Barwon Health

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Geelong, VIC
Barwon Health

Victoria's largest regional service, providing state-of-the-art treatment and care.

Barwon Health is established under the Health Services Act 1988 as a Schedule 5 public health service. Formed in 1998, Barwon Health is one of the largest and most comprehensive regional health services in Australia,
providing care at all stages of life and circumstance. With more than 8,758 staff, we are one of Australia’s
largest regional employers and the largest employer in Geelong. Barwon Health provides services for everyone who needs care, regardless of their financial status or the location of their usual residence. As a regional health service, we provide leadership and tertiary referral services across the
Barwon South West region. We provide services from the University Hospital Geelong precinct in central Geelong, the McKellar Centre precinct in North Geelong and other locations including the Sunrise Centre, a partnership initiative with the Geelong Football Club and the Transport Accident Commission that provides a contemporary community venue for specialist community rehabilitation programs. We provide community health services from Anglesea, Belmont, Corio, Newcomb, and Torquay and dental services from Belmont, Corio and Newcomb. Our newest sites include Barwon Health North in Norlane providing, amongst other services, child and family health services, renal dialysis, medical imaging and an urgent care service. Mental health, drugs and alcohol services are provided at the Swanston Centre at University Hospital Geelong, Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) at Belmont Community Rehabilitation Facility, the McKellar Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre and Blakiston Lodge Psychogeriatric Unit at the McKellar Centre and 10 community-based locations including Belmont, central Geelong, Colac, Corio, Barwon Health North and Newcomb. We provide residential aged care beds across two sites: Alan David Lodge in Charlemont, and three lodges on the
McKellar Centre precinct in North Geelong these include Percy Baxter Lodge, Wallace Lodge and Blakiston Lodge. We provide a comprehensive range of health services including acute care (medicine, surgery, women’s health,
paediatrics, emergency and specialist clinics), mental health, alcohol and other drugs services, primary care,
community health, rehabilitation, geriatric medicine, palliative care, community nursing and hospital in the home. As a major teaching hospital, we have relationships with Deakin University, LaTrobe University, the Gordon
Institute and other tertiary education providers including the University of Melbourne and Monash University. We
provide teaching and training for all health professionals across all disciplines, at all career stages.

26/12/2025

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐨-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 🦟

Warm and wet weather can mean more mosquito biting and breeding, including the ones that can carry diseases that make you sick.

Your only protection against mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry is to avoid mosquito bites.

The Barwon South West P***c Health Unit (BSWPHU) is urging people camping or entertaining outside over the upcoming public holidays to ensure you are up-to-date with the latest advice to be protected from mosquito-borne diseases.

Mosquitos are the deadliest living creatures on earth, carrying diseases that kill three quarters of a million people worldwide each year. Whilst this is mostly due to malaria related illness overseas, there are five main mosquito-borne viruses of concern in Victoria - Murray Valley Encephalitis, Japanese Encephalitis, Barmah Forest Virus, Ross River Virus and West Nile/Kunjin viruses. Buruli ulcer is also a disease on the rise in the region.

Tips to protect yourself from mosquito bites:
👉 Mosquitoes can bite through tight clothing. Cover up – wear long, loose, light-coloured clothing.
👉 Use mosquito repellents containing active ingredients like DEET or Picaridin.
👉 Apply evenly to all exposed skin and clothing.
👉 Limit outdoor activity if lots of mosquitoes are about.
👉 Remove stagnant water where mosquitoes can breed around your home or campsite.
👉 On holidays, make sure your accommodation is fitted with mosquito netting or screens.
👉 Use 'knockdown' fly spray, mosquito coils or plug-in repellent where you gather to sit or eat outdoors.
👉 Don't forget the kids – always check the insect repellent label. On babies, you might need to spray or rub repellent on their clothes instead of their skin. Avoid applying repellent to the hands of babies or young children.

Find more information here https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/protect-yourself-mosquito-borne-disease

24/12/2025

Spotted on the security feed! 🎅 Santa is making his rounds early this year at University Hospital Geelong.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays from everyone at Barwon Health.

24/12/2025

📹 As we head into the holiday period, Barwon Health Board Chair Hon. Lisa Neville has shared her appreciation for the incredible team of over 9,000 staff and volunteers for their dedication to care in 2025.

24/12/2025

If you need medical care over the festive season, your first option is always your General Practitioner or usual healthcare provider. There are also other services available locally if you need urgent medical care and are unable to access your General Practitioner.

