Government of Queensland to add 53 specialist mental health nurses to emergency departments
Queensland hospitals are set to receive 53 additional specialist mental health nurses under a $93.1 million investment aimed at improving the assessment and treatment of people presenting to emergency departments with mental health concerns.
The Queensland Government announced the program on 15 August, saying Redland, Redcliffe and Hervey Bay hospitals are among the first sites to recruit the new specialist nurses. Recruitment has also begun at Cairns, Nambour, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Caboolture hospitals.
The nurses will work alongside emergency department clinicians, with the program intended to provide earlier assessment, help manage patients experiencing distress and connect them with appropriate mental health services.
The government says the $93.1 million funding will support the rollout over four years, followed by $28.5 million in annual ongoing funding to maintain the service. The initiative forms part of a broader $394.4 million commitment from the Mental Health Levy for mental health, alcohol and other drug services.
Health and Ambulance Services Minister Tim Nicholls said people arriving at emergency departments for mental health support can be particularly vulnerable and that specialist nurses would help patients receive appropriate care sooner.
The government has also linked the announcement to its broader health workforce plans, saying more than 10,000 additional health workers have been employed across Queensland’s public hospitals and health services since the Crisafulli Government took office in November 2024. The government has set a target of adding 46,000 health workers by 2032.
Mental Health Levy under scrutiny
The new funding comes after a Queensland Audit Office review raised concerns about how the state’s Mental Health Levy has been managed.
The Auditor-General’s report, tabled in May 2026, concluded that the levy was not being effectively managed as a whole to achieve its intended purposes. The audit found that effective governance arrangements had not been established when the levy was introduced in 2023, including clear arrangements for planning, monitoring and reporting expenditure.
The levy raised about $1.2 billion between 2022–23 and 2024–25, according to the Queensland Audit Office. The report also found that the levy had funded more than 1,000 full-time equivalent positions since its introduction.
The Crisafulli Government has criticised the former Labor government over the management of the levy and has promised that levy revenue will be directed towards mental health-related initiatives. However, the Auditor-General’s findings primarily focused on weaknesses in governance, planning and oversight rather than simply describing the entire levy as having been misused.
What the new nurses will do
The specialist nurses are expected to provide mental health expertise within busy emergency departments, where patients may arrive experiencing severe anxiety, suicidal thoughts, psychosis or other acute mental health concerns.
At Redland Hospital, one of the new nurses described the role as making early contact with patients, helping manage distress and working with clinicians to keep people engaged with care.
Further hospitals are expected to be selected for the program in coming months.
The effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend not only on the number of nurses appointed, but also on whether the additional staffing reduces delays in assessment and improves access to appropriate follow-up mental health care.
Sources: Queensland Audit Office; Queensland Government;Media
