Queensland government invests in health IT

The Queensland government has earmarked $135.4 million for upgrades and new IT systems for its health service in 2017-18.

The state’s budget, handed down today, allocates funds for investment in core Queensland Health infrastructure to support digital hospitals, as well as the replacement and enhancement of core clinical and business systems “to support frontline health service provision, corporate functions and decision making at the point of care”.

“The department takes a strategic view to ensure health infrastructure and healthcare technology and information communication technology strengthens our public health system to meet the growing demand for world class facilities and services,” budget documents state.

The budget also allocates $5.3 million to extend existing IT services and develop new ones at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, which formally opened in April.

Queensland Health in 2015 released a 20-year eHealth strategy that envisaged spending $300 million on ICT infrastructure, $100 million on business systems, $730 million on clinical systems, and $130 million on the “digital future” of the health system — information interoperability and eHealth foundations.

Other IT funding in the budget includes:

• $11.7 million for Queensland Treasury’s Office of State Revenue Transformation Program. “This will enable the delivery of an upgraded ICT platform and support improved revenue management services into the future,” budget documents state.  

• The Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services will spend $2.6 million over two years on developing a whole-of-government system “to improve information sharing across agencies in regards to children missing from out-of-home care”. $6.8 million will be spent on enhancements to key existing IT systems and programs to implement new systems at the department, including to improve contract management, document and records management, and information sharing across agencies and the sector.  

• $6.2 million for ICT projects at CS Energy Limited; $19.1 million for IT projects at Stanwell Corporation Limited ($11.2 million for hardware and software upgrades and $7.9 million for upgrades and replacements of major ICT systems); and $7.1 million for replace computer equipment and to improve the security of SunWater's business and water-level/flood monitoring networks and a replacement ERP system.  

• $800,000 in software for the Public Trustee of Queensland.  

• $3.6 million on an Investigations Case Management System for the Crime and Corruption Commission, as well as $3.4 million on computer and other equipment replacement.  

• $1.9 million towards the development of software systems at the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing and Stadiums.

• $4.5 million in 2017-18 for ICT systems development at the Department of Natural Resources and Mines and $2.6 million for geoscience data curation systems.  

• $12.3 million for a range of ICT initiatives at Queensland Police Service.  

• $8.3 million for ICT projects at the Queensland Ambulance Service.  

• $2.2 million for additions and upgrades to information systems at the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services  

• $4 million for mainframe replacement for the government ICT service provider CITEC, as well as $3.3 million for hardware replacement at the agency and $2.1 million for “critical software enhancements” relating to CITEC Information Brokerage.    

• $2.9 million for activities relating to the first phase of the Science ICT Remediation and Renewal Program at the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation  

• $2.2 million for consolidation and upgrade of finance and human resource systems managed by Queensland Shared Services and $2.1 million for optimisation projects and initiatives.  

• $1.9 million to the Library Board of Queensland “for the purchase of heritage and infrastructure collections, intangible assets in the form of digital collections, as well as replacement of information technology and micrographic equipment.”

  • Queensland Rail Limited receives $76.2 million for “business enabling investment on corporate, property and ICT works”.