Angliss After Hours - Opening Night
Eastern Ranges GP Association opened their third After Hours Clinic co-located at The Angliss Hospital on April 5 2011. Read the opening speech presented by Chief Executive Officer Kristin Michaels on the night.
Welcome, I would like to extend a particularly warm welcome to the Honorable Laura Smyth MP who has graciously agreed to perform the official opening. But before I hand over to Laura, I'd like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about our after hours medical services and also to thank the many people who have made this clinic a reality.
Many of you may be aware of the Eastern Ranges After Hours Medical Services - we currently run 2 sites in the Yarra Valley, one at Healesville, and one in Yarra Junction. Combined these services see about 7000 people each year and they provide phone support to a further 3000. We expect this site here at Angliss to service more people than the 2 existing sites, by virtue of its location in a larger population base, and it's co-location with the hospital.
We are particularly excited about starting a service in conjunction with a hospital site, not only because it gives us the chance to take some of the pressure off the emergency department here at Angliss, but also because it gives us an opportunity to work more closely with our acute service colleagues, which we hope will foster a better and smoother transition for patients between the primary care and acute care environments. Plus we hope to learn a bit more about how each other works, and what we can do to make that work simpler and more effective for our patients.
I feel privileged to be standing here today as witness to a new era of better access to after hours GP services for residents throughout the Dandenong Ranges and surrounding suburbs. The Eastern Ranges After Hours Medical Service co located at The Angliss Hospital will provide a confidential, reliable, accessible and high quality medical service to the community, using a roster of locally based GPs and working alongside the wonderful people here at the Angliss Hospital.
Firstly I would like to thank the team from Eastern Health, in particular, Dr Colin Feekery, the CMO, without whose support the clinic would not have been a starter. Dr Peter Trye (who can't be with us tonight), Anthony Black and Michelle McWilliams here on site at Angliss who have worked so hard to deal with the practical issues of getting the clinic set up and integrated with the work already being done here in the Rehabilitation Centre.
Secondly, but not least, a big thank you goes to the Patient Services Team at the Eastern Ranges GP Association, in particular, Mark Caldwell, Tracey Kelly and Tania Middleton. Tania and Tracey have worked tirelessly on this project, and will be doing so for many weeks/months to come. I'd also like to mention that we intend to open a fourth site co-located with Maroondah Hospital in the coming months, so I hope to see you all again for that celebration.
After the ceremony please join us for a toast to the collaborative efforts of the Eastern Ranges After Hours Medical Service and Eastern Health, providing timely medical care in the most convenient location. Logistics may make it impossible for us to actually all raise our glasses but please note the intention.
And now I would like to invite the Honorable Laura Smyth MP, to perform the ceremony and declare the Eastern Ranges After Hours Medicval Service co located at The Angliss Hospital well and truly open.