Queensland Government welcomes 10,000 health workers
Queensland’s health workforce has reached a major milestone after growing the workforce by more than 10,000 workers in less than two years, since November 2024.
Of those new recruits, about 7,200 are frontline health workers - nurses, midwives, paramedics, doctors and allied health professionals providing direct care to Queenslanders across the state and over 2,800 are non-clinical and clinician support staff.
It’s all part of the Queensland Government’s plan for 46,000 extra health workers by 2032, to deliver health services when Queenslanders need them most.
Midwife Stephanie Luhrs is one of many who have joined the team at Redcliffe Hospital.
It all started with an advertisement at a university open day that made her consider a health career.
“It just really spoke to me, and I thought it would be a really great opportunity to walk women through their pregnancies and care for their babies,” she said.
“Now looking back, it’s reaffirmed to me that this is where I need to be.
“I feel privileged to be a part of a mother’s journey and I take pride in making it as positive as I can for them because it’s a very wonderful time.”
The workforce boost marks a step towards delivering 46,000 additional health workers by 2032 to meet the demand of Queensland’s growing economy.
Watching the workforce grow around her with additional staff, Ms Luhrs said it was a blessing.
“We’ve definitely seen our patient numbers change over the past few years, and we've definitely seen the need for more staff,” she said.
“We want to provide the best care we can for these mothers and their babies, so it's been amazing to be part of our growing workforce.
“Everyone is more satisfied in their job, knowing that we are more supported and feel safer.
“I'm proud of the team that we have.”
The Queensland Government is delivering more free healthcare than ever before with the fully funded Hospital Rescue Plan to deliver three new and ten expanded hospitals.
Another newcomer is Gold Coast University Hospital Medical Intern Georgia Boevink who made the jump from a finance degree into medicine.
“I’ve never looked back,” she said with a smile.
“I did quite a lot of my medical replacements at Gold Coast University Hospital so it's been nice to learn in the place I'm now working, see some familiar faces and continue my career in my local area.
“I think more hands on deck are always needed. I was lucky enough to be in the mid-year which has been helpful for us being able to start straight out of uni.”
Queensland Health workers are happier than ever with an additional 10,000 health workers joining Health and Hospital Services across the state in less than two years.
Gold Coast Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Patient Experience Matthew Lunn said it was a very exciting time for Gold Coast Health.
“Since November 2024 until now, we've recruited over 1,000 staff and that includes over 200 doctors, 450 nurses and midwives and 170 allied health staff,” he said.
“We've got a growing population here on the Gold Coast and it’s very exciting that we've got a new Coomera hospital opening soon so we really need to ensure we're building a pipeline of staff that are not just in terms of capacity but capability for the future.”
Of the new recruits, Darling Downs Health welcomed 448 health workers with Board Chair Merrilyn Strohfeldt looking ahead to the future.
“The next five years are going to be really exciting for Darling Downs Health,” she said.
“What we do know is that people living rurally want their care as close to home as possible so when we grow our own workforce, what we’re doing is growing a workforce to enable that care to be delivered as close to home as possible.”
Find out more information on the Hospital Rescue Plan or visit our Instagram.
- Last updated:
- 17 August 2026