The Alfred

Providing leading healthcare for the people of Melbourne & Victoria. Alfred Health is a leading metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia.

For all the latest information about The Alfred and our visiting hours please visit www.alfredhealth.org.au/visitors We pride ourselves on giving our patients and our community the best possible health outcomes by integrating clinical practice with research and education. Alfred Health provides a comprehensive range of specialist services including Australia's busiest trauma centre. We also operate one the largest and most advanced intensive care units (ICU) in the southern hemisphere. Alfred Health offers almost ever form of medical treatment across our three locations at The Alfred, Caulfield Hospital and Sandringham Hospital. Recognised as a national leader in health care, Alfred Health has a commitment to biomedical research. We are also known for excellence in training for medical, nursing, allied health and other support staff. This is further enhanced through partnerships with Monash University, La Trobe University, and several internationally recognised medical research organisations such as the Burnet Institute.

02/10/2025

Alfred Health’s Eating Disorders Intensive at Home Program and Ngamai Wilam, Victoria’s first publicly funded residential eating disorder treatment centre, have embraced a pioneering therapeutic approach from overseas.

The model, known as Open Dialogue, centres on mobilising a person’s trusted social network—friends, family, and loved ones—to support them through a mental health crisis.

Facilitated with a mental health clinician and a peer worker with lived experience, the approach empowers the individual to lead their own recovery journey by involving those that are important to them, and those that could be of help, in a series of ‘network’ meetings.

Together, with the support of the practitioners, the group aims to make sense of the current crisis and co-develop a plan to move forward, with the person’s needs and wishes remaining central throughout the process.

Today the potential of Open Dialogue was explored further at this year’s Australian Open Dialogue Symposium. Clinicians, researchers, and lived experience advocates gathered to discuss its future in Australia’s mental health landscape.

More here: https://bit.ly/4pVW9nW

25/09/2025

Between calls, we managed to catch Lead Pharmacist for Home, Acute and Community, Duy Le, to wish him a Happy World Pharmacists Day!

Duy’s team is currently working on a new initiative where pharmacy staff follow up with patients once they’ve returned home after a hospital stay.

“We check in to see how they’re managing their medications, as these often change during admission,” Duy said.

“We confirm they understand any changes, talk through how their medicines are working - including side effects and effectiveness - and provide advice or answer questions.

“We also make sure they’re linked in with any follow-up care they might need.

“This helps ensure the medicines we’ve prescribed are truly benefiting them and gives patients greater confidence in managing their treatment.”

Despite pharmacy being an essential part of both hospitals and the community, Duy said many people still wonder what pharmacists actually do.

“I saw an Insta reel where someone joked about what pharmacists could possibly be doing behind the counter after getting a prescription - which made me laugh,” Duy said.

“But the reality is, behind the counter we’re doing far more than people might realise.”

Read more here: https://bit.ly/4mAkHQi

22/09/2025

Did you catch our PARTY program on the news this weekend? Led by Emergency Nurse Sue Smith, the Prevent Alcohol and Risk-related Trauma in Youth (PARTY) program connects with young people, helping them understand the consequences of risk taking behaviours, as well as giving them a backstage pass to one of the country's busiest hospitals.

15/09/2025

You might notice that we’ve begun a major refresh of signage to help patients and visitors find their way around The Alfred.

Each of our buildings has been designated with a letter. Together, they form an alphabetical sequence on the new map. For example, Philip Block is now Area A; located next to East Block which is now Area B.

Original building names remain clearly marked for those comfortable with the old system.

Front receptionist Lakhbir said she's had good feedback from visitors using the new system.

“It's already helping a lot,” Lakhbir said.

“People are enjoying the new green colour scheme.”

We hope these changes make a positive difference to your hospital experience and thank you for your patience as we transition over to the new system.

View the new map online here: https://bit.ly/3Ko7MU4

11/09/2025

Almost 40 of our social workers took time out to share lunch today, a practice that isn't just limited to R U OK? Day.

