Established by the community in 1949, Clifton Co-op Hospital Ltd was originally formed to provide much-needed hospital services in Clifton area, given the distance otherwise required for patients to travel to state owned facilities in larger regional centres on the Darling Downs.
Towards its vision of ‘vibrant, empowered and healthy rural communities’, and with the mantra of ‘for the community, by the community, in the community’, the organisation and its offerings have evolved over the years in line with the changing needs of its client base.
Today, the co-operative trades as Clifton Community Health Services (CCHS) and remains a rural, community owned, not-for-profit, charitable provider of health and community services, which incorporate a number of specialised business units, including:
- Medical & Allied Health Practice
- Residential Aged Care facility, including Memory Support Unit
- Home Care / Support at Home Services
- ‘Meals on Wheels’ Service
- ‘Staying at Home’ Dementia Support Programme
- Independent Living Units (affordable housing)
- Community Housing Units (to be commissioned in 2026)
With an enviable reputation, CCHS’s model of care reflects a contemporary community-led, place-based, person-centred, client experience focused, multidisciplinary approach to addressing the increasingly complex requirements of its rural community.
As the second largest employer in the district, CCHS directly supports the livelihoods of:
- 132 employees
- 8 trainees
- 3 work experience students
- 30+ volunteers
- 56 residential aged care clients (growing to 70+ by 2027)
- 22 home care clients (and growing)
- 18 meals on wheels recipients (and growing)
- 8 (soon to be 18) households of people at risk
- 5000+ patients
- and indirectly, many more
Governed by a skills-based Board of Non-Executive Directors, and under the leadership of an experienced Executive Director, the organisation adopts a collaborative, partnership focused, evidence-based approach to continuous improvement and innovation.
Notwithstanding significant challenges presented by the prevailing operating environment, CCHS remains committed to its purpose of ‘partnering with our communities to provide quality, sustainable and responsive solutions to support their dignity, health and resilience’.
