Western Health

27/10/2025

24/10/2025

It was a pleasure to welcome Premier Jacinta Allan, Member for St Albans Natalie Suleyman MP, Member for Kororoit Luba Grigorovitch MP and Member for Laverton Sarah Connolly MP to Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital this week, as the Victorian Government announced a $6 million investment in western suburbs emergency departments (EDs).

🚑🩺Western Health will receive more than $4.5 million of this funding to improve patient flow at Sunshine Hospital. This will allow us to hire more doctors, nurses and allied health workers - increasing our ED capacity, and improving ambulance offload times. 🏥

To help patients transition from hospital to home and free up beds, we will also recruit two discharge coordinators, as well as additional nursing and support staff. In addition, we will expand our ‘fast-track’ model of care – recruiting additional clinical staff to open six overnight cubicles, helping to ensure timely access to care for patients who present with less serious injuries and illnesses.

📸L-R: Western Health Chief Operating Officer John Ferraro, Western Health Clinical Services Director - Emergency Medicine & Intensive Care Services, Dr Megan Robb, Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch, Premier Jacinta Allan.

23/10/2025

🌟 🏡 Rehab at home provides intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation where patients can recover in their own environment. Like traditional rehabilitation, our team provides personalised care and tailored treatment plans to meet the individual needs of each person.

While maintaining hospital‑level intensity, the program is tailored and person-centred, coordinated by a multidisciplinary team including doctors, physios, occupational therapists, speech therapists, allied health assistants, social workers and nurses. 💙🙌

22/10/2025

Meet Dr Yannick Planche.

As our Chief Medical Informatics Officer and an Intensive Care Consultant, Dr Planche brings together decades of clinical experience and a passion for digital transformation. 💻💡

From supporting families during life’s most vulnerable moments to leading the shift toward smarter, data-driven healthcare, his work is driven by purpose and compassion. 📊 💜

When asked to explain his role he says:

💬 ‘I’m a doctor working in digital health to help clinicians deliver better care.’

We’re proud to have Dr Planche leading the way at our health service. 👏🌟

21/10/2025

✨Today is Pharmacy Technician Day and a chance to recognise the incredible work our pharmacy technician and procurement teams do every day across Western Health.

They bring skill, dedication and teamwork to everything they do, from preparing medications and managing stock to supporting our pharmacists and ensuring patients receive safe, timely care.

We’re thrilled to introduce Nurel, one of our senior Pharmacy Technicians who recently joined Western Health, and to thank all our pharmacy technician and procurement teams for their professionalism, precision and commitment. 🙏

We appreciate all you do for our patients, colleagues and community. 💙👏

17/10/2025

♻️ Repairing plays a vital role in reducing waste and supporting responsible consumption.

At Western Health, our Biomedical Engineering team manages more than 21,000 medical devices across all sites.

💡 Today, Vinh and Joanna are working on infusion devices used across our health service.

The team also looks after equipment like machines that monitor your blood pressure or your heart’s rhythm and electrical activity, helping to ensure everything remains safe, durable and fit for purpose.

Through their expertise, our Biomedical Engineering team helps extend the life of vital equipment, reduce waste and support more sustainable healthcare.

⚡ With global e-waste growing five times faster than recycling can manage, repair and reuse are more important than ever.

🔧 On International Repair Day, we recognise the skill, dedication and impact of this incredible team.

💚 Thank you for helping us deliver safe and sustainable care!

17/10/2025

We’re proud to be recognised by the Australian Defence Force for supporting staff who serve as reservists in the Army, Navy and Air Force.

Footscray Hospital Theatre received a 2025 Victoria Employer Support Award, honouring civilian employers who go above and beyond to support reservist staff.

Thank you to our reservist staff for your service, and to our teams for the leadership and support that make it possible.

👉 Read more about on the website:https://bit.ly/4n5hQiE

16/10/2025

📦✨ A time capsule filled with items representing Western Health staff and the Footscray community was installed at the new Footscray Hospital! 🏥💙

Western Health CEO Professor Russell Harrison was joined by Katie Hall MP (Member for Footscray), Claire Shiell (Executive Director, Portfolio Delivery, Plenary Health), Julia Beckingsale (Design and Technical Director, Victorian Health Building Authority), Rohenna Young (Thrive Manager, Victoria University), and representatives from Western Health — including Patricia Tissera (Interpreter, Language Services) and Carmel Brown (Volunteer Visitor Guide).

🕰️ The capsule holds treasured items such as:
📘 The original Footscray Hospital blueprints
🗣️ A Language Services card
🎗️ A volunteer lapel pin
🩺 Memorabilia from nurse Adele Ryan, who trained under Mavis Mitchell

…and many more meaningful pieces celebrating the people who make Western Health special.