With practitioners spread across different wards and all medical units to support treating teams, patients and families, these regular team gatherings ensure team members have the chance to have meaningful conversations with each other about the challenges they face.

"R U OK? Day reminds us of the importance of self-care, especially while supporting some of our patients who can be living in incredibly complex circumstances," said Jo Matchado, Senior Social Worker.

As well as access to regular workplace wellbeing programs with an external consultant and clinical supervision, the team holds regular morning teas and lunches, footy games and performances to celebrate key milestones and recognise contributions.

"We also run the Health with Heart initiative, where staff write postcards acknowledging colleagues who have inspired them, displayed in our Social Work office," said Jo.

"As social workers, we're great at looking after other people. But it's equally as important we look after ourselves."

Today, and any day, make the time to check in with your friends, family and teammates, and ask R U OK?

08/09/2025

When 53 year old Theresa was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer in 2019, there was no one more important to her than her brother Travers and his partner of 20 years, James.

“They have been my rocks, and their love has been my foundation throughout life,” Theresa said.

Supported by the Spiritual Care team to help make meaning of her life and illness, Theresa recognised the grief she held at the prospect of not being able to see Travers and James get married.

“I love James like he is my own brother and I wanted to celebrate their love for each other and my love for them.”

Two days later, with the help of The Alfred community, Travers and James were joined by close family and friends as Theresa walked them down the aisle of the hospital’s Spirituality Centre.

“It was an amazing day - heartbreaking - but also full of joy,” Travers reflects.

Facilitating moments of connection is at the core of spiritual care in healthcare, says Spiritual Care Manager Reineke Ryan.

“People often wonder what spirituality is – it's what makes someone who they are and how they connect with the world around them."

“This will hopefully be a precious memory for the family to hold onto as they continue to reflect on life, and we’re pleased to stand beside them in part of that journey.”

Congratulations Travers and James.

05/09/2025

We’ve kicked off this year’s Critical Care Appeal at home in the Alfred’s retail precinct!

If you stop by for a coffee or a meal you’ll see the 3AW pop up studio where you can hear some of our Alfred Clinicians chatting about the work they do on the airwaves.

This year’s appeal is raising money for Mobile ECPR, an advanced form of life support - commonly only offered in specialist hospitals - to take over the function of the heart and lungs to patients in the community after cardiac arrest.

Mark Wohlers, whose life was saved by Mobile ECPR, joined Mornings presenter Tom Elliott alongside the trial’s co-lead and intensive care specialist Dr Sacha Richardson to chat about the lifesaving intervention and the technology behind it.

Stay tuned for the rest of today and tomorrow morning to hear about the amazing work being done – or better yet, donate here: https://alfredappeal.org.au/

01/09/2025

Recently Julie and Bill travelled from Gippsland to get to know their daughter’s “other family”.

“We’re Natalie’s biological family, but she also has a work family who are important to her,” Julie said.

“And that makes them important to us, which is why it’s nice to put a face to the names and join all the dots.”

Along with 150 other families, they attended The Alfred Intensive Care Unit’s family night. Held annually, it’s an opportunity for staff to invite their loved ones into the hospital for a behind-the-scenes look at what they do.

Natalie said it was a special opportunity to give her family insight into her role as a Nurse Educator.

“I’m quite proud of the work I do as well as the work of the hospital,” Natalie said.

“So I really wanted to show them the interesting and amazing things the ICU do every day.”

Bill said he was struck by the scope of practice carried out by ICU Nurses.

“There’s more to it than you think and it's changed over time," Bill said.

“Nurses do very technical work, and there’s a lot that happens when they’re working at the bedside.”

22/08/2025

When 79 year old John was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he assumed he had a long road to recovery in front of him.

Instead, the Melbourne man has become one of the first patients in an Australian-breakthrough trial which is cutting the number of sessions required for radiation therapy to the whole prostate by more than half.

As part of the trial for patients with intermediate-risk prostate cancer, John has only needed to attend The Alfred twice, rather than five times.

“Once the team decided radiation therapy was the best treatment for me, I was offered the opportunity to participate in the trial which I said yes to immediately," John said, pictured with members for The Alfred's radiation oncology team.

