A construction quote blow-out from $1.8 million to $3.6 million has put a halt to the planned extension of Katie Rose Cottage Hospice at Doonan.
The development work includes increasing the number of guest rooms from three to five and a new nursing station, almost doubling the size of the hospice within the property’s three acres.
“It is proving to be a long and challenging story. The two new rooms would have allowed us to have an additional 40 to 50 guests a year, in keeping with growing demand for professional palliative care locally,” the charity hospice’s Chair Les Godwin told Noosa Today.
“In January 2022 we were allocated a $1.5 million Federal grant for the work. We went through the lengthy planning exercise of seeking council approvals and we spent $300,000 of our own money getting to the stage of submitting the plans for costings by a quantity surveyor which then came in, unexpectedly, at $3.6 million.
“This blew us out of the park and as chair of the board I stopped all proceedings at that point, to review the plans.
“Queensland Health also advised implications for changing operations aligned with becoming a private hospital, that doesn’t fit our objectives of a home away from home model of palliative care.”
Mr Godwin said their advice was that other requirements would include a commercial kitchen instalment and employing a lifeguard for the residential-size swimming pool.
“We are a home and so have a standard kitchen, which is only used by families of our guests for self-supplied meals and coffee for staff, so the need to refit it and hire a chef to supply meals is a significant impost.
“We are consulting with the Federal Government about repurposing the grant.
“We are asking for wheelchair access for family members, handrails along the corridors, a safer driveway, update to the septic system and to build one large general-purpose room to house the nurse’s station and space for families who may want grief counselling.
“It has been agreed in principle. We are waiting for written confirmation.
“Our hospice’s services are free, yet our cost per bed per day is $1,600 for our nurses. We must campaign all year to secure community support through our OP shops and donations to keep the hospice operating, so that is our focus right now. Currently we are revamping the OP Shops in keeping with the tight economic conditions with a program of consolidation.
“We have initiated an innovative in-home care service last year that is proving vital to local people, ensuring anyone can pass away in the comfort of their own home with our support; that is another significant priority and in turn it saves Queensland Health money so deserves greater support.
“We welcome donations and community supporters to partner with us to do more for local people at the end of life.”
