Care of sick people was a well-established tradition among Sisters of Mercy, and in keeping with that, the decision was made in 1945 to establish a Catholic hospital in Townsville.

A small private hospital in Stagpole Street, known as 'The Lister', was purchased and the Townsville Sisters of Mercy moved formally into Health Care ministry.

Mater Women's and Children's Hospital in Hyde Park was established in 2007 and is a Medical/Surgical facility with a present bed capacity of 70.

Current specialty areas include Women's, Children's, Obstetrics, General Surgery, Urology, Day Oncology, Urodynamics and Plastics.

Mater Health Services North Queensland utilises the programme developed by The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards' (ACHS), and Evaluation and Quality Improvement Programme (EQuIP) as a framework to implement and evaluate quality improvement systems through accreditation surveys.