Ever since the State Budget was announced in May, cutting more than $200 million from the public health care system, several Members of Parliament have been advocating for the State Government to keep their ‘hands off our hospitals’.
With the proposal of hospital mergers a pressing concern, Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland and Member for Lowan Emma Kealy have been encouraging residents to attend community meetings, rallies, and sign petitions to request that the Legislative Council call on the Government to cancel its plans for hospital amalgamations.
Earlier this month, over 120 concerned residents gathered in Seymour to attend one such meeting hosted by Ms Cleeland. The meeting’s agenda was simple: inform residents regarding hospital mergers, and ensure local voices were heard.
“The meeting was a chance for us to share some information, answer some questions, and hopefully clarify some of the rumours and fears that people might have about hospital mergers in our region,” Ms Cleeland said.
“I feel it is incredibly important to ensure our community is kept informed about what these mergers will do to our local hospitals, Seymour Health included.
“So far, the lack of information being shared with the community from both Government and the hospitals themselves has been unacceptable.”
Currently, the State Government is planning to combine 76 health services across the state into 12 larger hubs.
While Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas acknowledged that the Victorian healthcare network of small, independently governed hospitals had worked in the past, she argued that the system needed to be re-evaluated for future needs.
“We currently have 76 health services, all with their own boards,” she said.
“That’s great and it has served us well, but it is time to look at whether it is the right model for the future.
“We are open to a range of ideas that might help us. The focus is on designing a system that can help those needs. No decisions have been taken, but we are very seriously examining the challenges that are currently being faced and our focus is on putting patients at the centre of every decision we make.”
Though Ms Thomas said there were no plans for the mergers to result in the closure of any hospitals, the proposed mergers would follow a 30 per cent cut to back-of-house costs to 25 small regional hospitals, which Ms Kealy argued was already having a ripple effect.
“The health cutback crisis has also spread to Ambulance Victoria. Three key executive roles will go, and operating models are set to be overhauled, resulting in more staff cuts,” she said.
“We all know further cuts will compromise response times and patient care. In regional areas where every minute counts, this could be a matter of life and death. Hospitals and ambulance services should be untouchable, yet they are under siege.”
Furthermore, Ms Kealy noted that the cuts had already seen hiring freezes (such as those implemented at Northern Health) reduced elective surgeries, and ‘turn the lights off’ directives.
“Victoria’s health system continues to buckle under the stress of budget cuts and mooted mergers,” she said.
“It’s both sad and alarming that things are so tight financially that staff are being urged to flick the light switch on the way out the door to save on the power bill.”
Last month, rallies against the mergers were held in Alexandra, Mansfield, and Yea, drawing out crowds of 200, 400, and over a 1000 respectively.
“Yea and Mansfield rallies are only the beginning … we demand to be heard,” Ms Kealy said.
Ms Cleeland supported the notion, stating that the mergers were an untimely and irresponsible decision.
“This comes at a time where regional communities are suffering from delayed ambulance response times, out of control surgery and GP waitlists, and a lack of resourcing for local hospitals,” she said.
“Mergers have proven to be an unpopular course of action, bringing about risks of job cuts and services being moved outside of local towns in favour of larger hubs outside of the community.
“The [Seymour] meeting revealed … [that] Seymour Health’s Chief Executive indicated he is wanting to fall in line with the government’s plans for hospital mergers under the guise of a partnership.
“Many attendees felt this decision was reached without consulting staff at the hospital, and without considering the views of the wider Seymour community.
“It is clear that the community is disappointed, and feels they deserved the chance to have their say on such an important matter.
“We’ve already seen mergers have a clear negative impact on other towns, and by surrendering management to larger hubs, Seymour Health will be neglecting community voices that are so important.
“I wholeheartedly oppose these mergers and support the right of our local hospitals to operate independently and not lose their local skill, [or] local knowledge. The signs are ominous.”
Ms Cleeland encouraged residents to sign the petition against hospital mergers via www.parliament.vic.gov.au/get-involved/petitions/cancel-plans-for-hospital-amalgamations.
