New Gladstone Hospital Transit Lounge opens to improve patient flow

Gladstone Hospital has opened a new Transit Lounge designed to improve patient flow between wards, the emergency department and inpatient beds - a move the Queensland Government says will help reduce bottlenecks that contribute to ambulance ramping.

Transit lounges are increasingly used across Australian hospitals as "step-down" spaces where patients can wait safely for admission, discharge processes, transport, or transfer arrangements. When used well, they free up ED cubicles and ward beds for patients who need acute care, improving the overall throughput of the hospital system.

In its statement, the government framed the Gladstone facility as part of a broader investment program, citing an $80 million statewide spend on new and expanded transit lounges.

For Central Queensland families, the practical test will be whether the lounge reduces time spent waiting in the emergency department, improves bed turnaround, and shortens delays for ambulance crews handing over patients. Hospital flow is a complex system affected by staffing, discharge pathways, aged-care capacity and primary-care access - but infrastructure that improves the "middle steps" can create measurable gains quickly, especially during peak periods.