MORE than 1.2 million people from the Wonthaggi, Cowes, Leongatha, Korumburra, Koo Wee Rup and Mornington Peninsula areas have been linked together through the creation of a huge new public hospital entity called Bayside Health.
Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas announced last Friday that she has officially approved the voluntary merger of five health services – Alfred Health, Bass Coast Health, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Kooweerup Regional Health Service and Peninsula Health – from January 1, 2026.
The five health services, she said, were able to clearly demonstrate how their voluntary merger would benefit each local community by “delivering increased access to specialist services closer to home and improved patient outcomes”.
Minister Thomas said the merger of these health services into Bayside Health would deliver better health outcomes by making it easier to access specialist care and by providing a more seamless
experience for the south-east region.
“This is a great outcome for these communities as they’ll have one health service to better coordinate their patient journey – with improvements already being implemented on services ahead of the formal commencement date,” said Minister Thomas.
She said the health services were already working together to improve patient care and identify areas for service improvement and development.
Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer at Alfred Health, Professor Simone Alexander, who is also the interim CEO at Bass Coast Health, welcomed the news and, speaking on Gippsland ABC Radio this week, provided an example of how the merger was already working.
“We saw that together, we were much stronger, and we could provide more comprehensive care across the entire lifespan for the community,” said Professor Alexander.
“Each health service has their own strengths and specialist services, and when we put all of this together, the true benefits of comprehensive care are fully realised, and care is more accessible for the community.
“A good example of that at Bass Coast is, just recently, we have commenced a cardiology specialist clinic, so our community in Bass Coast can come down to our local site in Wonthaggi and they can see the same specialist that you would see if you were in metro Melbourne, coming to the Alfred, and so that same level of care is available in the Gippsland region,” said Ms Alexander.
Asked if the merger would improve waiting times for public patient surgeries, for example, Ms Alexander said we hope so.
“We’re hoping, with the scale, that that will certainly be another one of the benefits. I mean, obviously, we’ve got a growing population, and there’s many additional services that you know as health services we need to continue to provide, develop and build on. But when you’re talking about an example like ENT for paediatrics and the like, we’ve now got five health services that we can work together with to see how we can improve waiting times,” she said.
Professor Alexander said the hook-up with the Alfred, Peninsula Health and the other partners would result in a seamless experience for ED patients as well.
“A good example would be patients at Wonthaggi that are in the emergency department that need to go to Peninsula or to the Alfred because of the level of care that they need,” she said.
Their transfer would be much quicker, she said, with their records already in the system and, importantly, also getting them back home in a timely manner.
“And being able to provide the services closer to home when they are ready for that, and the capability allows within the rural or sub-regional health service.”
The Sentinel-Times also put some questions to Professor Alexander about the future of local boards, branding, community consultation, job security, when the Phillip Island Community Hospital would be finished and advocacy for the promised completion of Stage Two of the Wonthaggi Hospital redevelopment.
“Starting from January 1, 2026, this unified service will be called Bayside Health, though the names of our hospitals and sites will remain unchanged, as our staff continue to provide the same trusted care every day,” said Professor Alexander.
“Bayside Health will be guided and supported through a single board. Recruitment for board members is underway.
“We are already engaging with our local consumers and community representatives about how our community voices and priorities will be directly heard by the new Bayside Health Board.
“Connecting and consulting with the community is an essential step whenever we are dealing with major changes and developments.
“Bass Coast Health is excited about this voluntary merger. We made this decision because we knew it would better connect care and increase access to specialist services.
“This is essential to improving the health outcomes for the people who live in the Bass Coast and southern Gippsland areas. Already, we can see this happening as we work together to bring the merger to life.”
Professor Alexander said that all staff would transfer to Bayside Health on January 1, 2026.
CEO of Gippsland Southern Health Service, Louise Sparkes, also welcomed the announcement.
“This is an important development for South Gippsland. Over time our community will have easier access to the care they need, when they need it, as well as a growing number of specialist services available closer to home,” said Ms Sparkes.
“For our staff, the merger means they can work and live locally, while having new training, education and career opportunities available in a leading health service that is serving more than 1.2 million people.”
However, while the messaging is all positive from the Minister and from hospital administrators, Gippsland South MP, Danny O’Brien remains sceptical about local services and local jobs.
“In centralising decision-making and merging regional health services with metropolitan or major regional hospitals, the government is stripping away local jobs and the ability to prioritise the unique needs of regional communities,” said Mr O’Brien.
“Strong, locally managed health services are vital for ensuring timely care and meeting the unique demands of regional Victorians,” he said.
BCH provided details about the completion of the Phillip Island Community Hospital and further work at Wonthaggi. These responses will be included online at sgst.com.au.
