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Mater has announced that it has finalised a sales agreement for Healthscope’s Gold Coast Private Hospital, a strategic acquisition and a significant milestone in Mater’s commitment to delivering exceptional and compassionate care to Queensland communities.
Mater Board Chair Patrick Brady said the purchase would ensure the continuation of high-quality private healthcare on the Gold Coast and provide long-term security for the hospital’s 1,400 employees.
Mr Brady said Gold Coast Private Hospital’s many clinical and surgical specialities – including maternity and obstetrics, cardiac surgery, intensive care and emergency services – align closely with services delivered at Mater hospitals.
“Mater’s exceptional healthcare has been trusted by patients across Queensland for more than 120 years and we are delighted to extend our Mission-driven services to the Gold Coast,” Mr Brady said.
“We are looking forward to providing exceptional healthcare to Gold Coasters for generations to come.”
Mater provides the largest maternity service in Australia and adding Gold Coast Private Hospital to the Mater network guarantees the future of private maternity services at the Southport hospital, at a time when many private maternity services are facing sustainability challenges.
More than 11,000 babies a year are born at Mater hospitals in Queensland each year, while around 700 babies annually are delivered at Gold Coast Private Hospital.
Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital is home to the largest Neonatal Critical Care Unit in Queensland, while its Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) centre is globally recognised for its specialist care of unborn babies and is the only Australian centre for inutero spina bifida surgery.
Mater is also a recognised leader in women’s cancer services and research. One in four Queensland women diagnosed with breast cancer and more than half of the state’s gynaecological cancer patients are treated at Mater hospitals.
Mater will work in partnership with Healthscope to ensure a smooth transfer of Gold Coast Private Hospital and its workforce, a process which is expected to take at least six months to complete.
The 33,000sqm Gold Coast Private Hospital cost $230m to build and opened in 2016. A $50m hospital expansion at the freehold site was completed in 2018, taking its total number of beds to 331 and the number of operating theatres to 21.
“Mater is pleased to have acquired such a comprehensive and high-quality asset on a freehold hospital building,” Mr Brady said.
“The costs of constructing new hospitals are significant – Mater’s new Springfield hospital will cost more than $450m and is around half the size of Gold Coast Private Hospital – so this purchase represents an exceptional expansion strategy for Mater.”
Mater worked with PwC Lead Advisory and lawyers HWL Ebsworth to undertake due diligence and finalise its successful offer.
“We acknowledge the efforts of everyone involved in this process and we’re pleased to provide the Gold Coast community with confidence in the continuation of their vital hospital,” Mr Brady said.
Mater Group Chief Executive Julia Strickland-Bellamy said Gold Coast Private Hospital was an exceptional facility with a service mix similar to Mater’s.
“Mater is delighted to deliver a positive outcome after what has been a long and uncertain process for staff and the community,” Ms Strickland-Bellamy said.
“As the leader in Australian private maternity care, and with the experience of running complex medical and surgical hospitals over many decades, Mater will undoubtedly build on the success of Gold Coast Private Hospital.
“We will bring value to its staff and doctors through our competitive employment terms, culture of collaboration and integration with our other hospitals, as well as through our leading research institute and Mater Education training courses.
“This also creates an opportunity for Mater to extend our Mission-driven services and introduce Catholic healthcare to the Gold Coast, a region currently without a Catholic health provider.
“With Mater soon to expand the services it provides to Brisbane, Ipswich and Logan residents through the new Mater Hospital Springfield, the timing of our move to the Gold Coast could not be better.”
