It was an honour for East Grampians Health Service to be presented with the Health Service of the Year (medium size) award at the 2015 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards in Melbourne on November 18.
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The award is testament to the hard work of our staff who have a strong commitment to ensuring best practice health outcomes for our community.
EGHS provides a broad range of surgical procedures from its two fully equipped, modern operating theatres.
To meet the needs of local communities, more than 2,000 operations are performed annually on Ararat and surrounding community members which also absorbs the flow on effect from Ballarat community members.
Recently an additional orthopaedic surgeon, Scott Mason was added to the roster to meet increasing needs for operations and consultations - which could be linked to the high level of sport played in Ararat and surrounding communities.
East Grampians Health has 18 experienced surgeons from Ballarat visiting frequently to operate here. Specialities include orthopaedics, gynaecology, ear nose and throat surgery, eye surgery and urology.
Many surgeons consult here in Ararat at the EGHS Community Health Centre or at the Ararat medical Centre, this means less travel for local people and the reassurance of being close to family and friends.
Once the needs of local people are met, services are increasingly being offered to people from Ballarat and surrounding districts.
This is a responsibility Ararat could increasingly face into the future.
Offering the services from Ararat helps our local community to reduce travel times for operations and assists families to support the patient.
The services are acute so it helps our Doctors and Nurses to keep their acute care skills current, which can be used with confidence and competence when required, at any time of the day or night.
One benefit to the wider community of conducting surgery on patients from outside our region and surrounding districts patients, is that family members who support the patient can drop them at the hospital for their surgery and then visit Ararat cafes, shops and tourist attractions.
It has been reported that family members are good customers as they have time on their hands to browse and shop.
Rural and Regional development, takes many forms!
- Nick Bush,
CEO, East Grampians Health Service