The Cranbourne Community Hospital is under construction at 65 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East. The project aims to deliver a community day hospital that will provide a range of services including day surgery, mental health, urgent care, specialist appointments and public dental. It will accept its first patients in early 2025 and will reduce demand on nearby acute hospitals. A key element in achieving this is ensuring the clinical services offered meet the specific needs of the local community.
Discussions with managers, clinical leads and Health and Safety Representatives have been ongoing during the capital planning phases of the project. In the coming months, there will be further conversations with our community, employees, and key stakeholders (including unions) to ensure that Cranbourne Community Hospital is able to provide tailored patient care.
Many of the proposed changes will have implications for clinical and non-clinical teams, particularly those currently located at Cranbourne Integrated Care Centre.
Formal change processes will begin in 2024, with a Change Impact Statement that will outline the overarching proposed changes, with feedback welcome as part of the consultation process.
A further comprehensive suite of specific Change Impact Statements will be distributed to affected employees.
Services that will be part of the Cranbourne Community Hospital include:
- An Urgent Care Centre for treatment of minor injuries and illnesses, including after-hours care
- day surgery (e.g. cataract and other eye procedures, endoscopy, dental, general surgery and gynaecology)
- specialist appointments (Ophthalmology, Audiology, Ear Nose & Throat, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Gynaecology and Haematology)
- community mental health services (adult and early in life)
- alcohol and other drug support services
- dialysis and support for both home patients and those who receive centre-based dialysis
- sexual assault and family violence support services
- community health, community aged care and rehabilitation services
- child, youth, and family services
- public dental services.
- diagnostic services, including pathology and imaging
- pharmacy services
- Aboriginal hospital liaison officer
The service profile when the hospital is open is subject to confirmation of funding in the May 2024 State budget.
A key focus for the Cranbourne Community Hospital will be how Monash Health meets the specific healthcare needs of the local community and provides a physically- and culturally-safe healthcare environment for patients, visitors, and employees.
Engagement with local community services and consumers will occur at the same time as employee engagement, to ensure as many voices as possible contribute to the dialogue. A series of pop-up Q&A desks for members of the public are planned for the Cranbourne Integrated Care Centre in the coming weeks.
Throughout 2024, a series of employee forums will be held to outline the process. Monash Health is committed to being open and transparent with employees about the decision-making processes relating to this project and the service model of the Cranbourne Community Hospital.
Ultimately the aim is to deliver a facility and a service that empowers employees to deliver high-quality care and make a significant difference to health outcomes in the Cranbourne region.
Approved by Julia Oxley, General Manager, Monash Health Community