The Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service upgrade is due to be completed in the 2029/30 financial year. Photo: Lyndon Keane.
Aged care services are set to be improved in Cook Shire after Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) locked in $4.6 million for upgrades.
The Federal Government has chipped in half of the money to improve facilities at Sunbird Cottage as the Queensland Government is investing $200 million into a wider redevelopment of Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service hospital.
Sunbird Cottage residential aged care is located in the hospital, which also offers emergency, inpatient and palliative care, as well as opportunities to see visiting specialists and clinics.
The Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service redevelopment is now due to be finished in the 2029/30 financial year, according to the health service.
TCHHS chief executive Rex O’Rourke said the Sunbird Cottage upgrade was “ultimately about people”.
“It strengthens local aged care, supports our workforce and helps ensure Cooktown remains a community where people can live and age with dignity,” he said.
The Cooktown Multipurpose Health Service is due for major improvements.
Extensive construction and refurbishments will be carried out at the 11-bed Sunbird Cottage facility to improve accessibility, amenities, safety and security. Furniture and equipment will be upgraded, as will landscaping and fencing.
The health service said the upgrades would improve comfort, safety and facility functionality for residents, visitors and staff.
The project builds on recent improvements already made at Sunbird Cottage. Upgraded dining and living spaces were opened in the middle of last year to make the areas more comfortable for residents and their visitors.
Mr Rourke said the $2.3 million contributed by the Federal Government as part of the Aged Care Capital Assistance Program recognised the work of Sunbird Cottage and the importance of investing in aged care in remote communities.
“By investing in our local facilities and workforce we’re helping ensure older Cooktown residents can continue to receive high‑quality care in a familiar and supportive environment, close to family, culture and community,” he said.
