total floor space of around 170,000 square metres (excluding car parks). To help you visualise just how large this is, the total floor space of the existing Gold Coast Hospital in Southport is around 54,000 square metres in comparison - around one third of the size of GCUH. The Clinical Services and Clinical Support building connect with the two Inpatient Units, forming the main complex. There are nine levels in the main complex, topped with a helicopter landing site. At a glimpse

- Clinical services and clinical support building (nine levels)
- Two inpatient units
- Pathology and education building (four levels)
- Mental Health Unit
- Western car park (with an Eastern car park as a future initiative)
- Central Energy Plant

11/03/2026

TW: newborn loss

You never forget the kindness of a healthcare worker. 💗

Tahlia suffered a rare pregnancy complication called complete uterine rupture in October 2024. This resulted her daughter being born prematurely at 33+4 weeks and tragically passing away three days later.

She met Dr Sally months later during a phone call for a debrief further down the track. They came up with a plan for Tahlia to hopefully have a safe and healthy pregnancy years later.

"Although that was the plan, we were surprised with a pregnancy only five months later," Tahlia said.

"Sally provided the most compassionate, empathetic and wholesome care throughout the darkest days of my life and kept me going every day with a pregnancy that was terrifying."

We're overjoyed to confirm Tahlia has welcomed a beautiful baby boy - pictured here with the amazing Dr Sally.

"She is truly one of the best obstetricians a woman can be blessed with," Tahlia said.

"If it weren’t for Dr Sally, I may not have my healthy baby boy." 💜

10/03/2026

Meet the cute characters helping mental health consumers communicate their personal stories. 😍

Consumers at our Secure Mental Health Rehabilitation Unit (SMHRU) have brought their very own puppets to life as part of an innovative art therapy program designed to support emotional expression and storytelling.

✔️Construct your puppet
✔️Give it a name and personality
✔️Use a stop-motion app to create a short film starring your creation

The result? A showcase of honest and heart-warming tales that reflect difficult themes in consumers’ own stories in a gentle, manageable way.

“As a staff member, it was wonderful to witness how the creative and therapeutic approach fostered connection, emotional expression and a sense of community within the group,” said SMHRU A/Nurse Unit Manager Mifin Mathew.

And the good news is a sequel is on the way, with an Easter puppet show in the works.🐰

The first of its kind for the public sector on the Gold Coast, the SMHRU opened at Gold Coast University Hospital in early 2025 to support the long-term recovery of people aged over 18 years old with severe and complex mental health conditions.

09/03/2026

When you think of a pharmacy, the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) might not be the first place that comes to mind, but Senior Pharmacists Gemma Burns and Dan Adams are changing that at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH). 💊🏥

They’re leading the way with Queensland’s new Collaborative Pharmacist Medication Prescribing (CPMP) model, enabling authorised pharmacists like themselves to prescribe medications alongside doctors.

By joining ICU rounds and making real‑time decisions with the medical team, Gemma and Dan are helping speed up care, improve accuracy, and create stronger learning opportunities for junior clinicians.

For Dan, the pace of ICU work is part of the attraction.

“Everyone wants to continually do better and problem solve, which encourages you to do the same,” he said.

“The problems you get here aren’t often in the textbooks, so you draw on your training, intuition and broader knowledge to figure out the best solution.” 📖

Gemma shares that love of challenge and uncertainty.

“I love the fact that I don’t know what’s coming through the door,” she said.

“You’ve definitely got to be a bit of a nerd to work here,” she joked.

Gemma and Dan’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed, after they were honoured at the 2026 ICU Quality Symposium for Best Overall Study. Go team! 👏

08/03/2026

Registered Nurse Richelle Tailor’s passion for oncology care was shaped by the support her mum received during cancer treatment.

“The nurses who cared for my mum made such a difference during an incredibly difficult time,” Richelle said.

“It showed me the impact a nurse can have and inspired me to care for every patient as I would my own family.”

For the past four years, Richelle has supported oncology patients across Gold Coast University Hospital, BreastScreen, and now in her Clinical Nurse role at Robina Hospital.

“I find the patients so inspiring. It’s tough, but they keep turning up every time for their treatment and don’t realise how amazing they are just for doing that,” she said.

“It also reminds me how lucky we are to have free healthcare and screening services like BreastScreen.”

Richelle is also grateful for the team around her.

“I’m incredibly lucky to work with such passionate and dedicated clinicians. The support we give each other makes a real difference for us and our patients.”

Thank you, Richelle, for the compassion and respect you bring to our Gold Coast Health community. 🩷

07/03/2026

♀️💗 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY 💗♀️

We have thousands of incredible women throughout our health service, but we thought we'd put the spotlight on the Campbell women.

Here we've got Registered Nurse Chloe (Short Stay Surgical Unit), Assistant in Nursing Judy (Midwifery), and Clinical Midwife Rachel (Birth Suite).

Sisters/daughters Chloe and Rachel have been with us for 10+ years, so mum Judy had to join the fun and commenced her journey at GCUH six years ago.

Pros of working with your family:
🥪Wholesome lunch dates
🕶️Left something at their house? No problem, they'll drop it to your work 😉
🚗Maybe even a carpool here and there
👂You get to hear how amazing your mum is to work with and everyone saying she's the best 🥹

Judy raised two incredible women, and they're now supporting Gold Coast women every day. 💜

Here's to all our amazing women who make up Gold Coast Health - we admire and appreciate you every day.

