Brisbane news live: Queensland ‘needs an extra 350 mental health beds'
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7.13am
Queensland hospital system needs an extra 350 mental health beds: psychiatrists
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The imminent closure of Toowong Private Hospital will leave Queensland with a shortfall of 350 mental health beds, according to the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.
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Administrators called in to examine the family-owned hospital have decided to shut it down, and are now working with psychiatrists to ensure continuity of care for existing and prospective patients.
Professor Brett Emmerson, chair of the college's Queensland branch, said there were not enough psychiatrists to run private hospitals, partly because the financial incentives were low and support was lacking.
He said the federal government needed to increase Medicare rebates and ensure private health funds paid more, while also increasing training places for psychiatry. The state government also needed to invest in new beds, particularly when the existing beds are old and in such high demand.
'A viable private sector is essential in Queensland because we've got an already overstretched mental health system,' Emmerson said.
He said the loss of 50 beds at Toowong would further reduce inpatient treatment options for private patients and increase pressure on the public system.
7.05am
Cool and cloudy to close the week
Another cool day is on the cards for Brisbane today, with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a top of 23 degrees on a cloudy Thursday.
And the forecast is for an even cooler Friday.
Here's the seven-day outlook:
7.02am
While you were sleeping
Here's what's making news further afield this morning:
Liberal leader Sussan Ley has broken from the Dutton era with a reshuffle that rejects Trump-like cuts, goes softer on immigration, and proactively reaches out to women in the cities.
A Christian pastor who founded a drug rehab centre that once treated former game show host Andrew O'Keefe has been charged with faking reports about patients' drug use.
Police dug into Erin Patterson's bank records, shopping history and phone records as part of their investigation into a lunch that killed three of her guests, a court has heard.
Real estate listings companies such as the Murdoch-controlled REA Group are making off like bandits with claims that advertising rates are rising by 10 per cent or more a year. And the ACCC has started sniffing around.
6.35am
The top stories this morning
Good morning, and welcome to Brisbane Times' live news coverage for Thursday, May 29. Today we can expect a partly cloudy day and a top temperature of 23 degrees.
In this morning's local headlines:
There was an eerie sense of deja vu in the way the Maroons were blown off the park at Suncorp Stadium in the opening 40 minutes of the first State of Origin match last night, and it is a matter coach Billy Slater urgently needs to address. Here's how the players rated.
The federal government is yet to recommit to its $3.44 billion contribution to Brisbane 2032 Olympic infrastructure after an inner-city arena was removed from the Games plan.
And on his second visit to Brisbane, the international Paralympics chief says he has no intention of combining the Paralympics with the Olympics in 2032.
More than 80 days after the Story Bridge's footpaths were closed, the saga has taken a dramatic turn, with police taking protesters to court over plans to close traffic lanes for a peak-hour march.
When reporter Courtney Kruk recently found herself questioning a 4.8-star rating, she wondered whether we're all becoming too hooked on online reviews.
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