The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane welcomed new Federal Health Minister Ms Sussan Ley on her first visit to the hospital yesterday.

Ms Ley was accompanied by Federal Member of Parliament Jane Prentice who organised the visit to the Wesley, which is in her electorate, as part of the minister's consultations with the medical professionals.

UnitingCare Health Executive Director Richard Royle said the hospital was extremely pleased to have the opportunity to show Ms Ley around Queensland’s largest private not-for-profit hospital.

The Minister was at the hospital to engage with a large number (around 100) and wide variety of health professionals from across Queensland on issues relating to the provision and access to health care services, training of health professionals, medical research and the growing demand for technological advancement.

Ms Ley said she gained valuable feedback and constructive ideas during her visit to The Wesley Hospital.

“I am currently travelling the country listening carefully to health professionals and patients and taking the opportunity to have frank and fearless discussions about our health system," Ms Ley said.

“We have clear guiding principles for these consultations around the need to maintain high-quality care and treatment and ensuring bulk billing remains for vulnerable and concessional patients.

“This is a genuine consultation effort and I am going in with open eyes and ears open to ensure we get the best outcomes for patients and health professionals alike.”

 Ms Ley also took the opportunity to visit the federally-funded UnitingCare Health Clinical School, which opened in 2013, and  met with medical, nursing and allied health students.

Mr Royle said: “The UnitingCareHealth Clinical School is unique in the private sector  in that it brings together medical students from three Southeast Queensland  universities – Griffith University, Bond University and the University of Queensland -  so they can all train together in an interdisciplinary way with our hospital staff.’’