“I knew that not only did it mean fewer radiation therapy sessions for me, it meant I’d be contributing to something bigger, and be part of shaping what treatments will look like for others in the future.”

The trial, which commenced this month, is designed to significantly reduce the impact and inconvenience of treatment on patients, particularly those living in regional areas, while still achieving similar outcomes and minimising treatment related side effects.

Read more: https://bit.ly/45vq0LQ

19/08/2025

Did you know that 1 in 3 Australian women are living with migraine?

It’s the latest big discovery to come out of this year’s National Women’s Health Survey conducted by our friends at Jean Hailes for Women's Health.

Our very own Alfred neurologist Dr Emma Foster joined to give a little more information about the condition, especially as it relates to women's health.

18/08/2025

Two international dermatologists visited The Alfred Precinct recently to mark the official launch of the SkIIN Discovery Program, a partnership dedicated to investigating how cutting-edge technology and translational research can be used to manage common skin disorders.

In the meeting of the minds, Prof Harald Kittler (Austria) and Prof Colin Flemming (Scotland) joined researchers from The Alfred and Monash University to delve deeper into understanding the benefits, limitations and considerations of using artificial intelligence to advance skin research and hear about the latest studies taking place at the Precinct.

“We have world-leading skin researchers and clinicians here onsite, and this program allows us to harness that expertise and combine it with cutting-edge informatics, to develop the best therapies for patients both here and across Australia,” said Prof Johannes Kern, Director Dermatology at Alfred Health, Prof Dermatology at Monash University, and Co-Head SkIIN Discovery Program pictured with Prof Victoria Mar, Director Victorian Melanoma Service at The Alfred, Adjunct Prof at Monash University, and fellow Co-Head of SkIIN.

Clinician researchers at SkIIN (Skin Inflammation, Informatics and Neoplasia) Discovery Program, a partnership between The Alfred and Monash University, are currently investigating more effective ways to diagnose and treat skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer, using biological data and artificial intelligence.

14/08/2025

As a scrub scout nurse (“On TV we're the ones handing it over when the surgeon says ‘scalpel!’”) Brigitte knows first-hand how much surgical equipment is used in hospital operating theatres.

“These pieces of plastic are from a sterile surgical instrument wrap as well as our single use consumable products,” Brigitte said.

“Single use products are often unavoidable, so I think it is important to do our bit to recycle as much as we can of their packaging”.

Brigitte heads up The Alfred’s operating theatres Green Team, and is helping to pilot a soft plastics recycling program.

“We easily fill up a big bin or two per day with all the plastic we collect from each theatre,” Brigitte said.

Rather than heading to landfill, the plastics are sent for advanced recycling, where they are broken down into chemical components resulting in crude oil. The oil is then reused in plastic manufacturing, contributing to a more circular and sustainable system.

“There’s a lot in operations that can’t be recycled, but if we can take care of one stream of plastic waste, it will make a big difference.”

Address

55 Commercial Road Melbourne
South Yarra, VIC
3004

Website

https://www.alfredhealth.org.au/the-alfred

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Our Story

The Alfred is a leading metropolitan health service in Melbourne, Australia. We pride ourselves on giving our patients and our community the best possible health outcomes by integrating clinical practice with research and education. The Alfred provides a comprehensive range of specialist services and we’re home to Australia's busiest trauma centre, treating major trauma patients from across the state. We also operate one the largest and most advanced intensive care units (ICU) in the southern hemisphere.

Patients come to The Alfred for specialty services like comprehensive cancer care, respiratory medicine, cardiology and cardiovascular services. We run 14 statewide services including burns, heart and lung transplant, melanoma, HIV, psychiatry intensive care, bariatric and more. We are the only hospital in Australia to perform paediatric lung transplants. Recognised as a national leader in health care, The Alfred has a commitment to biomedical research. This is made possible through strong partnerships with Monash University, La Trobe University, and several internationally recognised medical research organisations such as the Burnet Institute.