Barwon Health

Barwon Health Victoria's largest regional service, providing state-of-the-art treatment and care.

Barwon Health is established under the Health Services Act 1988 as a Schedule 5 public health service. Formed in 1998, Barwon Health is one of the largest and most comprehensive regional health services in Australia,
providing care at all stages of life and circumstance. With more than 8,758 staff, we are one of Australiaโ€™s
largest regional employers and the largest employer in Geelong. Barwon H

ealth provides services for everyone who needs care, regardless of their financial status or the location of their usual residence. As a regional health service, we provide leadership and tertiary referral services across the
Barwon South West region. We provide services from the University Hospital Geelong precinct in central Geelong, the McKellar Centre precinct in North Geelong and other locations including the Sunrise Centre, a partnership initiative with the Geelong Football Club and the Transport Accident Commission that provides a contemporary community venue for specialist community rehabilitation programs. We provide community health services from Anglesea, Belmont, Corio, Newcomb, and Torquay and dental services from Belmont, Corio and Newcomb. Our newest sites include Barwon Health North in Norlane providing, amongst other services, child and family health services, renal dialysis, medical imaging and an urgent care service. Mental health, drugs and alcohol services are provided at the Swanston Centre at University Hospital Geelong, Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) at Belmont Community Rehabilitation Facility, the McKellar Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre and Blakiston Lodge Psychogeriatric Unit at the McKellar Centre and 10 community-based locations including Belmont, central Geelong, Colac, Corio, Barwon Health North and Newcomb. We provide residential aged care beds across two sites: Alan David Lodge in Charlemont, and three lodges on the
McKellar Centre precinct in North Geelong these include Percy Baxter Lodge, Wallace Lodge and Blakiston Lodge. We provide a comprehensive range of health services including acute care (medicine, surgery, womenโ€™s health,
paediatrics, emergency and specialist clinics), mental health, alcohol and other drugs services, primary care,
community health, rehabilitation, geriatric medicine, palliative care, community nursing and hospital in the home. As a major teaching hospital, we have relationships with Deakin University, LaTrobe University, the Gordon
Institute and other tertiary education providers including the University of Melbourne and Monash University. We
provide teaching and training for all health professionals across all disciplines, at all career stages.

๐‰๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐‹๐ฒ๐ง๐œ๐ก, ๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ"I am a clinical nurse specialist on Baxter 7 which is general medicine, endocrino...
09/08/2025


๐‰๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐‹๐ฒ๐ง๐œ๐ก, ๐‚๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ž ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ž๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ
"I am a clinical nurse specialist on Baxter 7 which is general medicine, endocrinology and infectious diseases ward. We see a variety of patients so it's a good chance to see so many different sides of nursing. My speciality is skin integrity and pressure injury prevention throughout the ward. In 2021, I created a skin check chart to be used on Baxter 7 to help staff identify high risk patients and implement aids to reduce the risk of developing pressure injuries. Over the last few years, the chart has been an incredible tool to help reduce the pressure injuries across the ward.

Previously I worked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for four years. I took the advice of applying for a job at Barwon Health for a change of scenery, I accepted a role on Birdsey Wing 6 in 2016 which then moved up to Baxter 7 in July 2016 and I have been here ever since. I became a clinical nurse specialist in 2021 and was fortune enough to do a 12-month contract as a temporary associate nurse unit manager here on Baxter 7 as well.

I love the team I work with, we have some challenging shifts but we get by with the support of each other. The most rewarding part of the job is when we can see patients improve clinically and are grateful for the care we provide them. Their gratitude can make the world of difference. I am proud of what I have achieved in my time at Barwon Health and love the support I get from the team here on Baxter 7 and look forward to what the next 12 months will look like."

08/08/2025

Our latest episode of is timely during Dental Health Week.

Hear from dentist Dr Eliza about whether you should or shouldn't rinse with water after brushing your teeth.

๐Ÿฆท Get more dental health tips here: https://teeth.org.au/search

National Dying to Know Day (D2KD) aims to promote conversations and community actions to support each other at the end o...
08/08/2025

National Dying to Know Day (D2KD) aims to promote conversations and community actions to support each other at the end of life.

