Sara McDonnell • February 16, 2021
EDENHOPE EXPLORES REGIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO ENHANCE HEALTHCARE FOR THE COMMUNITY
Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital is exploring opportunities to become an integral part of healthcare in the region and to expand our expertise in caring for community members locally.
Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Saunders said: “Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital has been providing excellent healthcare for the local community for more than 100 years. We have grown into a leading provider of rural health services and we offer a range of hospital, primary care, mental health, community health and aged care services. We have a great team of a skilled and dedicated healthcare professionals and administrators and growing our strengths and looking for opportunities is critical to delivering high quality care into the future.
“In order to enhance access to health care services and improve health outcomes for the Edenhope community, Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital is going to explore a number of partnership options (including strengthened partnerships, shared service agreements or possible voluntary amalgamation) with Wimmera Health Care Group and Ballarat Health Services.
“Before any decision is made the process will include extensive community and staff consultation. An assessment of the costs, benefits and risks will lead to the development of a business case which will enable the Board to make an informed decision on the best way forward,” he said.
Mr Saunders said: “The Board is adamant that any decision to move forward must achieve the best outcome for Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital and the community.
“Residents of Edenhope and its surrounding communities experience some of the highest rates of chronic illness and ill health in Victoria. The population is ageing and we will need greater access to specialist health care in the future.
“We are exploring opportunities because the healthcare environment in which we operate today is changing rapidly and we need a long-term plan to ensure our health service can meet the future health needs of our community,” he said.
Benefits of partnering include:
• Greater access to health care locally – both now and in the future
• Sustainability and future viability of clinical services and capacity across the region, and
• Strengthening our workforce, developing their clinical skills and enhancing career opportunities and development.
Mr Saunders said: “In recent years, the amount of hospital care we provide to our community has been declining. Hospital Admissions have fallen by one quarter over the past five years and fallen almost three quarters compared to 15 years ago. Low levels of activity make it difficult for our staff to get the experience and development they need and to sustain our services into the future. Partnering with other, larger health services will improve the level of activity at our hospital and create new opportunities for our staff, so that we can continue to provide outstanding care at Edenhope well into the future.”
He said: “Many patients from our community travel to Horsham or Ballarat to access specialist health care that isn’t available in Edenhope. By working in partnership with Wimmera Healthcare Group and Ballarat Health Services, Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital is able to provide post-operative and rehabilitation care that will enable those patients who access care in Horsham or Ballarat to get back closer to home quicker. Edenhope and District Memorial Hospital has under-utilised bed capacity and experienced skilled staff that can provide this care. We can do this so that local residents can be cared for closer to home and to take pressure off the high levels of demand at Wimmera Health Care Group and Ballarat Health Services. This then benefits all our communities.”
The health services are considering how to work more closely together to provide better access to clinical care locally, to allow people to return to the community more quickly, and to strengthen the skills and capacity of the workforce at Edenhope and the region. There would be no reduction in local services and no loss of local jobs.
Community Consultation will be undertaken from 1 March to 21 May. There will be a range of opportunities for people to have their say over the coming months, through surveys, consultation sessions online, through face to face sessions, and through submissions. We want to hear community views on local health care priorities, opportunities and challenges and how they can be addressed.
We will keep communities informed through our website, social media, media, letters, meetings and consultation activities as we work through this process. For more information click here
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