📌 Nurse on Call is available 24/7 for advice. For free professional health advice call 1300 60 60 24. NURSE-ON-CALL puts you in contact with a registered nurse for caring, professional health advice around the clock.
📌 If you require mental health support you can contact Barwon Health's Mental Health triage number 1300 094 187. By phoning the triage phone number, our team can work with you to determine which service may be appropriate or suitable.
📌 The Urgent Care Centre at Barwon Health North is open 7 days from 10am-9pm. This is a walk-in service for people with minor illnesses and injuries who require immediate attention. More information here: https://barwonhealthnorth.org.au/service/urgent-care-centre/
📌 Geelong Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Belmont is open 7 days a week at 75 Roslyn Road Belmont. More information here: https://geelongppcc.com.au/
📌Torquay Medicare Urgent Care Clinic is open 7 days a week from 10am to 8pm at 85 Surf Coast Highway, Torquay. More information here: https://www.urgentcarenetworkaustralia.com.au/location/torquay-urgent-care-clinic/

There are also three Emergency Departments in Geelong if you require more urgent medical care:
📌 University Hospital Geelong: https://www.barwonhealth.org.au/service/emergency-department/
📌 St John of God Hospital* - Open 7am to 10am, 7 days a week:
https://www.sjog.org.au/our-locations/st-john-of-god-geelong-hospital/our-services/emergency-department
📌 Epworth Geelong* - Open 24 hours:
https://www.epworth.org.au/our-locations/epworth-geelong
*Payment may be required here.

In an emergency, always phone Triple Zero (000).

23/12/2025

While many of us are looking forward to enjoying the festive season with family and friends, the holiday period can bring feelings of deep loneliness, grief and isolation for some people.

Staff from our Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol Services have recorded a cover of the classic song "Blackbird" - filmed at mental health service locations across the region including Colac and central Geelong where there are services to help.

If you’re experiencing mental health, drug or alcohol difficulties and need someone to talk to, help is available:
➡️ Mental Health and Wellbeing Local - Greater Geelong and Queenscliffe - 1800 573 151 (9am-5pm every day including public holidays)
➡️ Lifeline - 13 11 14 (24/7)
➡️ Beyond Blue - 1300 224 636 (24/7)
➡️ Barwon Health Phone Triage - 1300 094 187 (24/7)

23/12/2025

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 - 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧?

A new measles case has been reported in Victoria in an adult who likely acquired their infection overseas during travel to Bali.

There is an ongoing risk of measles importation in travellers returning from overseas with outbreaks occurring in a number of countries globally. Cases have also recently been reported in New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia.

New public exposure sites have been listed. Anyone who has visited a listed exposure site during the dates and times specified should monitor for symptoms of measles and follow the instructions provided.

Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious illness.
Measles is mainly spread through airborne droplets and contact with respiratory secretions.

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others. Two doses of vaccine are required for immunity.

Anyone planning to go overseas should make sure their routine vaccinations are up to date, including the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. Vaccination is recommended at least two weeks before departure. If you were born during or after 1966 and haven’t had two doses, or you don’t know, get vaccinated.

Free MMR vaccine is available under the National Immunisation Program and state-funded program. A Medicare card is not required to get a state-funded vaccine.

The MMR vaccine is widely available at general practitioners and pharmacies.
Infants from 6 months and before 11 months of age can receive a state-funded dose of MMR vaccine prior to overseas travel to countries where measles is endemic or where outbreaks are occurring.

See the Chief Health Officer Advisory here: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/health-alerts/new-measles-case-in-victoria-4

Information on vaccination here: https://bswphu.org.au/infectious-diseases/measles/

23/12/2025

🎄 Festive cheer is in full swing across Barwon Health, with staff decorating their areas to delight colleagues, patients and visitors. The competition was tough in this year’s decorating competition, but the results are in.

Category: Festive spirit
🏆: Administrative team (typists) at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre
Category: Most inclusive
🏆: Nurse educators, McKellar Education and Training Centre
Category: Most innovative
🏆: Anaesthetic Research Unit
Category: Myer windows
🏆: McKellar Community Rehabilitation Centre
Category: Sustainability Award
🏆: Perfusion department
Category: Tinsel Award
🏆: Safety, Quality and Improvement
Category: Traditional
🏆: Environmental Services at McKellar
🏆: Talent Acquisition

Here are a selection of photos from some of the impressive entries.

21/12/2025

Turning surplus into support

What started as a simple conversation has become a powerful food relief partnership.

Barwon Health’s Daily Excess Meal Rescue Program, delivered with Geelong Foodshare, rescues surplus hospital meals each day and redistributes them to people doing it tough across our community.