Join the Barwon Health Palliative Care team for a FREE screening of Oh, Canada OR The Salt Path to inspire meaningful conversations about death and dying.

๐Ÿ“… Thursday 28 August
๐Ÿ•ž 3.30pm (Oh Canada) or 6.30pm (The Salt Path)
๐Ÿ“ Pivotonian Cinema, South Geelong

Book Oh, Canada: https://www.trybooking.com/DEJCB
Book The Salt Path: https://www.trybooking.com/DEJCR

This event is proudly supported by the Western Victoria PHN.

When was the last time you had a conversation about death? It's not always easy, but it's important.Today is - a day o...
07/08/2025

When was the last time you had a conversation about death? It's not always easy, but it's important.

Today is - a day of action encouraging discussions about death, dying and bereavement, aimed at improving death literacy.

Make your plans, have the difficult conversations, and empower your loved ones to plan for their end-of-life wishes.

For resources, visit:
๐Ÿ”— advancecareplanning.org.au/home
๐Ÿ”— publicadvocate.vic.gov.au/your-rights/your-healthcare/making-an-advance-care-directive

Today is Aged Care Employees Day, giving us the opportunity to say to the staff who work tirelessly to care for reside...
07/08/2025

Today is Aged Care Employees Day, giving us the opportunity to say to the staff who work tirelessly to care for residents across our aged care services.

We acknowledge all aged care workers and their dedication, compassion and commitment to enhancing the quality of life of residents at Barwon Health. The care and respect they provide makes a profound difference to the lives of residents, and we appreciate the incredible work they do every day.

In this episode of Room 64 | A Palliative Care Podcast, we are joined by Jenny Horvath sharing her experience of palliat...
07/08/2025

In this episode of Room 64 | A Palliative Care Podcast, we are joined by Jenny Horvath sharing her experience of palliative care when her daughter Jess died at the age of 37 after a long illness. Jenny talks about her relationship with Jess, the love they shared as a family and her many health challenges.

Jenny openly talks about the fear of dying and the importance of education and conversations to help ease the stress and deal with the decision making. As part of Dying to Know Day on 8 August, take the opportunity to listen to this episode and share through your networks to keep these important conversations happening.

๐ŸŽง Listen now: https://www.barwonhealth.org.au/podcasts/ or https://open.spotify.com/episode/4at0ghe4BaWxeptiDhtUSw?si=R14KD7BnQhW7wEKVpBdcIA

๐“๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ! ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง ๐–๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ฌThe Victorian Government has committed more than $500 mi...
06/08/2025

๐“๐จ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ! ๐‹๐ž๐š๐ซ๐ง ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐š๐›๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ง๐ž๐ฐ ๐๐š๐ซ๐ฐ๐จ๐ง ๐–๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐‚๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐ž๐งโ€™๐ฌ

The Victorian Government has committed more than $500 million to deliver the Barwon Womenโ€™s and Childrenโ€™s which will provide more womenโ€™s and childrenโ€™s health facilities in Geelong.

Want to find out more? Join us at an upcoming information session where you can:
๐Ÿ‘ท Meet the builder
๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Chat to us about whatโ€™s being delivered
๐Ÿฅ See the latest designs
๐Ÿ—๏ธ Find out whatโ€™s coming up on-site
๐Ÿ˜ƒ Enjoy interactive kidsโ€™ activities
โ“ Ask us questions

๐Ÿ“ Location: Geelong West Town Hall
153 Pakington St, Geelong West

- ๐“๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ• ๐€๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ
Drop in between 3.30 pm โ€“ 6 pm

- ๐’๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐š๐ฒ ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ— ๐€๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ
Drop in between 11 am โ€“ 2 pm

These sessions are free to attend and no registration is required.

More information here https://www.vhba.vic.gov.au/event/barwon-womens-and-childrens-community-information-sessions-august-2025

๐Ÿš— Barwon Health's Volunteer Services has taken delivery of a new volunteer transport fleet vehicle.This new vehicle mean...
06/08/2025

๐Ÿš— Barwon Health's Volunteer Services has taken delivery of a new volunteer transport fleet vehicle.

