Saturday 6 August marks the 10^th anniversary of Children’s Services at The Prince Charles Hospital (TPCH). To celebrate this milestone, TPCH was planning to host a range of events for staff, however due to the current pandemic response, we were regrettably unable to proceed with these activities.

So we wanted to take this opportunity to share with the team at TPCH, some of the Children’s Services key achievements and initiatives over the last decade. Since its inception, the Children’s Service has provided an increasing level of service to the children and families of Brisbane’s northern corridor. The service, which includes Children’s Emergency Department (ED); Children’s Ward (including ED Short Stay Unit and Inpatient Paediatric and Surgical); and Children’s Outpatients Department has each year, experienced a constant growth in the number of patients who require care and treatment from our dedicated multidisciplinary team of staff.

As it was the first time TPCH had a general paediatric service, the hospital was presented with a unique opportunity to build a leading edge general paediatric flagship service for Queensland. With the closure of the Royal Children’s Hospital in 2013 and the subsequent opening of the Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) in South Brisbane, it was recognised that TPCH was the ideal location to host a dedicated children’s service to support the burgeoning community of Brisbane’s northern region.

Since opening, TPCH Children’s Service has performed well above expectation, today boasting the second busiest children’s emergency department in southeast Queensland. Here are some of our key achievements and milestones:

We are extremely proud of what the Children’s Service has accomplished over the last decade. As a non-tertiary paediatric service operating within a large tertiary referral adult hospital without the presence of a dedicated children’s hospital, we have successfully built the service to provide an outstanding level of care that minimises the number of transfers to a tertiary facility.

The development of the Children’s Service can be credited to the skills and support of a dynamic multidisciplinary team who are committed to improving the health of children. Each day we witness our staff working together to deliver absolutely amazing care to sick little people who are often very anxious and scared about coming to hospital, and who need extra compassion and attention.

As Directors within the Children’s Service, it is truly an honour and a privilege to work with such a talented, caring and supportive group of professionals. We acknowledge and thank all the present and past staff of the Children’s Service, and the ongoing support of the broader hospital for their valuable contributions to the service.

Watch the special Children’s Service 10th anniversary video.

Best wishes,