Since January 2025, more than 6,700kg of food has been diverted from landfill providing the equivalent of 13,000 nutritious meals through Social Supermarkets and local agencies.

Recognised by the Premier as a model that could be replicated statewide, this partnership shows how collaboration and care can turn surplus into support and make a real difference close to home.
Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/4p43qAe

19/12/2025

𝐊𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐲𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭, 𝐏𝐚𝐲𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫
"I am a senior payroll officer and my role is to assist the workforce remuneration coordinators in the preparation of the payroll for Barwon Health in a timely and accurate manner to ensure all staff are remunerated in accordance with Barwon Health policies, procedures, legislative requirements and award conditions. This includes processing of employees pays via timesheets, the time and attendance system and Optima, monitoring Service Now requests and processing of pay related queries.

I have been at Barwon Health since May 2018 where I started as a temporary payroll officer and by September that same year I had been offered a permanent position. I came to Barwon Health with a security rostering and payroll background and prior to that I had held public service positions.

I enjoy the challenge of the role on most days and I also enjoy assisting other team members with learning. With the implementation of new systems and processes, the role is always changing and presents new challenges almost daily. The healthcare industry has many enterprise bargaining agreements (EBAs) that differ from one to the next, so the interpretation of those EBAs keeps us on our toes. In acknowledgment of this recognition, it is on behalf of the payroll and salary packaging team and those that have and continue to support us through monumental changes and challenges faced. It is not about one individual but many."

18/12/2025

𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 🏗️ 🏥

As 2025 closes, we’re reflecting on a milestone year of construction and planning for this major health project.

The year began with the sod-turn event marking the start of works on the BWC tower and Bellerine West Building. Builders soon moved into earthworks and foundations, excavating 20,000 cubic metres of soil - enough to fill eight Olympic pools.

In April, the new Endoscopy and Day Procedure Unit opened at the Youang Surgery Centre, enabling the demolition of the Gretta Volum Centre and paving the way for the new women’s and children’s specialist clinics.

July brought another major milestone with the arrival of 100-metre cranes, celebrated through the Name the Crane initiative honouring local health pioneers Aunty Athalie Madden and Dr Kym Anderson.

Community and staff engagement continued throughout the year, including design showcases and information sessions to share new designs which were informed by more than 600 community ideas. Local students also helped brighten the construction site with artwork displayed on the hoardings.

As we head into 2026, the project will rapidly take shape. More than 248,000 hours have already been worked, with up to 1,500 workers expected on site at peak construction.

The Barwon Women’s and Children’s project is the largest health infrastructure development in Geelong’s history and will deliver significantly improved facilities for our staff and community. Thank you for your patience as construction continues - I look forward to sharing further updates in the year ahead.

Watch our CEO update video here.

17/12/2025

The festive spirit is well and truly alive as teams come together to prepare special goodie bags for our staff working on Christmas Day. 🎄

Around 2,500 bags have been thoughtfully packed by staff from across the organisation, including executive members, as a token of gratitude.

A special thanks goes out to a number of suppliers and supporters for contributing to the bags, including:
👉 Barwon Health Foundation
👉 Remunerator
👉 Goodway Print Group
👉 BlendCo
👉 Coca Cola
👉 Reward Hospitality
👉 Bidfood
👉 Accredited Distributors Geelong
👉 Total Hospitality
👉 TastyOne

Healthcare doesn’t pause for Christmas, and these small gestures are our way of showing appreciation to those caring for patients on the day. 🎁💗

16/12/2025

Barwon Health has officially opened its new Service Operations Centre (SOC), a 24/7 central hub improving patient access and flow across the organisation.

Using real-time operational data, the SOC supports stronger collaboration, clearer oversight and faster escalation, helping ensure patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Officially used for the first time by senior leadership on 27 October, the SOC marks a significant step forward in safer, more coordinated daily operations at Barwon Health.

📹 Watch the video below to learn more.

Address

272-322 Ryrie Street
Geelong, VIC
3220

Telephone

+61342150000

Website

http://www.barwonhealth.org.au/

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Our Story

Barwon Health is one of the largest and most comprehensive regional health services in Australia, providing care at all stages of life and circumstance. Health services available through Barwon Health cover the full spectrum from primary care, community services, aged care, rehabilitation, mental health, emergency and acute care. With the exception of neurosurgery and transplantation, virtually all other specialties are available through University Hospital Geelong.

Care is provided to the community through:

Community health services at key locations throughout the region.

Aged care through the McKellar Centre and its sites at North Geelong and Charlemont.

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