GIPPSLAND Southern Health Service (GSHS) also wants to join an expanded Bayside Local Health Area Network as part of Victoria’s Health Services Plan.
The health service, which operates hospitals at Leongatha and Korumburra, told its annual general meeting recently that it preferred linkages with Bass Coast Health, Koo Wee Rup and Peninsula Health to going with Latrobe Regional Health but was coy about details.
However, since Bass Coast Health nailed its colours firmly to the mast of the Bayside option at its AGM on Thursday, December 5, Gippsland Southern has come out more strongly.
The prospect of both Bass Coast Health and GSHS joining the Bayside Health Network threatnes the viability of the whole Gippsland network plan, expected to include 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 & District Health Service with Latrobe Regional Hospital acting as the region’s Group A hospital.
According to the government's expert advisory committee, which produced the controversial Health Service's Plan, dividing the state's hospitals into networks along geographic lines, you need 200,000 people to make a regional network viable. With both South Gippsland and Bass Coast out of the equation the catchment population falls from a viable 250,000 to 180,000.
If Baw Baw (Warragul) and its West Gippsland Healthcare Group were to join the Gippsland Network, with its population of 57,626, it would return to a workable size but West Gippsland Hospital is firmly committed to the Monash network option.
Here is the statement from GSHS on Friday, December 6:
Under a proposal put forward by GSHS, the rural services of Bass Coast Health and Gippsland Southern Health would be removed from the proposed Gippsland Network and join Bayside.
GSHS, which has hospitals in Leongatha and Korumburra, says the geography of the region makes it difficult to connect to the central-east parts of Gippsland.
Under GSHS’s proposal, the expanded Bayside Local Health Area Network would include Alfred Health, Peninsula Health, KooWeeRup Health Service, Calvary Health care Bethlehem, Bass Coast Health and Gippsland Southern Health Service.
Board Chair Athina Georgiou confirmed that GSHS had put in a proposal to be connected to the Bayside network.
Ms Georgiou said people in the communities of Leongatha and Korumburra typically travel to Melbourne on larger and major roads for care and have established connections to health care in Melbourne.
“Data demonstrates that people in our community use local services or mostly go to Melbourne for care, aligning with the proposed network,” Ms Georgiou said.
“It’s an easier drive for a lot of our community than getting to Traralgon to access Latrobe Regional Health.”
The proposed expanded Bayside Local Health Area Network would be continuous and aligned to major roads and transport corridors.
“Travel times to larger health services in the Bayside network, particularly Peninsula Health, are similar or closer than travelling to Latrobe Regional Health,” she said.
Ms Georgiou stressed that the proposal was initiated by GSHS. “This is our choice and our proposal based on what we believe is best for our community and supported by our staff,” she said.
GSHS has strong existing pathways and connections with services in the Bayside network, particularly Bass Coast Health (BCH).
CEO Lou Sparkes said that under GSHS’s proposal, local residents would benefit from greater access to care via single wait lists for surgery, establishment of referral pathways through the network, enhanced use of capacity across the network, including more use of rural sites by the larger health services.
“We believe our proposal would result in care closer to home for our local residents and improved health outcomes for the local population, with better connections to medical expertise, prevention programs and primary care teams.”
Ms Sparkes said a network that includes both Peninsula and Alfred had potential to increase self-sufficiency and allow greater co-ordination in access for care.
She added that there would be capacity to increase use of the Korumburra and Leongatha hospitals.
“We would benefit from a bigger population and being able to provide 95 per cent of all health services that would ever be required within the network.”
GSHS has multiple MOUs with BCH and a MOU for the south coast subregional partnership including BCH and Koo Wee Rup Health Service.
The networks are expected to take effect from July 1, 2025.
