The Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas has approved the voluntary merger of five health services – including Bass Coast Health – to form Bayside Health, from January 1, 2026.
The Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas has approved the voluntary merger of five health services to form Bayside Health. This will see Bass Coast Health (BCH) join with Alfred Health, Gippsland Southern Health Service, Kooweerup Regional Health Service and Peninsula Health – from January 1, 2026.
The health services are already working together to improve patient care and identify areas for service improvement and development.
Alfred Health and Peninsula Health are working together to provide public neurosurgery consultations at Wonthaggi Hospital, so people living in the Bass Coast region will soon have specialist care close to home – building on an existing arrangement that already delivers a neurosurgery clinic at Frankston Hospital.
A new process to share critical patient information and resources across the five health services will deliver faster care for patients – once a referral is accepted and a bed is booked patients will be transferred within 24 hours.
Board
A new board will be formed for the health network. Recruitment for the incoming board has also commenced, with members to include representatives from the existing boards of the five services. The new board will be responsible for appointing a Chief Executive Officer.
Under the merger, all existing hospitals and healthcare sites will continue to deliver programs and services for their communities and will keep their individual names.
It is not yet clear which, if any, administrative processes will be shared across the network.
In June this year, Prof Simone Alexander, Interim Chief Executive Officer of BCH said the formation of Bayside Health was "just the first step to bring Bass Coast Health and the other four health services together as one".
"While it will take some time to complete the process, integrate our systems and tie together the best of what each of us has to offer, it's a change that promises to improve health outcomes for everyone across our region."
The new network was announced in January this year, and in March, the board of BCH formalised the decision to join the merger.
