Bigger private sector share in Qld Health The Queensland government has released a blueprint for the state's healthcare system, calling for a bigger role for the private sector. Queensland Premier Campbell Newman and Health Minister Lawrence Springborg addressed Queensland Health's 80,000 staff on the plan via a pre-recorded broadcast on Wednesday morning. The 48-page report says there is growing evidence that the cost of delivering public-sector infrastructure is significantly higher than that of similar work in the private sector. It says a total of $2 billion will be invested in health infrastructure and capital grants projects in 2012/13, with most to be provided through arrangements with the private sector. Expressions of interest will open in October to build a surgical procedures centre at the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane. The Sunshine Coast University Hospital, due to open in 2016, is also likely to partner with the private sector under a similar deal as the Mater Hospital in Brisbane. At the Gold Coast University Hospital, expressions of interest for the use of latent space and radiation oncology services will be sought this week. Awards and entitlements for Queensland Health staff will be streamlined from the existing nine awards, six agreements and 189 human resources policies, the blueprint says. Senior officers will transfer from outdated awards to competitive contracts, in line with international best practice. Grants for non-clinical services will be discontinued, with the report saying the scheme is open to waste, duplication and fraud, as seen in the Fake Tahitian Prince case. In research, specialised services will be contracted to identify and commercialise intellectual property generated in Queensland research hospitals. Data on the health system's performance will be published online and in newspapers, covering outpatient waiting times, detailed dental lists and hospital performance trends compared over 15 months. In remote communities, 24-hour access to safe and sustainable care will be provided through a revised network of Telehealth facilities for the first time. Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the overall goal was to build health services and community confidence in partnerships across all health sectors and levels of government. Premier Campbell Newman described the blueprint as the action plan that would move the health system from the first phase of repair to lasting recovery. "It will transform a struggling healthcare system that fell too far behind into a model for productivity, care and efficiency to meet and surpass national benchmarks," he said. The blueprint will be explained further at a Liberal National Party fundraiser in Brisbane on Wednesday, with tickets costing $200 a head. The public service union, Together, is planning to hold a rally in protest. Secretary Alex Scott took to Twitter to criticise the plan, tweeting: "The tidal wave of privatisation of health services has been announced by the premier as profits are put ahead of people."