Western Health

27/11/2025

Celebrating more than 100 years of dedicated service at Western Health 🎉

Today, we celebrate an incredible milestone as we recognise sisters Lyn Tyrrell and Elaine Morrison, who together have contributed over 100 years of service to Western Health.

Lyn retires today after starting her journey in 1968, and later helping her sister Elaine join Western Health in 1975. Elaine has since retired, and together they have shared decades of commitment, friendship and care for our community 💙

Throughout her time working in administration, Lyn has built lasting friendships, cherished memories, and a legacy of kindness and commitment. She fondly recalls the old Hospital fete held on the grass area that is now the Gordon Street main entrance.

While she will miss her colleagues, Lyn will not be far away and has promised to visit the new hospital and say hello 👋

Thank you, Lyn and Elaine, for your extraordinary contribution to Western Health 🌟

📸L-R: Joe Debono, Western Health Director People and Culture Operations and Workforce Systems, Elaine Morrison (seated), Lyn Tyrell, Western Health Acting Chief Executive Officer John Ferraro

26/11/2025

We are proud to share that Western Health has won the Excellence in Women’s Health at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards 🏆. We are humbled by this recognition and thank our staff for the care and commitment they bring to our community 💛.

Our Custodial Health Addiction Medicine Clinic at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre won its category of Excellence in Women’s Health. This clinic delivers specialist, trauma-informed care in a custodial health setting, and is contributing to national reform through the National Prison Addiction Medicine Network.

We were also finalists in Excellence in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Premier’s Large Health Service of the Year categories. We are grateful that this work has been recognised and we thank the teams involved ⭐.

Congratulations to all the finalists across Victoria 👏

25/11/2025

📚🌏 Thank you Diggers Rest Primary School! Your generosity means the same in every language 😍

Today, our Newborn Services team at Joan Kirner Women's and Children's received a visit from the Diggers Rest Primary student leadership team, who gifted us a beautiful library of multicultural children's books. These books, in Vietnamese, Burmese, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Tamil and Punjabi will help families read to their babies in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in the languages that feel most familiar and comforting.

Reading supports bonding and early language development, and this donation helps us offer that experience to even more families across Melbourne’s west.

A huge thank you to the Diggers Rest Primary School community for choosing Newborn Services as your 2025 Inclusive Fundraiser, and for raising an incredible $1,616 to fund this thoughtful gift. Your kindness will make a real difference to little lives. 💛👶📖

21/11/2025

⚠️ Important public health alert from the Victorian Department of Health

Please share to help raise awareness across our community.

Testing in an Australian accredited laboratory has identified asbestos contamination in some imported coloured and decorative sand products used in children’s play and craft activities.

Education providers, retailers and families are advised to stop using any identified products, and to follow recall and disposal instructions.

Preliminary assessment indicates that there is a low risk to human health from these products.

While further analysis is underway, regulatory authorities are taking a precautionary approach to minimise any potential risk.

For more information and advice: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/enhealth-interim-advice-asbestos-contamination-identified-in-imported-colouredkinetic-sand-products?language=en

For the list of products: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/search-consumer-product-recalls/educational-colours-rainbow-sand-13kg-creatistics-coloured-sand-1kg-and-kadink-coloured-decorative-sand-13kg

12/11/2025

This month – Lung Cancer Awareness Month – we want to thank the incredible multidisciplinary team that supports more than 450 lung cancer patients at our health service each year.

More importantly, we want to acknowledge our lung cancer patients, and all of our cancer patients. We’re with you. All the way.

10/11/2025

🎉This year, Western Health nurses Olga Learoyd and Beverly Howard are both celebrating 50 years of continuous service at Footscray Hospital. 🎉

And last night, their incredible contribution to our health service - and their commitment to countless patients - was recognised on Nine News, in an interview with Jo Hall.

Western Health CEO Professor Russell Harrison says Beverly and Olga’s 2025 milestone “is testament to their character and their caring skills”.

Surgeon Dr Matthew Croxford has worked with the close friends for several decades.

“I’m lucky enough that I get to work with them both regularly,” he said. “It’s a joy having that degree of experience working in the operating suite.”

👏Congratulations, Beverly and Olga! Thanks for your dedication and boundless energy.

Watch it here 👉

Two theatre nurses at Footscray hospital have achieved the impressive milestone of 50 years each on the job. As Jo Hall discovered, the good mates are passionate…

07/11/2025

Tomorrow is World Radiography Day!

Meet some of our talented Radiology team and hear what inspired them to pursue this vital profession. Their stories may differ, but their passion is the same: delivering the best care for our community.

With more than 200 radiographers and sonographers working across four Western Health sites, we’re proud to celebrate the skill and dedication they bring every day.

06/11/2025

🌹We are deeply saddened to share the passing of long-time Western Health volunteer Betty Millett, at the age of 89🌹

Betty was honoured earlier this year for her extraordinary contribution of 35 years of service. Betty led the Maribyrnong Auxiliary for more than 20 years, following ten years as its secretary.

Betty’s warmth, loyalty and determination made her a much-loved part of our Western Health community. She was part of a proud four-generation fundraising family, and her knitted baby jackets, beanies and booties, often in footy colours, brought smiles to countless families.

Betty’s story is told beautifully in this video by the 'Faces of Footscray' arts project by Plenary Health and Footscray Community Arts

🔗 https://www.facebook.com/reel/3405766689636946

Our heartfelt condolences go to Betty’s family, including Sandra, Steven, Georgia, Jacob and Lauren.

27/10/2025

24/10/2025

It was a pleasure to welcome Premier Jacinta Allan, Member for St Albans Natalie Suleyman MP, Member for Kororoit Luba Grigorovitch MP and Member for Laverton Sarah Connolly MP to Joan Kirner Women’s and Children’s at Sunshine Hospital this week, as the Victorian Government announced a $6 million investment in western suburbs emergency departments (EDs).

🚑🩺Western Health will receive more than $4.5 million of this funding to improve patient flow at Sunshine Hospital. This will allow us to hire more doctors, nurses and allied health workers - increasing our ED capacity, and improving ambulance offload times. 🏥

To help patients transition from hospital to home and free up beds, we will also recruit two discharge coordinators, as well as additional nursing and support staff. In addition, we will expand our ‘fast-track’ model of care – recruiting additional clinical staff to open six overnight cubicles, helping to ensure timely access to care for patients who present with less serious injuries and illnesses.

📸L-R: Western Health Chief Operating Officer John Ferraro, Western Health Clinical Services Director - Emergency Medicine & Intensive Care Services, Dr Megan Robb, Kororoit MP Luba Grigorovitch, Premier Jacinta Allan.

23/10/2025

🌟 🏡 Rehab at home provides intensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation where patients can recover in their own environment. Like traditional rehabilitation, our team provides personalised care and tailored treatment plans to meet the individual needs of each person.

While maintaining hospital‑level intensity, the program is tailored and person-centred, coordinated by a multidisciplinary team including doctors, physios, occupational therapists, speech therapists, allied health assistants, social workers and nurses. 💙🙌

22/10/2025

Meet Dr Yannick Planche.

As our Chief Medical Informatics Officer and an Intensive Care Consultant, Dr Planche brings together decades of clinical experience and a passion for digital transformation. 💻💡

From supporting families during life’s most vulnerable moments to leading the shift toward smarter, data-driven healthcare, his work is driven by purpose and compassion. 📊 💜

When asked to explain his role he says:

💬 ‘I’m a doctor working in digital health to help clinicians deliver better care.’

We’re proud to have Dr Planche leading the way at our health service. 👏🌟