Health and Community Services
With two (2) major 200+ bed, full service Hospitals, and a large geriatric care facility, Ballarat serves as the health and community services centre for the Western Region of Victoria. Furthermore, