25th February 2022 – A new health service for Mount Alexander Shire
The Victorian Government has approved the proposal put forward by the Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health boards to come together as one organisation.
The boards of Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have welcomed the Victorian Government’s approval.
The new health service will officially commence on 1 March 2022. The integration follows more than 42 years of strong collaboration and partnership between the two health services.
Sue Race, Chief Executive Officer for both Castlemaine Health and Maldon Hospital, will continue in her role as Chief Executive Officer for the newly integrated organisation. Ms Race said that staff, residents and the community can expect the same excellent care they always have, with local teams focusing on the needs of patients and residents at each health service.
Ms Race said: “I’m excited to be leading this transition to a unified health service. Both Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have a long history together and we share the same intense desire to serve our communities. We have listened carefully throughout the consultation process and understand the concerns and hopes of our communities. We have a historic opportunity to shape a better health system with the scale to think big about health and wellbeing with local teams in place to deliver individual care.”
Following through on the Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health boards’ commitment to develop a new overarching entity name, they have worked with the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, trading as DJAARA, to find a name. DJAARA’s Language Repatriation Officer, Harley Dunolly-Lee and the Djali Balak Language committee have provided their leadership to help define a name in Dja Dja Wurrung language.
The new overarching entity name will be ‘Dhelkaya Health’. Dhelkaya’s English translation means ‘Good/Being Healthy’. The choice of an Indigenous name acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung’s traditional ownership of the lands on which we live and work and expresses our gratitude to the Dja Dja Wurrung for sharing them with us.
The Djali Balak Language committee state: “Language is one of the most significant aspects of the culture and heritage of any group. Aboriginal culture and knowledge systems are largely expressed verbally, through vocalising place names, stories and songs. Aboriginal languages express not only culture, but also kinship, relationship to the land and water (oceans and rivers) and environmental knowledge. They contain a complex conceptual framework for the living things on the land, the landscape and natural resources. Without language, the link between Aboriginal people and Country would be compromised and the benefit of Aboriginal knowledge may be lost.”
The Minister for Health has appointed the new board of directors, which is made up of a balanced mix of directors from both Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health.
Ms Vanessa Healy, previously Maldon Hospital Board Chair, has been appointed to the combined board as a Board Director. Ms Healy said “I am honoured to be appointed to the board of this health service. Working as one, our new organisation has the capacity and ambition to deliver the safe, high-quality healthcare our communities deserve well into the future. I am excited about advancing community health and wellbeing in Mount Alexander Shire and will continue listening to staff, volunteers, patients and residents as our work progresses.”
Ms Peggy Ronnau, previously Castlemaine Health Board Chair, has also been appointed to the newly combined board as Board Director. Ms Ronnau said: “The extensive consultation has shined a light on our individual strengths and how we can work as one to build on our legacy of cooperation. We have great relationships, strong connections with our communities and long-standing and trusting relationships with those we care for. This is a move from strength to strength.”
On day one, patients, residents and families will not experience any changes to the services they receive or the staff delivering their care. There will be no significant changes to how each local health service is run day to day.
Over time the integrated organisation expects to find natural opportunities to combine and grow services. The first key step in this process will be development of a new strategic plan. Staff, volunteers and communities will be consulted to help define a shared vision and plan for the future.
Staff and community engagement have already helped define clear commitments that will be embedded in the integration and strategic planning process:
- Mountview Home and Jessie Bowe House at Maldon Hospital will continue to provide the same excellent care they always have
- A new entity would ensure local fundraising for each health service will go directly to that local service
- Volunteers will continue to be recruited and work locally
- There will be no loss of services at either of the health services as a direct result of amalgamation
- There will be no reduction in staffing levels as a direct result of the amalgamation and people will be able to work when and where they work today, unless they wish to change
- Local representation on the Board for both communities would be strongly recommended to the Minister for Health, and local Community Consultative Committees in Maldon and Castlemaine would be continued
- The local community will continue to have opportunities to participate in engagement about the future of the unified health service provider
- Clients and patients will continue to have choice as to where they access care
- Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health will remain as registered business and trading names, however there will be an overarching new entity name.
Ms Race said: “By working as one we can ensure the patient and resident care these much-loved health services deliver is sustainable well into the future. Together as one we can enhance services while reducing the need for patients to travel. We can create career pathways for staff and make more efficient use of resources to more effectively deliver frontline services. The future is bright for health and wellbeing in the Mount Alexander Shire.”
