SPEAKING in State Parliament, Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell recently called on outgoing Health Minister Martin Foley to provide funding to deliver the Clinical Health School at GV Health.
The Clinical Health School, which would be developed through a partnership between GV Health and La Trobe University, was promised by the former Coalition Government in the lead up to the Federal Election. It would provide dedicated nursing, midwifery, and allied health education to local students to help address the critical shortage of health-care staff in the region.
Ms Lovell asked Mr Foley to work with the new Federal Health Minister Mark Butler to deliver $19.5M needed for the project. She has also written directly to Minister Butler requesting the funding commitment be delivered by the Labor Government.
Ms Lovell also sought a commitment from the Minister for the State to contribute the remaining $7M needed to ensure the $26.5M project is fully funded.
Ms Lovell said GV Health is currently suffering critical staff shortages with 110 FTE nursing positions vacant, and it was recently revealed that the hospital would require an additional 360 nurses and midwives and an extra 45 allied health staff by 2025.
“The current staff shortage is impacting GV Health’s ability to provide the health care it wants to deliver, and the establishment of a Clinical Health School will help address these staffing issues by training healthcare professionals locally.
“I call on the Minister to ensure the Federal funding for the Clinical Health School is provided by the new Albanese Government and also commit the remaining $7 million to ensure this vital project is delivered.”
