UnitingCare Health History

UnitingCare Health was formed in June 2000 to bring together into one organisation the various hospitals owned and operated by the Uniting Church in Australia (Qld Synod).   The move was not just for the sake of efficiency. It was to provide a strong base for future development of our health care services.  UnitingCare Health is now a significantly large provider of health care services in Queensland, employing over 3,200 people and treating about 100,000 patients each year.

UnitingCare Health Mission

The Church understands the healing of people in body, mind and spirit to be the work of God in the world. The Church's mission is to participate in this work, and to do so as ethically and creatively as possible. We are committed to the health of our patients and to the good of the community.

UnitingCare Health 'Not For Profit' Status

UnitingCare Health is a 'not for profit' organisation. Being owned by the Church, it does not have to pay dividends to shareholders. Therefore, more than 80% of the financial surplus is 'ploughed back' directly into our hospitals and services. Another 8%, (approximately) is used to provide pastoral care services on behalf of the Uniting Church, not only in our own hospitals but also in most major public hospitals in Queensland. Most of the remainder is used in a variety of projects and services intended directly and indirectly to benefit the community.

UnitingCare Health Foundational Values

The Whole Person

We believe that each person is an inseparable unity of body, mind and spirit.
We therefore seek to respect and respond to the physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions of our patients and co-workers.

Community

We believe that people are meant to live in loving and creative relationships.
We therefore seek to support the relationships that patients and co-workers have with their loved ones.
We seek to build and strengthen caring community within our hospital and in the wider world.

Justice

We believe that every person, without exception, is of inestimable value because God loves them. We therefore seek to promote the kind of justice that recognizes and responds to people according to their need, and which cares especially about the disadvantaged.

Compassion

We believe that our highest call is to love one another as God loves us.
We believe that compassion is the highest motive for excellence in what we do.
We seek to care for and comfort one another even when we cannot cure.

Stewardship

We believe that we do not truly 'own' anything. Everything, including our lives, is held in trust from God.
We therefore seek to responsibly manage all the resources available to us - financial, physical, intellectual and so on - to promote the health and wellbeing of our patients and the common good.

Ecumenism

We believe that what we do is part of the wider mission of the Church. We therefore seek to cooperate with other parts of the Uniting Church and with other churches and groups to promote God's vision of wholeness, justice and peace in the world.

Our Vision for the Future

• UnitingCare Health will be a mission-driven provider of quality health care services in Australia.
• We will have excellent facilities and technology but our major strengths will be our people and partnerships.
• We will set the standards for accountability to patients, partners and the community.
• We will be known for excellent standards and for our community contributions.