NORTHEAST Health Wangaratta (NHW) will join a mega health network under the Hume region as a part of five Local Health Service networks for the state’s 76 services as a part of a major overhaul.
The Hume network will stretch from Kyabram to Yea and will include Shepparton's Goulburn Valley Health, Alpine Health, Beechworth Health Service, Benalla Health, Corryong Health, Albury-Wodonga Health, Tallangatta Health Service and Yarrawonga Health.
The plan states Goulburn Valley and Albury hospitals "are proposed to continue as the providers of the most complex care in this network".
The State Government had previously suggested the Shepparton-based health service could lead hospitals across the North East, including Wangaratta.
Ovens Valley MP Tim McCurdy said hospital mergers were looming, with the State Government’s move to consolidate services into networks a “half-step” towards amalgamation of regional health services.
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“The State Government is preparing the ground to centralise our health services, taking away important services from our regional hospitals,” he said.
“The Hume network will be massive, covering 16 different health regions from Corryong to Kyabram, Albury to Yea, with a service area of over 380,000 people.
“This will leave locals in Wangaratta, Cobram, Yarrawonga, Myrtleford, and Bright worse off and stifle the important innovation that helps regional health services flourish.
“As a result of these changes, we will see all the money poured into Albury and Shepparton, leaving smaller regional hospitals missing out on important services, and requiring locals to travel hours for care.”
The government's Health Services Plan was developed as a result of a 10-month review into the state’s health system, exploring the challenges experienced by patients, communities and the health workforce.
The expert advisory committee that put together the plan found the health system was "no longer fit for purpose" and was exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The structure of our system contributes to inconsistent and inequitable access to high-quality and safe care," the committee said.
“It is difficult for patients and clinicians to navigate a needlessly complex system… our precious health resources risk being wasted through unnecessary duplication.
"We consider that these reforms are needed - and needed now."
The committee laid out 27 recommendations to overhaul the state’s health service, with the forced amalgamation of health services the only recommendation not accepted by the State Government.
Mr McCurdy said more administration will make the health sector less efficient, and lead to hospitals competing for fewer staff.
“Make no mistake, this is another layer of administrative red tape that will clog up the system and cause more work for the already under-resourced hospital staff,” he said.
“Alongside this, there will be fighting within networks for staff – our hard-working doctors and nurses don’t need this.
“This has happened because Labor can’t manage money and our health services are paying the price.”
Speaking at the Health Services Plan announcement on Thursday, Premier Jacinta Allan said hospitals would not be forced to amalgamate because she was not convinced it was in the best interest of patient care.
She announced the formation of a new body - Hospitals Victoria - to oversee back-office operations at hospitals and reduce "duplication" of some administration.
"We have too many different IT systems, too many different payroll systems, too much different back office bureaucracy that can be, instead, focused on delivering patient care," she said.
The State Government also announced it would be committing an additional $1.5 billion in funding for the state's hospitals, on top of more than $8.8 billion allocated in the state’s budget.
Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the funding increase recognised the state’s hospitals were going through their busiest year on record.
“Victoria’s health system is one of the best in the world, and these reforms will keep us on track to deliver even better patient care through a reformed health system that is better integrated and connected, at the same time protecting the local services we know Victorians trust and rely on,” she said.
Northeast Health Wangaratta was contacted by the Wangaratta Chronicle, but declined to comment.
