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Tuesday 14 January 2025
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Festival in Frankston THE Waterfront Festival will return to Frankston on 7 and 8 February. Sneaky Sound System and the Pierce Brothers are among the music acts set to feature on the main stage at the free weekend event. See story page 4. Pictures: Supplied
Healthcare reforms unveiled Brodie Cowburn brodie@baysidenews.com.au PENINSULA Health has been grouped in with five other health services to form the “Bayside Local Health Service Network” as part of a controversial state government restructure. Last Friday, 10 January, the state government unveiled 12 new “health
networks”. It has grouped together health services statewide into geographic regions - health minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the reformed system would “mean stronger referral pathways between health services – freeing up beds in busier hospitals, taking pressure off our dedicated workforce, and ensuring Victorians get care sooner, closer to home.” “Victoria’s health system is one of
the best in the world, and these reforms will deliver even better care by supporting health services to work together and ensuring local voices are heard,” she said. “At the centre of our health system reform is Victorian patients and staff – this is about expanding access to frontline services, particularly in regional and rural Victoria.” The Bayside local health service network features Alfred Health,
Bass Coast Health, Calvary Health Care Bethlehem, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Kooweerup Regional Health Service, and Peninsula Health. Last month Peninsula Health, Alfred Health, and Kooweerup Regional Health Service announced plans to merge under the tentative title “Bayside Health”. The state government’s networks come into effect on 1 July this year, with each health service expected to
meet with its new regional partners in the months to come to discuss how to work together. The Health Department website says that the new networks “may include co-ordinating clinical services and attracting and retaining the right workforce.” The governance of each health service will remain unchanged under the new system, the state government announcement read. Continued page 4