November 18, 2025
More than 130 patients – including several in Kingaroy – have been treated by Darling Downs Health’s “Hospital in the Home” since it was launched earlier this year.
DDH chief executive Annette Scott PSM said she was thrilled patients were now being treated or monitored in their own homes for conditions or injuries that would otherwise require admission to hospital.
The program began in Kingaroy in September after successful launches in July in Warwick and Dalby.
“This program is having a real impact on our rural patients. Instead of spending weeks in hospital, they can now recover in the comfort of their own home,” Ms Scott said.
“We are also seeing the benefits in our hospitals in Warwick, Dalby and Kingaroy as the program is freeing up beds for more acutely ill people and reducing the time people spend in our hospitals.”
The top three conditions being treated under the “Hospital in the Home” program were cellulitis, complex wound care and congestive cardiac failure.
The most common tasks for the health teams included administering intravenous antibiotics, wound management and daily observations.
The “Hospital in the Home” program operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week with nurses visiting patients daily at home.
The program is designed to support rural patients living within 50km of Dalby, Kingaroy and Warwick.
To be eligible, patients need to be medically stable, have a fixed address, a working phone, and a safe home environment.
The program is funded until January 2026.
