“[The Nurse Unit Manager] and the doctor co- ordinated everything – I went straight from St Vincent’s to my home in Swan Hill … didn’t even have to go through the hospital at Swan Hill again. Not that I would have minded – they are all wonderful at the hospital. It was just quicker, easier and less hassle to be allowed to go straight home. “…[over Christmas] we had a house full. The family came from Singapore, Sydney, all over the place. It was a joyful time for me to be at home. I might have missed all that if I was still in hospital. I’m sure it [being home] helped my wellbeing.” Without collaboration between the hospital, health service and many staff, Warwick wouldn’t have been able to welcome family from far and wide to his home. He would have missed a joyous time of love and laughter – and good food! The Better@Home program is another great story about more coordinated care to improve life for our patients, like 62-year-old Loddon Mallee patient ‘DR’. Post-surgery at Echuca Regional Health, DR not only recovered safely at home, but was supported to get his diet and diabetes under control – a life- enhancing and probably life-saving experience. The experiences of patients like Warwick and DR reaffirm our understanding that, this side of the pandemic, improved coordination and collaboration between services must be our driving goal. Victorians expect it of us.
And there’s so much more we can do. For example, last week we saw the opening of the first of what will ultimately be 25 planned Priority Primary Care Centres, including one near Bendigo Health. These centres will provide a new, extended hours service for Victorians who need urgent attention but are better seen outside of an Emergency Department. They will work closely with our health services. If we want to support Victorians in our local communities, and across this great state, we cannot be an archipelago of scattered service islands. It’s not safe. It’s not effective. Our patients need us to be collaborative by default, to create a high-performing, joined-up health system that truly promotes and supports the health and wellbeing of all Victorians – like Warwick and DR. Here’s to building bridges across the islands.
Professor Euan Wallace Secretary Department of Health
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