A New Health Service
for the Grampians

Why?

Our communities deserve safe, sustainable, healthcare tailored to their changing workforce and community needs. There are urgent and pressing challenges that need to be addressed for the long term to ensure this is the case. 

That’s what this is about.

What?

By coming together, we are committing to a better way to deliver:

• Improved quality and utilisation of services
• Increased long term sustainability across all services
• Improved opportunities for recruiting, developing and retaining health workforces
• Higher quality care, safer practices and better systems
• Further community trust and engagement in local health services
• A stronger and more influential voice for rural healthcare in our region

How?

Grampians Health is embarking on an inclusive service planning process, defining a shared vision and future, while retaining local ownership and identity.

With the support of a dedicated project team with experts from across the four health services, we will be talking to staff, volunteers, patients and residents to continue to understand local needs, while continuing high quality care.

No significant changes were made to how each health service is running day-to-day. Over the coming months we will work together to develop a clinical services plan that will address the unique needs of each community.

Edenhope

Edenhope’s health and aged care services are underutilised and there are currently limits to the scope of care available. This forces people to travel out of the region for care.

Horsham

Horsham and Dimboola face declining access to healthcare due to difficulty attracting and retaining a local workforce. As a result, many services are underutilised.

Stawell

More than 600 people travel or are transferred to Ballarat for acute or emergency healthcare each year. New pathways are needed for staff in this region to gain knowledge and develop a specialisation, while reducing the reliance on temporary staff to fill workforce gaps.

Ballarat

Ballarat is facing substantial and increasing demand for its services. There is a need to better manage demand, working with other services to achieve these outcomes.

Edenhope

Coming together increases hospital-based and allied health services available locally, reducing the need for Edenhope patients to travel to access care. It also improves the sustainability of the local services by working towards higher activity levels and utilisation in aged care.

This also enhances capability and access to specialist care for aged care patients and improves coordination across the region.

Horsham

Coming together supports local services by attracting a larger and more sustainable workforce to Horsham, including greater access to specialists and reduced reliance on temporary staff and locums. 

A larger body provides a more influential voice to advocate for the Wimmera region.

Stawell

Coming together provides greater local access to local healthcare. This includes inpatient, rehabilitation and acute care, greater options for surgical services and the potential for rotating doctors to reduce the reliance on temporary staff and locums.

There is scope to further enhance quality and safety of local services, though robust clinical governance and specialist care.

Ballarat

Coming together alleviates some of the rapidly growing demand experienced at Ballarat, by sharing skills and resources across the region.

This supports service provision, a larger sustainable workforce pool and enhanced collaboration.