The $1.76 billion, 750-bed tertiary Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) is part of a major expansion of health services for the Gold Coast community. The site covers an area of almost 20 hectares and replaces the existing Gold Coast Hospital, which was built in the 1970s. The hospital is co-located with Griffith University, forming a valuable health and knowledge precinct for the Gold Coast and attracting students to build a lasting workforce.

Opened in September 2013, GCUH aims to provide the South Eastern Queensland and Northern New South Wales region with a facility that espouses wellness - not just treatment – and has been doing just that for almost six years.

Like with any facility though there was, and there continue to be, post-transition challenges and opportunities that no amount of strategic planning and forward thinking could account for.

Ahead of Health Facilities Design and Development 2019 we caught up with Toni Peggrem, Executive Director of Strategy and Planning at Gold Coast Health, who discusses post-implementation design challenges at GCUH and shares top tips and lessons learned from the $1.7 billion project.