Western Health (WH) manages three acute public hospitals: Footscray Hospital at Footscray; Sunshine Hospital at St Albans; and the Williamstown Hospital. It also operates the Sunbury Day Hospital, and a Transition Care Program at Hazeldean in Williamstown. A wide range of community based services are also managed by Western Health, along with a large Drug and Alcohol Service.
Services are provided to the western region of Melbourne which has a population of approximately 800,000 people.
Western Health provides a comprehensive, integrated range of services from its various sites; ranging from acute tertiary services in areas of emergency medicine, intensive care, medical and surgical services, through to subacute care and specialist ambulatory clinics. Western Health provides a combination of hospital and community-based services to aged, adult and paediatric patients and newborn babies.
Employing nearly 6500 staff Western Health has a strong philosophy of working with its local community to deliver excellence in patient care.
Our Community:
has now reached approximately 800,000 (3% higher than previous population projections) within our primary and secondary catchments
Is among the fastest growth corridors in Australia
Covers a total catchment area of 1,569 square kilometre
Has a diverse social economic status· Is one of the most culturally diverse communities in Victoria with 38% speaking a language other than English at home
Speaks more than 100 different languages/dialects.
Our Values
Compassion - consistently acting with empathy and integrity.
Accountability - taking responsibility for our decisions and actions.
Respect - for the rights, beliefs and choice of every individual.
Excellence - inspiring and motivating innovation and achievement.
Safety - prioritising safety as an essential part of everyday practice.
Western Health respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung Elders and people of the Kulin nation as Traditional Owners of the lands on which Western Health sites are located.
Closing the Gap
Western Health is committed to achieving equality in health status between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-indigenous Australians
Western Health has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the health of Indigenous Australians residing in the Western suburbs after becoming an official signatory to the national Closing the Gap campaign.
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Western Health INSPIRE Awards
The Western Health INSPIRE Awards recognise employees and volunteers, individuals and teams, whose actions inspire others to live our values.
They offer you another way of saying thank you to someone who has made a difference to your day or to the experience of patients or others.
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The People's Hospital - Tales from the surgeon's table
The People's Hospital – Tales from the surgeon's table, is the culmination of more than a year of work investigating and piecing together the fascinating stories that lie behind Footscray Hospital as we know it today.
These fascinating stories have been combined in the book and also on the accompanying website for you to explore.
Explore stories on the website that have been developed in conjunction with the book or you can purchase the book via the website.