The time capsule has been installed at the Village Green and will be opened in 2050 - 25 years from now! 🔓📅

15/10/2025

“You play a hugely important role in our care team at Western Health.
“From patients’ first point of contact with us, right to the end – through discharge, and then at home and in the community – you span the whole care continuum.
“That can’t be underestimated.” 💬

👏 CEO Russell Harrison thanked Western Health’s extraordinary Allied Health workforce yesterday, marking Allied Health Professions Day.

With more than 1500 staff across our sites, the Allied Health team covers a diverse range of specialities across therapies and sciences.

Yesterday’s awards ceremony, held in the Sunshine Hospital auditorium and livestreamed across our organisation, acknowledged the contribution of all Allied Health staff and honoured some outstanding performers.

Award winners in the five categories were:

🤝 Clinical Practice Award: Cathy Lowry, Tegan Janezki, Image Quality Audit Project Team
🤝 Positive Workplace and Wellbeing Award: Grace Bassett, Kelly Fleury, Medical Imaging Education team
🤝 Leadership Award: Deanna Guy, Sarah McCann, Ruth Pattison
🤝 Allied Health Excellence Award: Lien Pham, Liz Witherow, Zoe Bearlin
🤝 Allied Health Team Excellence Award: Not Just a Meal, ABC Transition, Computed Tomography Team.

✨Congratulations to all the winners.

30/09/2025

👏 We’re thrilled to welcome 50 new staff to Western Health as we celebrate the return of our Registered Undergraduate Students of Nursing and Midwifery (RUSON/Ms).

RUSON/Ms are university students who have completed at least 12 months of their nursing or midwifery degree. Working under supervision, they provide vital support to patient care while gaining valuable real-world experience.

Among this intake are friends, Madeline and Ivy, who first met in high school and were involved in the St John Ambulance youth program together. Their shared passion for helping others has grown into a joint journey in healthcare. Today, Madeline is studying Nursing & Midwifery, while Ivy is studying Nursing & Paramedicine, and both have now begun their RUSON/M roles at Western Health.

💬 Madeline reflects on the role as a new RUSOM at Western Health as “amazing! Everyone was so friendly and supportive, and I was excited to be offered a position at Western Health.”
💬 Ivy agrees, adding that her role as a RUSON and working close to home in Melbourne’s West means a lot. “I can support families in my community.”

Professional Practice Development & Improvement Manager Hannah Sharrock said “The RUSON and RUSOM roles at Western Health represent an innovative undergraduate employment model that goes beyond clinical learning. It offers provides a structured professional environment that eases the transition into registered practice. By integrating real-world work experiences with study, this model builds confidence, reduces transition shock, and prepares students for success as future nurses and midwives. I’m truly excited to be recruiting for this important role again”.

25/09/2025

Hospital meals are more than food - they’re a vital part of the care we provide. 💛

Behind every meal is a dedicated food service team member who prepares and serves each meal with compassion, efficiency, and pride.

On National Food Service Employee Day, we thank our incredible food service staff for the kindness, care and commitment they bring to patients, families, and colleagues every day. 🙏

19/09/2025

Meet Heather and Donna, two of Western Health’s Dementia Support Nurses. They work with people and families living in the community who are experiencing cognitive changes related to dementia.

‘Our goal is to support people to live at home for as long as they can’ explained Heather.

‘We walk the path with them, we visit, we sit with them, we provide information and support families with dementia management strategies and we help connect them with further support services as required.’

Heather and Donna understand how challenging it can be to care for a loved one living with dementia, and provide support to not only the person experiencing the memory issues but their loved ones and friends as well.

‘Carers do such a wonderful job, but there is no doubt that this can been a very difficult position to be in. We are there to help them, and their loved one to have the best life possible while living at home.’

‘It can be a really rewarding role,’ Heather said.

‘But also a really challenging one. There are families you’ve walked the path with and things can change quickly.’

Heather and Donna run a number of groups for local people to join where they can come for social interaction and information sharing. They are open to anyone experiencing memory problems, or for those caring for people.

🟣 Carer Support Group – 4th Tuesday of each month, alternating between Melton and Bacchus Marsh, 1–2.30pm
🟣 Chat and Relax Group (Bacchus Marsh) – 2nd Wednesday of each month, Bacchus Marsh Library, 1–2.30pm
🟣 Chat and Relax Group (Melton) – 3rd Monday of each month, Melton Community Services, 10.30–11.30am

Community members are welcome to attend. We’ll then follow up with information about ongoing registration.

This week is Dementia Action Week, led by Dementia Australia. Together, we can raise awareness and support people living with dementia and their carers.