December 8th, 2022Three-year anniversary for health service

IT HAS been three years since the amalgamation of Hepburn Health Service and Kyneton District Health to become Central Highlands Rural Health.
After almost nine years of service Central Highlands Rural Board chair Phillip Thomson says he is most proud of his role in positioning the organisation to better serve the communities of the Hepburn and Macedon Ranges shires.
“This is something of which I am incredibly proud,” he said, of the
amalgamation on November 30, 2019.
He is also full of admiration and praise for the quality, breadth and depth of services delivered across CHRH’s five
campuses of Clunes, Creswick, Daylesford, Kyneton and Trentham, and the capacity and capability of staff to keep patients,
residents and clients safe, especially over the past almost three years.
“I know at times the staff have been incredibly tired, but they have shown great resilience and commitment to the health and well-being of their community,” he said.
“And I hope the staff are as proud of themselves as the board is of them.”
At the time of the amalgamation, Phillip was the chair of Hepburn Health Service, having served on its board for six years.
“The growing burden of compliance and the desire to deliver better services to meet the future healthcare needs of our rural growing townships was the impetus for our decision to amalgamate with Kyneton District Health,” he said.
Phillip also acknowledged the commitment, contribution, and service of Peter Matthews, the former Kyneton District Health Board chair at the time of the amalgamation and the immediate past chair of CHRH.