The Mackay Hospital and Health Service (HHS) is responsible for the delivery of public hospital and health services including medical, surgical, emergency, obstetrics, paediatrics, specialist outpatient clinics, mental health, critical care and clinical support services to an estimated resident population of 182,000 persons. The geographical catchment of the Mackay HHS spans 90,364 square kilometres, extending from Bowen in the north to St Lawrence in the south, west to Clermont and northwest to Collinsville and includes Proserpine and the Whitsundays.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the Mackay HHS region is 4.9% of the overall population, higher than the 4.0% Queensland average. There is also a significant Australian South Sea Islander community in the region.

Mackay HHS provides an integrated approach to service delivery across acute, primary health and other community based services including aged care assessment and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs. Primary health services include Mental Health, Oral Health, Home and Community Care, Mobile Women’s Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs Service, Sexual Health, Aged Care Assessment Team and BreastScreen.

For more information visit the Mackay Hospital and Health Service website.

Mackay HHS is also home to the Mackay Institute of Research and Innovation (MIRI). The MIRI comprises a dedicated team who work with health professionals, consumers and operational managers to develop research capability and to implement Evidence Based Practice (EBP) to improve health service productivity, patient outcomes and the broader health of our region. The MIRI received seed funding from the Mackay HHS Board from 2017 for three years (financial years 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20). In addition, grants from the Clinical Excellence Division of the Queensland Department of Health (DoH) fund specific innovation projects and Glencore and the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine also support the work of MIRI through investments. Some functions, such as Integrated Health and Virtual Health, have existing Queensland DoH funded budgets.

The MIRI mission is to shape the future of the Mackay HHS by leading a cutting-edge health service through the implementation of translational research. This will be acheived by supporting staff across Mackay HHS, from novice to expert, to engage in research and implementation that translates into positive patient outcomes and value-based healthcare to deliver Queensland's best rural and regional health care.

Find out more about the work of the MIRI. 

(Source: Mackay Hospital and Health Service Annual Report 2017 – 2018)

Service Regions:

Mackay