The Minister for Health has recently advised the following in italics, which outlines that the closure of the Noosa Dental Clinic is being considered due to its low utilisation rate as part of a broader infrastructure review. To inform advocacy, we would appreciate feedback from Noosa electorate residents on the below information via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au.
Proposed Closure of Noosa Dental Clinic
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service (HHS) has a multi-year budget deficit and closure of the Noosa Dental Clinic is being considered as part of a broader infrastructure review which includes increasing services at Nambour.
The Noosa Dental Clinic has been identified as a high-cost service relative to other Sunshine Coast HHS Dental Clinics, in the context of the ratio of clinicians to support staff required, as the clinic is a small two chair clinic.
If closure of the clinic proceeds, services can continue to be offered at alternative locations and via existing outsourcing arrangements with private dentists.
The Noosa region has the lowest average utilisation rates of public dental services within the Sunshine Coast HHS catchment, correlating with the high socio-economic status of the area.
For example, the average utilisation rate for Noosa Heads is 4.5% for the 65+ age group and 11.9% for the 16-64 age group.
This can be compared to areas with the highest utilisation – 24.8% for the 65+ age group in Caloundra and 20.7% for the 16-64 age group for Gympie Surrounds.
Noosa Dental Clinic will remain open until expansion of the Nambour Dental Clinic is completed and operational, this remains in the early planning stages and is not expected for at least 12-24 months.
If the Noosa Dental Clinic closes (two chairs), overall, Sunshine Coast HHS will still increase chair capacity, with four extra chairs opening in Nambour.
All staffing positions will be retained, following a Business Case for Change process to move existing Noosa staff to Nambour.
Sunshine Coast HHS is exploring alternative service delivery models to full closure, such as part-time opening of the Noosa facility.
Oral Health Services are fully Activity-based Funded, with all activity generated by the delivery of clinical services.
Noosa Dental Clinic operates with the highest cost per chair, of any SCH Dental Clinic ($136,474 annually compared to most efficient clinic $44,133 annually).
Recruiting dentists to the Noosa Dental Clinic has been challenging and in addition to long term vacancies, leave is often not able to be backfilled.
Dental Vouchers
All appointments are made through the SCHHS Oral Health Call Centre via the phone. Patients are encouraged to contact the Call Centre in the first instance.
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service does not issue vouchers ‘on demand’ – if the patient has a dental problem, after an administrative assessment they may be offered an appointment in a clinic, or a voucher, depending on availability, in order to access emergency dental care.
Waiting times apply for all general dental care – eg a check-up. Please see brochure at www.sandybolton.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2022-1504-Oral-Health-Factsheet-Update.pdf
Transport options
We requested information on free transport options for patients should this closure proceed and have been advised below in italics. In summary, an on-demand booking service for transport to alternative dental clinics will be made available free of charge for Noosa residents, with designated pick-up and drop-off points to ensure timely and reliable transport for patients.
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service via Wishlist provides a dedicated Patient Transport Service for residents in the Gympie region. SCHHS recently conducted a trial to extend this service for Noosa residents travelling to clinical appointments at Nambour Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Private Hospital and Birtinya health hub.
In the event the Noosa Dental Clinic is closed, an on-demand booking service for transport to alternative dental clinics will be made available for Noosa residents, with designated pick-up and drop-off points to ensure timely and reliable transport for patients.
The Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme (PTSS) is available for patients referred for specialist medical services not available within 50 kilometres of their local public hospital, however Dental Services are not covered within this Scheme.
Patients who have a medical reason making them unsuitable for community, public or private transport may be eligible for non-urgent ambulance services.
Dental Emergencies
We have also clarified that any SCHHS dental clinic patients experiencing a dental emergency would, as normal, attend their nearest emergency department (ED), which would be Noosa Hospital for most Noosa residents. EDs can manage treatment temporarily focusing on pain relief until the next business day when dental clinic services are available.
As mentioned above, please email any feedback to noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au to inform our advocacy regarding this.
Further information
For those who wish to directly advocate, email the Queensland Minister for Health via health@ministerial.qld.gov.au. Please copy our office in via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward us any response you receive.
Updates on many local matters are available on Noosa 360 at www.sandybolton.com/noosa360. To receive information straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter via www.sandybolton.com/newsletters. This also ensures you receive any future Noosa related surveys or polls.