Economic Needs Analysis Report · MCU15/0122

6.0 ASSESSMENT OF NEED

The concepts of economic and community need may be considered to be substantially
overlapping when assessing the need for medical services. Community need would concern
issues of the supply of adequate medical services to ensure the community has sufficient and
reasonable access to a range of health facilities. Economic need issues such as whether there
is a sufficient “pool of expenditure” is not so relevant for medical services. Rather, potential
indirect benefits such as increased productivity due to a healthier workforce or lower long-
term strain on the health system are of more relevance when assessing economic need of
medical services.

It is Urban Economics’s opinion that there is considerable need and demand to warrant
development of the proposed medical centre at Noosaville. The following supports this view:

      The demographic characteristics of the community are indicative of a particularly
       strong propensity for demand for health and wellbeing services. The Catchment Area
       is characterised by a growing, aged population who would require access to a broad
       range of health care services. The proposed medical centre would cater to a need of
       accessibility, convenience and availability of health care services which are particularly
       important to this demographic.

      In particular, it is Urban Economics’s opinion that the level of demand for medical
       practitioners within Catchment Area would be higher than the national average given
       the characteristics of the community, suggesting that the community is somewhat
       under serviced by clinical practitioners at this point in time.

      The subject site is afforded, by exposure to Goodchap Street and being opposite the
       Noosa Hospital, with high levels of visibility and convenience for residents of the
       Catchment Area and users of the hospital.

      Medical services will be especially amenable to residents of nearby aged care and
       retirement facilities, given that the resident age demographic has a higher demand for
       medical services and traditionally lower levels of mobility.

      Attracting and retaining a medical workforce is often reliant on access to training and
       employment opportunities. The proposed development would create a hub for
       private and public GPs and specialists to provide ongoing training to medical students
       in fields relevant to the community’s health needs.

      The proposed development would be able to deliver additional medical services to the
       Catchment Area community in a significantly shorter timeframe than waiting for such
       services to eventuate within development at the Noosa Civic centre.




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