QCH has an emergency department and intensive care unit, offering specialist general medical and surgical services.

[4] The Queensland Government assembled the task force in light of the Mellis Review, which had found the then-current model of paediatric care to be fragmented and unsustainable.

[9] The hospital's foundation stated a conventional name would secure more funding for medical research from international donors.

[11] Later reports suggested that many votes originated from government IP addresses, prompting allegations of potential manipulation of the poll,[12] and Miles was referred to the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC).

Based on the concept of a living tree, the building was designed as a network of trunks and branches running throughout the complex, with outdoor gardens and terraces that fill the hospital with as much natural light as possible.