Further information on the transition to one organisation and how the community can get involved in helping to shape the future of health in Mount Alexander Shire will be published at www.castlemainehealth.org.au and www.maldhosp.vic.gov.au
Read the FAQs
21 January 2022 – Boards agree to join up for better Healthcare
Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health are working together to deliver better healthcare and well-being services for the communities of Mount Alexander.
A proposal for the health services to formally come together to create a new health service, supported by a comprehensive business case, has been endorsed by the two Boards. In accordance with the Health Services Act, the proposal has been sent to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Minister for Health for consideration and for approval.
At their most recent meetings, the Boards agreed that a new, unified health service would benefit the community through enhanced services, improved staff development opportunities, and more efficient use of resources that enable more effective delivery of frontline services.
Ms. Vanessa Healy, Maldon Hospital Board Chair, said: “After extensive consultation with community, patients and residents, our GPs, staff and volunteers, the Boards are confident that unification will deliver the very best outcomes for local people. We’ve heard first-hand what’s needed to ensure health care for the future and how important it is to maintain our local identity and the sense of community that people value.”
In the proposed structure, both services will continue delivering health care to their communities but create significant opportunities for sharing resources and working together, creating career pathways for staff while providing more services locally and reducing the need for patients to travel.
Ms. Peggy Ronnau, Castlemaine Health Board Chair, said: “The extensive consultation process has highlighted the individual strengths of our organisations and shown us how we can work as one to build on our legacy of cooperation. We have great relationships with each other, strong connections with our communities and long-standing and trusting relationships with those we care for. This is a move from strength to strength.”
Staff and community engagement across both communities has helped define clear commitments should the proposal proceed:
- The strong continuum of urgent care, already established between Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health, will continue to effectively service the communities of Mount Alexander Shire.
- It is proposed that Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health will remain as registered business and trading names, however there will be a new overarching entity name.
- Mount view Home and Jessie Bowe House at Maldon Hospital will continue to provide the same excellent care they always have.
- A new entity would ensure local fundraising for each health service will go directly to that local service.
- Volunteers will continue to be recruited and work locally.
- There will be no loss of services at either of the health services as a direct result of amalgamation.
- There will be no reduction in staffing levels as a direct result of the amalgamation and people will be able to work when and where they work today, unless they wish to change.
- Local representation on the Board for both communities would be strongly recommended to the Minister for Health, and local Community Consultative Committees in Maldon and Castlemaine would continue.
- The local community will continue to have opportunities to participate in engagement about the future of the unified health service.
- Clients and patients will continue to have choice as to where they access care.
If the proposal is approved by the Minister for Health the first key step would be to develop a new strategic plan in consultation with staff, volunteers and the communities of the Mount Alexander region that defines a shared vision and plan for the future.
Click here to read the media release
15 December 2021 – Community Presentation: Engagement findings
The findings of our community engagement were reported back to the community in a live-streamed webinar on 16 December.
Download the Community Presentation.
12 November 2021 – Healthcare for the communities of Mount Alexander
Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have worked together for 42 years to deliver complete healthcare and wellbeing services across the communities of Mount Alexander.
We share a CEO, workforce and many services and are always looking for other ways we can collaborate for the benefit of all.
Over the last few months, we have started making changes, big changes, to the way we deliver healthcare in this region. We believe that together we can deliver better healthcare, closer to home and enhance services in our region, now and into the future.
With strong support from hospital staff, we changed the way we deliver urgent care at Maldon Hospital. CHIRP Community Health also integrated with Castlemaine Health, which will ensure more equitable access to community health and wellbeing programs to the communities of Mount Alexander.
We now want to make sure Maldon Hospital can continue to build on its proud 161-year history of care in Maldon, with the same name, same historic building and connection to the community.
It’s time to build on this collaboration – in fact, it’s overdue. We are acting to make our health resources work better for everyone and building on our long history of close cooperation.
Now is the time to build on the collaboration of these two health services to:
- Provide more training and development opportunities for our staff
- Redirect resources and use them in different ways in areas that need it most
- Enhance Maldon Hospital’s provision of allied health, primary care and aged care
- Add services requested by the community and local medical staff.
