Hospitals 07 August 2023

New Melton Hospital Community Consultation Report

The Victorian Government has committed more than $900 million to deliver a new Melton Hospital by 2029.

The brand-new hospital will support the growing and diverse communities of Caroline Springs, Rockbank, Melton and Bacchus Marsh. It will ensure the people of Melbourne's west get the care they need, closer to home.

The Victorian Health Building Authority (VHBA), together with Western Health, is committed to providing community and stakeholders with meaningful opportunities to provide input into this significant project for the outer west.

Since May 2022, the project team has sought community feedback via:

surveys
information sessions
workshops
the New Melton Hospital Community Consultative Committee (CCC).

This online adaptation of the report provides a summary of what we’ve heard, including ideas, visions and priorities for the new Melton Hospital.

The full report will be provided to shortlisted bidders preparing proposals to design, construct, finance and maintain the hospital. Through understanding the needs and aspirations of local communities, the successful consortium will have the best opportunity to design and build a hospital that best serves the outer west.

You can also download the report (PDF).

Accessible video transcript

Text: The community is having their say on the new Melton Hospital.

IMAGES: an aerial view of an artist impression of the new hospital

Text: we’ve heard over 1000 views and priorities

IMAGES: a group of community members discussing ideas around a table; Steve McGhie, Member for Melton, Community Consultation Committee Chair, standing next to a board, discussing ideas

Text: Through CCC, community surveys and workshops with key community groups

IMAGES: a montage of groups of community members discussing ideas around tables

Voiceover: Being part of the community, we all know what we want and what we need in Melton. We want a safe space where everybody feels welcomed

IMAGES: Brianna Mitchell, Community representative, is interviewed

Voiceover: There's people that have been here for quite a long time and they felt like they were forgotten. For them to be able to see that it's finally happening is really important

IMAGES: Carmen Martin Issifu, Community representative, is interviewed; aerial footage of Melton

Voiceover: The people that thought that it was never, ever going to happen will start to see things rise out of the ground and it'll be unbelievable for the Melton township

IMAGES: aerial footage of Melton; Steve McGhie, Member for Melton, Community Consultation Committee Chair, is interviewed; camera cuts to Steve sharing ideas with committee members around a table

Voiceover: The degree of passion from the community has been really exciting, and every time I've come to one of these sessions, I come away energised

IMAGES: Diana Shmulburd, Project Director, Victorian Health Building Authority, is interviewed; camera cuts to Steve sharing ideas with the committee around a table; committee members discuss ideas standing in front of a projector screen

Voiceover: I'm a proud Gomeroi man, I want to sort of tap into the Aboriginal side of things in the Melton Hospital. When you first walk into hospital, the anxiety levels are up. Culturally wise to have a nice room to actually come and sit in and kick back and chill

IMAGES: Andrew McDermott, community representative, is interviewed; camera cuts to Andrew discussing ideas with other committee members around a table

Voiceover: We've discussed prayer rooms and having sacred spaces for reflection or for prayer, having a safe space to be able to do our prayers and for other people to use the space as well

IMAGES: Community representatives sitting together and discussing ideas; Carmen Martin Issifu, community representative, is interviewed; a montage of community representatives discussing ideas

Voiceover: We want it to be eco-friendly. We talked about a lot of green spaces. Native plants and all that sort of stuff around the hospital. Having signage in different languages. A way for you to wait, but not feel like you're in a queue

IMAGES: Brianna Mitchell, community representative, is interviewed; footage showing post-it notes with community ideas

Voiceover: We've had three tables full of people and most of the ideas were similar. Everyone's sort of on the same page. I do feel like we're making a big contribution. Having input from people that have lived experience in the area. The community has been both briefed and has contributed to various conversations about landscaping, design, what they want to see in their hospitals and how they want to interact with it. Western Health has been actively involved in that process, and it's been fascinating to hear their views. I had a little bit of input whether that input's good or bad, I don't know so we'll have to wait and see. I feel like I am leaving a legacy, and I hope that one day I'll be able to say to my children or grandchildren, you know, I was part of this and this is for all the generations to come.

IMAGES: montage of the community representatives discussing ideas, in between interview clips and aerial footage of Melton

Text: Read the full report at vhba.vic.gov.au

IMAGE: A screen displays an ‘in partnership with Western Health’ logo. A sliding transition screen then displays the Victorian Health Building Authority and Victoria State Government logos and the web address vhba.vic.gov.au

End of transcript.