A ward at Nambour General Hospital was turned into sleeping quarters for staff who needed to stay overnight during Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
The third floor ward is not operational and a Queensland Health spokesperson emphasised that no patients were displaced to provide the emergency staff accommodation.
It is understood that most of the staff who needed to stay overnight did so at neighbouring Reed House, which is run by Wishlist.
A Sunshine Coast Health spokesperson said making accommodation available to staff was better for their safety and allowed them to keep working during critical events.
“We are proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by our health workers during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred,” the spokesperson said.
“At Nambour Hospital, staff needing emergent overnight accommodation were able to stay in dedicated spaces within the hospital during the weather event to continue providing care to our patients.
“Staff safety is always a priority, which is why we may provide accommodation on-site or nearby during critical incidents, if it isn’t safe for our staff to travel to or from work.”
The ward has previously been used as a medical assessment and planning unit, as well as for inpatient, orthopaedic and surgical units during redevelopment of the hospital.
“The works on the newly redeveloped Nambour General Hospital were completed as the hospital continued to provide services,” a spokesperson said.
“The complexity of redeveloping a working hospital meant that we needed space for services to move into whilst their new spaces were under development.”
The spokesperson pointed out that the redevelopment of hospitals included the provision of extra spaces to allow for future growth.
“We are expecting to see an 11 per cent growth in population in the Nambour area by 2036,” they said.
