Tom Hayes
THE state government has announced a $1.5 billion overhaul of the health sector, with the implications for Gippsland being assessed by local health providers and authorities.
After earlier talks of amalgamating health services, the state government scrapped the idea and initiated the overhaul.
The $1.5 billion commitment for Victorian hospitals is expected to bring significant changes to the health sector. It centres on the creation of Local Health Service Networks, which will group hospitals geographically close to each other to enable more seamless health care.
The state government accepted 26 of the 27 recommendations, in full or in principle, by the Expert Advisory Committee, as part of the Health Services Plan.
The Premier, Jacinta Allen, rejected a recommendation to merge hospitals and instead announced the formation of Hospitals Victoria, which will reduce the “duplication” of administration and oversee back office operations.
“As the sister of a nurse, and the mum of a daughter who has relied on the life-saving care of our hospitals – my priority will always be patients and their families,” Ms Allan said.
“We will always support our hospitals – because that’s what Labor does.”
Hospitals Victoria is believed to ensure delivering patients is the priority number one, eliminating the confusion around multiple systems used across the state.
The state government will also roll out a connected Electronic Medical Record System to all hospitals to provide seamless and more efficient care for patients, according to a press release.
The $1.5 billion in funding comes as a relief to hospitals, as recruitment was frozen amid budget uncertainty.
According to the state government press release, the funding is set to help hospitals deliver world-class care despite record demands, with the last quarter the busiest on record.
Latrobe Regional Health Chief Executive, Don McRae, shared his thoughts on the health sector overhaul.
“The Latrobe Regional Health (LRH) Board and Executive are currently working through the new Health Services Plan, which is quite an extensive document,” he said.
“The Gippsland network, which includes LRH and Bairnsdale Regional Health Service, Bass Coast Health, Central Gippsland Health Service, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Omeo District Health, Orbost Regional Health, South Gippsland Hospital and Yarram and District Health Service, will work together to ensure the majority of healthcare needs are met locally in the region.”
Mr McRae spoke on how patients would be treated if their care can’t be treated locally.
“If a person requires specialised care that can’t be delivered locally, they will be referred to the tertiary (metro), women’s or children’s hospital with which we will have a formal partnership, under the new system,” he said.
“This approach to healthcare across Gippsland already exists in similar form under our Health Service Partnership, which began three years ago.
“Hospitals in the region have been working together collaboratively to provide care, services, leadership, training and shared purchasing.
“We envisage the new Local Health Service Network will strengthen this arrangement. All of our hospitals across Gippsland have a level of expertise they can bring to the table and that can only benefit the communities we care for.”
MR McRae mentioned he expects LRH to receive guidance to implement the plan for Hospitals Victoria in the coming weeks.
He hopes the outcomes from the state-wide health sector overhaul will have a positive affect on the communities.
“If a person can get care as close to home as possible, it means less travel, less stress and the support of their family and caring networks,” Mr McRae added.
“Greater collaboration between Gippsland and tertiary partners has the potential to streamline referral and care pathways if a person has to leave the region to seek more specialised care in Melbourne.”
With amalgamation talks now off the table, according to Premier Allan, Mr McRae reaffirmed that LRH would still maintain relationships.
“LRH prefers to work collaboratively with other Gippsland hospitals and maintain the relationships we have built over a long time,” Mr McRae said.
“I have always found collaboration in healthcare is the key to better outcomes for patients.
“As mentioned, all of our hospitals across Gippsland have a level of expertise they can bring to the table.”
With Gippsland being such a vast region, LRH staff still work between hospitals, even outside of the Latrobe catchment, according to Mr McRae.
“We anticipate implementation of the Health Services Plan will take several years. I’m hopeful by then we will have a contemporary healthcare network to meet the future demands of our community,” he said.
“We know people are more unwell for a variety of reason following the (COVID-19) pandemic. Something needs to change for us to manage the complexity of their care needs.”
LRH will be working with the Department of Health to finalise their budget for the year ahead, which includes funding amounts and agreed targets.
Mr McRae says all budgets for health services will be finalised by the end of August.
Minister for Health, Mary-Anne Thomas welcomed the $1.5 billion funding, stressing how much pressure it showed that hospitals were under.
“We have a world-class health case system here in Victoria, and we’ll continue to back our hospitals and our hardworking healthcare workers and clinicians every single day. The (state) government will not be forcing any hospital to amalgamate,” she said.
Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron believes the state government will still go ahead with mergers, “regardless of its spin and rhetoric”.
“We need local hospitals for local people, but these mergers take management and key decision making away from locals,” Mr Cameron said.
“As the central hub for the ‘Gippsland Network’, Latrobe Regional Health has been lumped with the impossible task of providing more than 85 per cent of care, over time, for the whole of Gippsland.”
Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien said he was concerned hospital mergers will now occur by stealth and cuts may still occur at local hospitals.
“One wonders how this new level of bureaucracy, in addition to yet another new government agency ‘Hospitals Victoria’, will reduce administration and back-office costs,” Mr O’Brien said.
“I remain very concerned at the government’s budget cuts to hospitals even if there is new funding apparently delivered – we are yet to see the detail of this, including how it will be allocated locally.”