This new vehicle means that our volunteer patient transport service can support more patients living with chronic illness and those without local support to attend their vital appointments at Barwon Health.

In 2024, our dedicated volunteer drivers completed 3,200 patient journeys across the region with two vehicles. With this new vehicle, we are better equipped to meet growing demand and expand the service more widely across Barwon Health.

The vehicle and its on-road costs were fully funded thanks to generous donations made to the Barwon Health Foundation.

๐Ÿ“ธ: Volunteer patient transport drivers with the new vehicle.

Grovedale resident Raymond Roper is benefiting from a streamlined recovery thanks to a new type of radiotherapy treatmen...
05/08/2025

Grovedale resident Raymond Roper is benefiting from a streamlined recovery thanks to a new type of radiotherapy treatment offered at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre (ALCC).

Mr Roper is the first patient with kidney cancer to receive Stereotactic Ablative Radiotherapy (SABR) at ALCC, marking another milestone in local cancer care.

SABR is a newer type of radiotherapy that delivers high doses of radiotherapy over fewer treatment sessions, compared to traditional radiotherapy that is spread over several weeks.

In 2024, SABR was rolled out at ALCC for prostate cancer and is now being offered to patients with kidney cancer.

Receiving treatment closer to home means patients like Mr Roper can spend more time enjoying activities at home, instead of having to travel for treatment.

โ€œHaving treatment closer to home means I donโ€™t have to travel to Melbourne which is fantastic,โ€ Mr Roper said.

โ€œThis treatment allows me to spend more time at home where I can grow vegetables in the garden and take part in activities at our retirement home including bar duties during happy hour.โ€

๐Ÿ“ฐ Read more: https://www.barwonhealth.org.au/news/new-radiotherapy-treatment-for-kidney-cancer-at-alcc/

๐Ÿ“ธ: Raymond Roper with his treatment team at ALCC.

๐‹๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐–๐ž๐ž๐คLoneliness is a critical issue and is recognised as a public health priority for many countries...
04/08/2025

๐‹๐จ๐ง๐ž๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐€๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐–๐ž๐ž๐ค

Loneliness is a critical issue and is recognised as a public health priority for many countries around the world. However, despite being highly prevalent, loneliness isnโ€™t widely understood or spoken about in Australia.

Loneliness Awareness Week shines a spotlight on the shared experience of loneliness and calls on all Australians, including individuals, communities, workplaces, education, and government, to take action to reduce loneliness and create more opportunities for meaningful social connections.

Young people, aged 16-25, are feeling increasingly lonely, and itโ€™s impacting their health and wellbeing. This year's theme is 'Moment's Matter'.

Making friends or forming connections takes time and effort, but it often starts with a small moment. A quick hello, a chance encounter, an act of kindness, a compliment, a shared experience or interest, a new hobby or even a funny story โ€“ these small but meaningful interactions matter.

They spark conversation and help us feel seen and valued.

More resources or information here https://lonelinessawarenessweek.com.au/

We're proud to celebrate two amazing volunteers who were recognised at the 2025 Volunteering Geelong Awards with the Rot...
04/08/2025

We're proud to celebrate two amazing volunteers who were recognised at the 2025 Volunteering Geelong Awards with the Rotary Club of Kardinia last week.

Heather Miller was named Volunteer of the Year for her incredible compassion and support for patients at Barwon Health through the patient transport program and within the Palliative Care Unit, while Masooma Faqiri was a Youth Volunteer Award finalist thanks to her kindness and dedication at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre.

Congratulations, Heather and Masooma! Your hard work truly brightens our community.

Pictured: L-R Masooma Faqiri, Volunteer Service manager Claire Taprell, Heather Miller and volunteer coordinator Nina Chegini.

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Our Story

Barwon Health is one of the largest and most comprehensive regional health services in Australia, providing care at all stages of life and circumstance. Health services available through Barwon Health cover the full spectrum from primary care, community services, aged care, rehabilitation, mental health, emergency and acute care. With the exception of neurosurgery and transplantation, virtually all other specialties are available through University Hospital Geelong.

Care is provided to the community through:


  • Community health services at key locations throughout the region.

  • Aged care through the McKellar Centre and its sites at North Geelong and Charlemont.