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Roaring through Wellington The Middle of Every ryw ywhere w Gippsland Rally brought the best Australian and international teams to Wellingt gton t at the weekend. The rally was Round 4 of the Australian Rally Championships and Toyota Gazoo Racing had four top-10 finishes. Pictured gliding around a bend in Stockdale is a 2023 Toyota GR Yarris.
STORY - PAGES 8-9
Health care overhaul Tom Hayes
THE state government has announced a $1.5 billion overhaul of the health sector, with the implications for Gippsland being assessed by local health providers and authorities. After earlier talks of amalgamating health services, the state government scrapped the idea and initiated the overhaul. The $1.5 billion commitment for Victorian hospitals is expected to bring significant changes to the health sector. It centres on the creation of Local Health Service Networks, which will group hospitals geographically close to each other to enable more seamless health care. The state government accepted 26 of the 27 recommendations, in full or in principle, by the Expert Advisory Committee, as part of the Health Services Plan.
The Premier, Jacinta Allen, rejected a recommendation to merge hospitals and instead announced the formation of Hospitals Victoria, which will reduce the “duplication” of administration and oversee back office operations. “As the sister of a nurse, and the mum of a daughter who has relied on the life-saving care of our hospitals - my priority will always be patients and their families,” Ms Allan said. “We will always support our hospitals - because that’s what Labor does.” Hospitals Victoria is believed to ensure delivering patients is the priority number one, eliminating the confusion around multiple systems used across the state. The state government will also roll out a connected Electronic Medical Record System to all hospitals to provide seamless and more efficient care for patients, according to a press release. The $1.5 billion in funding comes as a relief to
hospitals, as recruitment was frozen amid budget uncertainty. According to the state government press release, the funding is set to help hospitals deliver worldclass care despite record demands, with the last quarter the busiest on record. Latrobe Regional Health Chief Executive, Don McRae, shared his thoughts on the health sector overhaul. “The Latrobe Regional Health (LRH) Board and Executive are currently working through the new Health Services Plan, which is quite an extensive document,” he said. “The Gippsland network, which includes LRH and 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 and District Health Service, will work together to ensure the majority of
healthcare needs are met locally in the region.” Mr McRae spoke on how patients would be treated if their care can’t be treated locally. “If a person requires specialised care that can’t be delivered locally, they will be referred to the tertiary (metro), women’s or children’s hospital with which we will have a formal partnership, under the new system,” he said. “This approach to healthcare across Gippsland already exists in similar form under our Health Service Partnership, which began three years ago. “Hospitals in the region have been working together collaboratively to provide care, services, leadership, training and shared purchasing. “We envisage the new Local Health Service Network will strengthen this arrangement. All of our hospitals across Gippsland have a level of expertise they can bring to the table and that can only benefit the communities we care for.” Continued - Page 4
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