COMMUNITIES in South Gippsland and Bass Coast will have improved access to specialised care as Bass Coast Health (BCH) and Gippsland Southern Health Service (GSHS) merge into the new Bayside Health (working title).

Recognising the benefits of closer collaboration and streamlined care pathways, the boards of GSHS and BCH have made the decision to join the merger between Alfred Health, Kooweerup Regional Health Service and Peninsula Health.

Effective January 1, 2026, all five health services will come under the banner of Bayside Health, with the names of local hospitals and healthcare sites to all remain unchanged.

GSHS CEO Louise Sparkes and Interim BCH CEO Professor Simone Alexander said the new health service will improve healthcare access across south-east metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula, South Gippsland and the Bass Coast.

Ms Sparkes said, “This merger strengthens our partnerships as part of the broader health reform, improving access to specialised care for South Gippsland residents and ensuring a seamless patient experience.

“As the new service evolves, we will continue optimising Leongatha Memorial and Korumburra Hospitals to enhance care delivery.

“This is a process that will take time, and we are committed to working closely with our staff and consumers to ensure that services meet our community’s needs.”

Ms Alexander reiterated that, “This merger means patients will have easier access to more complex care, and they’ll have more specialist options available to them.

“Benefits for staff also include greater career development opportunities, like working with a range of experienced clinicians and practitioners, if they choose to do so.

“Our staff and community will be engaged throughout the process, as we build even stronger relationships across Bayside Health.”

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale welcomes the change

Bass MP Jordan Crugnale has welcomed the announcement that our local hospitals will merge into Bayside Heath.

“We already have strong links with Peninsula Health, Alfred Health and Koo Wee Rup Health and am so thrilled it is now official - it makes sense, it is logical, it is our natural pathway for health care, complex and specialised needs,” Ms Crugnale said this week.

“It builds on and strengthens the existing MOU’s already in place. Importantly also for our health care workers it means even more opportunities to develop their careers and gain experience working across the network.

It is important to emphasize that this doesn’t mean each service loses its identity which I know is so deeply treasured, valued and embedded into our community. We have a strong local history spanning a century with our health services and we see this time and time again with for example the collective outpouring of support via the many fundraisers organised by the auxiliaries, local businesses and even the visual representation within the buildings themselves.

Creating health networks in not new, as an example Western Australia now has 9 regions, NSW has 15 Districts and in Victoria we currently have over 70 separate health services each with their own governance structure and processes, so it is time for this reform which is fundamentally about better patient access and care and stronger collaboration between the services.”

Ms Crugnale is also keen that the change will bring other benefits, such as realigning the Mental Health catchment area, away from the Latrobe Valley and towards the south-eastern metro area.

“I have also raised with the relevant ministers the need to bring into the conversation (when appropriate) the aligning of the Mental Health catchment area with the newly formed health network and thank also the many front-line workers, community members and support services that have spoken to me about this as well.”

The change announced on Wednesday, February 26 also aligns with the recommendations from the recently released Health Services Plan.

GSHS and BCH already work closely with their health service partners to support patients across Victoria. This merger is the next step in strengthening these partnerships, making healthcare more accessible and efficient, while ensuring better patient outcomes.

Further updates will be provided as planning progresses, ensuring transparency and engagement with staff, patients and the community.