Victorians left fearing government may break six-year promise to build community hospitals across state

When Jacquilyn Richie first moved to Torquay on Victoria's Surf Coast in 2023, she was relieved to hear a community hospital would open in the town the following year.

"Moving from Brisbane to a smaller place like Torquay, it was a big change for us having less facilities than the big city," Ms Richie said.

"When we heard the hospital was going to go ahead we were getting excited, because we wouldn't have to go into Geelong."

The closest hospital to Torquay is about 20 kilometres away in Geelong. But Ms Richie said she was concerned the pace of development between the two towns meant the trip was taking longer and longer.

"It's a hike and then you get to Geelong and you're sitting in a waiting room with so many other people triaged, with children it's a nightmare," she said.

"I know people who have driven to Geelong to give their children their first allergen foods [like] egg, peanuts, because they want to be close to the hospital."

Torquay community hospital was one of 10 new or upgraded local hospitals — costing $675 million — promised by the state government in 2018 to take pressure off major hospitals and provide non-critical healthcare in growing areas, closer to people's homes.

The other locations are in the Melbourne growth areas of Mernda, Diamond Creek, Point Cook, Emerald Hill, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Craigieburn, Sunbury, and Phillip Island, two hours south-east of Melbourne.

The state government says three are due to open later this year – Cranbourne, Craigieburn and Sunbury. Construction has started on a further two hospitals – Phillip Island and Whittlesea. For the remaining five hospitals, construction has not begun.

At a press conference to announce progress on the Phillip Island community hospital, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said the healthcare needs of those communities have changed since 2018.

"We are working with each of the communities where we committed a community hospital to understand the healthcare needs of those communities," she said.

"This is an ongoing process."

In Torquay, there is concern the community hospital could be scrapped altogether.

Existing services provided by Barwon Health were originally scheduled to move to the newly built hospital by this year.

But emails seen by the ABC show Barwon Health's lease on its current building has been extended for another 10 years.

Barwon Health declined to comment and referred the ABC to the Health Department.

When asked directly whether the Torquay community hospital will go ahead, Ms Thomas said some of the planned hospitals, including Torquay, had faced challenges with the preferred site.

"We've got to look at the land and some of the challenges that are associated with the sites that were originally envisaged for that," she said.

"The services will be delivered to the communities."

She said she was "very pleased" with the progress at other sites, including Pakenham and Phillip Island.

Experts warn budget puts proposals 'at risk'

Some healthcare experts said investing in new infrastructure, rather than new or additional services, was not a solution to addressing the issues facing public healthcare in Victoria.

A report from the auditor general's office from November last year also said the project was likely to be at least 20 per cent over budget and six months behind schedule, with an estimated completion date of 2025.

The report found the program "is at risk while scope is being managed to deliver the program within the existing budget envelope".

Victorian Health Association policy manager Belinda Bravo said the $675 million investment set aside for community hospitals would be better off re-invested back into the system.

"While there is a need to provide care more locally, we need to think about what the best use of Victoria's resources are right now. Our healthcare system is under great strain — health services have been asked to cut costs despite running very lean operations and there's a significant workforce crisis," Ms Bravo said.

"We need to make sure our existing services can meet demand before we go about building new facilities."

Other sites running behind

Joe Garra is a GP in Melbourne's west and ran as an independent MP in the 2022 election for the seat of Point Cook, in Melbourne's outer south-west.

He said the location for the Point Cook community hospital was five kilometres from Werribee Mercy — a major public hospital.

"I don't see why we should be building a whole new facility to add some services to the area when there are existing facilities not that far away," Dr Garra said.

"We can just tack on those services to existing facilities. There's no shame in [the government] saying we've had a rethink and we don't have the money to spend at the moment."

In Melbourne's outer south-east, many in the community are asking where the promised Pakenham Community Hospital is.

The opposition's Renee Heath, Upper house MP for Eastern Victoria, told parliament in December 2023, the growing community desperately needs more infrastructure.

"I have spoken to many concerned constituents who are worried about inadequate roads, schools, parking and other infrastructure, but one thing that continues to come up is the need for health care, in particular the Pakenham community hospital," she told the upper house.

"My question is for the minister for health: will the Pakenham community hospital be built, or is it yet another broken promise to Victorians by this government?

"We look forward to updating the local community on this important health infrastructure project in due course," she said.

In response, in February 2024, Ms Thomas said the final tenants have now moved, which has allowed for planning, design and site preparation works.

She told the ABC the expected opening date is in 2026.

In the outer north-east, plans for an "Eltham area community hospital" have stalled, after the Nillumbik Council decided not to sell the government its preferred land at Civic Drive, Greensborough.

The government has secured a second site, at Diamond Creek, but the local council said it is "still to gain a comprehensive understanding of the proposal and its impacts, and some locals object to the loss of open space for wildlife."