New funding for bush nursing hospitals

Victoria's bush nursing hospitals and centres will receive State Government funding for the first time in history to buy new equipment and improve buildings.

The Government will provide $6m over the next three years to non-government bush nursing hospitals and centres to ensure they remained viable rural community assets.

Each of the state's 40 bush nursing homes and centres will be eligible to apply to the Department of Human Services for the funding, which comes from the state's Community Support Fund (CSF).

The CSF funds projects from revenue collected from gaming machines.

The Premier, Mr Kennett, said it was the first time a Victorian Government had committed funds to bush nursing hospitals and centres - which are non-profit and traditionally run privately by a community-based board of management.

"Bush Nursing Hospitals and centres are unique to Victoria and provide key health services to thousands of Victorians on the metropolitan fringe and in rural and remote communities," Mr Kennett said.

"Several of these much-loved hospitals and centres have found it difficult to survive because of changing population patterns, the ever-dwindling number of people with private health insurance and the impact of changing clinical practice.

"This funding boost will allow many of these centres to improve their buildings and interiors and maintain their role as key community health facilities."

All equipment and/or building upgrades will remain the property of the respective bush nursing hospital or centre, the Premier said.

Mr Kennett said the Government would work closely with bush nursing hospitals and centres to assess their capital needs and help determine which hospitals were best placed to continue as viable centres.

"This funding package will provide unprecedented security and certainty for bush nursing hospitals and centres across the state. It will mean that the vast majority of them will have an assured future into the 21st Century," he said.

"The loss of these bush nursing hospitals and centres would mean increased travel times, the loss of local icons and increased pressure on the state's public hospitals."

The $6 million CSF funding is in addition to the $500,000 recurrent funding reserved by the Government to allow nursing hospitals and centres to increase their provision of primary care services and to improve their viability.

The Government will continue negotiating with hospitals and centres about their changing roles and, in particular, an increasing emphasis on aged and primary care.

The Minister for Health, Mr Knowles, said he expected applications from all bush nursing homes and centres by March 31 each year of the three-year project. Applications will be assessed by the Department of Human Services.

The Department of Human Services will soon distribute notices of the funding and application forms to each bush nursing hospital and centre to ensure that funds can flow as soon as possible.

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