We ran a consultation through October/November 2021 to hear from the communities of Mount Alexander to help us respond and plan for a shared future. Change will only happen if the boards are in agreement, if community benefit is assured, and if the State Government accepts the boards’ recommendations.
For more information see our infographic and media release.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is this happening?
Castlemaine Health and Maldon Hospital have worked together for 42 years in Mount Alexander. Over the last few months, we have started making changes to the way we deliver healthcare in this region.
These have been motivated by demand from patients and residents, changes in the Mount Alexander demographic, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the implications of two health Royal Commissions and reassessing how we allocate resources.
Now is the time to build on this collaboration – in fact, it’s overdue. Our boards have jointly agreed to explore a voluntary amalgamation we believe would deliver better health services for the communities of Mount Alexander, and secure Maldon Hospital in its current form for generations to come. The Boards will now commission a proposal that will examine the potential benefits of unification.
2. What is a voluntary amalgamation?
The Health Services Act (1988) requires any amalgamation of health services in Victoria to be voluntary and agreed between boards.
It is a requirement of the Health Services Act 1988 for any voluntary amalgamation to result in the provision of better health services in Victoria or is otherwise in the public interest. The Minister for Health can only approve a voluntary amalgamation, on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Department of Health, if these requirements are met.
3. What is the process from here?
The boards of Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health have agreed to be pre-emptive and act now to develop a proposal to explore the potential benefits of coming together as one health service.
While we see this as the most likely outcome, this change will only happen if the boards are in agreement, if community benefit is assured, and if the State Government accepts the boards’ recommendations.
We are going to work together now, to involve staff, patients, stakeholders and communities in planning for better regional health and wellbeing in the communities of Mount Alexander.
In early December, we will present back to the community with what we’ve heard. This community feedback will also help inform the proposal, which if endorsed by both boards, will be submitted to the Department of Health by the end of the year.
4. How is “community benefit” defined when deciding what happens next?
Any voluntary amalgamation needs to deliver a net improvement to the provision of services for the communities served by each health service.
The Health Services Act (1988) requires any amalgamation of health services in Victoria to be voluntary and agreed between boards.
It is a requirement of the Health Services Act 1988 for any voluntary amalgamation to result in the provision of better health services in Victoria or is otherwise in the public interest. The Minister for Health can only approve a voluntary amalgamation, on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Department of Health, if these requirements are met.
5. We love our local hospital, it’s a part of our community. Will we lose our identity if we amalgamate?
No. Whatever happens in this process, we can guarantee that Maldon Hospital and Castlemaine Health will remain here under their current names in the future.
A new entity would ensure local fundraising for each health service will go directly to that local health service. Volunteers will be recruited and work locally, just like they are now.
6. Will there be loss of services in my area?
Definitely not. There will be no loss of services at either of the healthcare services. Our proposal is driven by a desire to improve the breadth, accessibility, quality and sustainability of local healthcare in the region.
7. Will staff lose jobs because of this?
No. This is about recruiting and investing in our staff. There will be no reductions in staffing levels and people will be able to work when and where they work today, unless they wish to change.
8. What about governance – will it be diluted in a bigger health service?
Not at all. Any health service would be underpinned by clear governance structures. In fact, a unified service would significantly reduce the time taken to fulfill two separate compliance structures, ensuring better focus on these important issues.
9. Is this being forced upon you by the State Government?
No, we initiated this proposal voluntarily, exploring how we can deliver better health outcomes for our communities. Change will only happen if the boards are in agreement, if community benefit is assured, and if approved by the Minister for Health.
10. Will we lose our board? How can you ensure local representation?
Should we come together, it is correct to say that there would only be one board. Local representation on the board for both communities would be strongly recommended to the Minister for Health, and community advisory committees in Maldon and Castlemaine would be mandatory.
11. Why is this happening now?
We recognise our people are fatigued and stressed as COVID-19 has tested us in ways we’ve never been tested before. We’ve learned more about the power of collaboration and partnerships with our neighbours through managing the demands of COVID-19. Through this first-hand experience, we know there are better ways to do regional health.
This is why we are embarking on this process, to explore ways we can meet the challenges we share head-on, and how we meet the future demand and needs of the communities of Mount Alexander.
12. How can I have my say?
Our community consultation has closed but your can contact us anytime via our website.