06/03/2026

🌀Who remembers Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred's visit to the coast last year (in fact - a year ago this week!)? Well, we definitely do, and so do Bronte's parents... but for a different reason. 👶

Baby Bronte was born on the evening of 7 March 2025, with wind and rain reaching its peak outside.

Our amazing midwives slept on the ward overnight during those uncertain few days (as did many others of our staff throughout the hospital) and were there to support all our patients. 🩺🏥

Bronte turns one today, and mum and dad sent in an adorable little update for us to share - as you can probably tell, Bronte is a gorgeous, happy little girl. 💗

Happy first birthday, Bronte and Cyclone Alfred (Bronte - you're way better). 🎈🎂

05/03/2026

From the moment Mikayla gained insight into the role of a midwife during a presentation at Griffith University's Open Day, she knew that midwifery was the career for her.

"I was always really interested in women's health, and it felt like everything just clicked after that presentation," she said.

"I'm looking forward to growing and finding myself as a midwife this year."

Mikayla is one of our 15 Newly Qualified Midwives (NQM) who have just started with us, and she will join a Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) team.

"I love the idea of being able to support women across the continuum of their pregnancy journey," she said.

"Having that continuity of care is so important for women and their families and I'm excited to be part of that."

During Queensland Women's Week, we are celebrating our incredible Gold Coast women who make a difference in our health service every day. 💞

04/03/2026

For 35 years, Nicole has been walking along side women during some of their hardest days.

Nicole has been the Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) for our Early Pregnancy Assessment and Management Service (EPAMS) service for 20 of those years, which identifies women who present with difficulties in early pregnancy (up to 16 weeks) to ensure they are provided with timely access to interventions.

"I started off in the Emergency Department and we saw women presenting with early pregnancy problems, like bleeding or pain, but didn't have a designated area they could be seen quickly," Nicole said.

"A service was set up to expedite care, which was one of the first in Australia. It's really grown from there."

EPAMS is a predominantly nurse-led service that supports more than 1,000 women each year. While the team often has to give more bad news than good, Nicole knows the secret to how to give women the best experience possible during such a challenging time.

"You can't fix what's happening, but you can acknowledge it," Nicole said.

"It makes such a difference to them if you acknowledge the situation and take the time to talk about it. They often thank us at the end of it."

Thank you for 35 incredible years of service, Nicole. You make such a difference to these women's lives. 💞

03/03/2026

This World Obesity Day, Geraldine Jensen is calling for more open, compassionate conversations about the disease. 🌍

As a dedicated Obesity Nurse Navigator at Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH), she helps patients find the right support, services and long‑term pathways.

“Journey is the operative word for navigators, so whatever we can do to help people connect to the correct support for them is what we’re here for,” Geraldine said.

“It’s not just ‘eat less, move more’ - every person is different. It’s all about a holistic approach.”

Her compassionate perspective is built on more than four decades in nursing.

“Obesity is very stigmatised, and people can be frightened to have those conversations,” she said.

“I always encourage people to take that first step and speak to their doctor.”

Today is a chance to reach out, listen, and have the conversations that matter. 🫶

02/03/2026

👂 Hearing restored, confidence regained, lives reconnected - our Hearing Implant Program (HIP) is changing lives on the Gold Coast.

Advanced audiologist and HIP Clinical Lead Georgia Cambridge is proud to coordinate the program, which completed its first cochlear implant surgery in late 2024.

“It’s been a huge accomplishment to get it off the ground and incredibly rewarding to be able to make a difference for our patients’ quality of life,” Georgia said.

A year on and the feedback has been incredibly positive for their patients.

“Their speech understanding has greatly improved, they’re hearing things they haven’t heard in years, taking part in conversations, enjoying family gatherings and music again,” Georgia said.

"So far we've helped patients aged from their 20s to late 80s. There's lots of people out there with hearing loss - it doesn't discriminate."

This World Hearing Day, remember: early hearing checks make a difference. If you notice any changes, such as asking for repetition or finding background noise challenging, it could be time to arrange a baseline test.

Find out more about cochlear implant surgery at Gold Coast Health here https://bit.ly/4rB2Tb3

01/03/2026

When professional violinist Asher Cobb first met Yuko Ishikawa, he was visiting his dad after an accident landed him at Gold Coast University Hospital.

This serendipitous meeting resulted in a wonderful creative musical collaboration. 🎶

“I brought my violin to play for dad and Yuko wandered in with her harp and started playing some music for the patients on the trauma ward,” Asher said.

“She saw my violin, so we played a couple of tunes together. She invited me to play together in the foyer.” 🎻

Asher has appreciated being able to give back for the care and support his dad and his family have received at GCUH.

“Being able to offer something in return, even something like playing music, feels like a privilege.” 💖

AC Music

28/02/2026

Today is Rare Disease Day so we want to give a special mention to one of our very cool patients: Charlotte, who's loving her hot new wheels! 🧑‍🦽

Charlotte has Battens Disease, an incredibly rare neurological condition that effects the brain and nervous system over time. Charlotte is one of three Queenslanders with the condition.

It's predicted she will only live until 14 years old at most, and lose her ability to talk, walk and see over the next few years. She receives fortnightly brain infusions to slow down the disintegration.

But for now she's a happy, funny five-year-old who is melting all of our hearts here in the hospital. 💖

Many of you may recognise Charlotte from our pinned post on our Gold Coast Health page. Charlotte's mum, Sarah, said her family is overwhelmed by the love and response they received and want to thank everyone for your kind comments. 💌

You can learn more about Charlotte's story in the links below. 💞

Address

1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport, QLD
4215

Telephone

+611300744284

Website

https://www.goldcoast.health.qld.gov.au/

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