Launceston General Hospital (LGH)

Launceston General Hospital (LGH) is one of the three major public hospitals in Tasmania, Australia, located in Launceston — the state's second-largest city and the regional hub for Northern Tasmania. Situated on Charles Street in Launceston, the hospital has deep roots in the community, with its origins tracing back to 1863. Over more than 160 years, Launceston General Hospital has grown from a regional colonial medical facility into a modern, comprehensive teaching hospital that serves patients from across Northern and North-Western Tasmania. Today, the LGH operates 308 inpatient beds plus 41 day-care beds, and is affiliated with the University of Tasmania as a teaching hospital that trains the next generation of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals.

As a key institution within the Tasmanian Department of Health, Launceston General Hospital provides a broad spectrum of specialist medical, surgical, and allied health services to the Northern Tasmania community, as well as functioning as a tertiary referral centre for patients from more remote areas of the state. The hospital supports medical and health research through the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust, contributing to clinical knowledge and evidence-based improvements in healthcare delivery. A significant $580 million, 10-year redevelopment plan is underway to modernise and expand the LGH campus, ensuring it can meet the evolving healthcare needs of the growing Launceston region well into the future. In October 2024, a new $16 million rooftop helipad was opened at the hospital, greatly improving emergency aeromedical access for critically ill patients.

Treatments & Specialties

Launceston General Hospital provides an extensive range of inpatient, outpatient, and day-procedure services across a wide spectrum of medical and surgical specialties. Core clinical departments include cardiology, renal medicine, gastroenterology, haematology and oncology, general surgery, ENT (ear, nose, and throat), plastic and reconstructive surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, psychiatry, and radiology. The Emergency Department is available around the clock, providing urgent and emergency care for patients of all ages presenting from across Launceston and Northern Tasmania.

The hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is equipped with aeromedical retrieval capabilities, allowing critically ill patients from remote areas of Tasmania to be transported to the LGH for specialist intensive care when required. Dental services are available through the hospital's Special Care Dental Unit, located on Level 2 of the LGH campus. This unit is one of three Special Care Dental Units operated by Oral Health Services Tasmania, providing dental treatment for patients with special needs or complex medical backgrounds for whom standard community dental care would be clinically challenging or inadequate.

The Special Care Dental Unit at Launceston General Hospital provides oral health care for patients whose medical, physical, cognitive, or psychological conditions require a hospital-based setting for safe dental treatment. Services include oral examinations, dental extractions, restorations, and procedures performed under general anaesthesia or sedation for patients who cannot tolerate treatment under standard conditions. This service plays a critical role in ensuring that the most vulnerable members of the Launceston and Northern Tasmania community can access appropriate dental care regardless of their clinical complexity.

Technology & Facilities

Launceston General Hospital is equipped with a broad range of contemporary medical and diagnostic technology befitting a major regional teaching hospital. Advanced imaging including CT scanning, MRI, digital radiography, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine supports diagnostic work across all clinical departments. Interventional cardiology, endoscopy suites, multiple operating theatres, and dedicated day procedure units provide the infrastructure required for both elective and emergency surgical and procedural care.

The newly opened rooftop helipad, completed in 2024, significantly enhances the LGH's capability to receive patients via aeromedical retrieval — a vital function for a hospital serving a geographically dispersed regional population. The ongoing $580 million redevelopment programme will progressively introduce new facilities, updated clinical spaces, and expanded service capacity to the Launceston campus over the coming decade, ensuring the hospital remains a state-of-the-art facility for current and future generations of Tasmanians.

Why Choose Launceston General Hospital

As the primary public tertiary hospital for Northern Tasmania, Launceston General Hospital is the facility of choice for patients requiring specialist medical or surgical care that goes beyond the scope of community-based providers. The breadth and depth of specialist services available at the LGH — across medicine, surgery, oncology, paediatrics, and more — means that patients from across Launceston and the Northern Tasmanian region can access high-quality specialist care without needing to travel to Hobart or the mainland.

The hospital's status as a University of Tasmania teaching facility ensures that clinical care is delivered in an environment of continuous learning, evidence-based practice, and quality improvement. The hospital's Special Care Dental Unit ensures that the most vulnerable and complex patients in Launceston have access to safe, appropriate, and dignified dental care regardless of their medical complexity.

Patient Experience

As a public hospital operating under the Tasmanian Department of Health, Launceston General Hospital is committed to delivering patient-centred care that respects the dignity, rights, and individual needs of every person who accesses its services. The hospital serves a diverse patient population across Launceston and Northern Tasmania — from newborns and children to elderly patients with complex chronic conditions — and its multidisciplinary teams provide coordinated, holistic care addressing both immediate clinical needs and longer-term wellbeing goals.

The hospital's Emergency Department ensures that patients in Launceston and surrounding areas can access urgent care at any hour, with triage processes in place to ensure that the most critically ill patients receive priority attention. The ongoing redevelopment of the LGH campus reflects the Tasmanian Government's commitment to continuously improving the environment in which care is delivered, working towards a more modern, efficient, and patient-friendly hospital for the people of Launceston and Northern Tasmania.

Location

Launceston General Hospital is located on Charles Street in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. Charles Street is one of Launceston's principal arterial roads, making the hospital easily accessible from across the city and the broader Northern Tasmania region. The LGH campus is well-served by public transport, and ample on-site and nearby parking is available for patients and visitors attending appointments or accessing emergency services. As the regional hub for specialist healthcare in Northern Tasmania, the LGH is the anchor of the health system for residents of Launceston and a wide catchment area extending throughout the northern part of the state.