General News
18 August, 2024
Forced amalgamations rejected for health services
LOCAL partnerships and collaborations have been backed in a major overhaul of Victoria’s health system. The State Government has ruled out forced mergers after the review was released last week. Inglewood and Districts Health Service and Boort...
LOCAL partnerships and collaborations have been backed in a major overhaul of Victoria’s health system.
The State Government has ruled out forced mergers after the review was released last week.
Inglewood and Districts Health Service and Boort District Health will retain the local identity and begin work on new budgets after the Government said it would inject another $1.5 billion into the Victorian system,
Local health services see the new structure putting Inglewood and Boort in the larger Loddon Mallee health network with Bendigo as the major hospital as strengthening their existing partnerships.
BDH chief executive Donna Doyle said the health services review was a robust document.
“As a small health service, we can’t do things alone. Collaborations and partnerships can only make us stronger,” she said.
“The relationship between Inglewood and Boort is exceptional.”
Both services are already part of the Integrated Health Network Alliance addressing health system and workforce issues in the Buloke, Loddon and Gannawarra shires.
Collaboration between health services and professionals is seeing rural hubs established in Kerang, Quambatook, Pyramid Hill and Boort.
Inglewood service chief executive Dallas Coghill said: “We are is pleased to receive the health service plan and remain within part of the Loddon Mallee Health Network.
“IDHS maintains that partnerships are essential in continued high quality care for our community and we will ensure that this partnership continues and strengthens the services we offer,” he said.
“IDHS will receive our finalised budget for the financial year within the month and further clarity will be provided.
“It is pleasing to know the direction that IDHS is heading as we continue to work collaboratively with our Loddon Mallee partners to provide the best outcomes for our community.”
The health service review made 27 recommendations. Only one was not accepted by the Government.
“The State Government will deliver a number of key reforms in response to these recommendations. It will not, however, accept the recommendation to forcibly amalgamate Victoria’s health services. Forcing change risks being disruptive ... impacting patient care,” said Ripon MP Martha Haylett.
“Instead, health services will be supported to reduce non-clinical duplication and double-up, while at the same time promoting stronger partnerships between our hospitals.
“We will roll out a connected electronic medical record (EMR) System to all hospitals, which will provide seamless and more efficient care for patients. Right now, every hospital manages electronic records differently and some don’t even have an electronic medical record – they still rely on paper.
“Over 47 per cent of regional beds and 82 per cent of metro beds are currently covered by EMR, but we want to change that. From today, we will work towards standardising electronic medical records across Victoria.
“Every hospital will have access to an EMR and systems will be able to speak to each other so that patient records travel with people no matter which hospital they visit.
“We will also establish Hospitals Victoria – as a new unit in the Department of Health focused on health service financial performance led by former Northern Health CEO, Siva Sivarajah. It will focus on financial performance, identifying where back-office functions can be consolidated, and the electronic medical record system roll out.”
However, Murray Plains MP and Nationals leader Peter Walsh signalled the Government could be using new health service networks to achieve amalgamations by stealth.
Boort and Inglewood will be part of the Loddon Mallee network.
Mr Walsh said: “Labor can call them networks or alliances, but it is still planning massive amalgamations
“We support local hospitals for local people, yet these mergers take management and key decision making away from locals,” Mr Walsh said.
“Decisions and cuts will be made from centralised hubs in big regional centres, in some instances a long way away from the actual local health service. Regional patients in some cases will have to travel hundreds of kilometres from where they live to where the services are delivered.”
Mr Walsh claimed local hospital boards would lose power, playing an advisory role only as key policies are set by central boards in large centres.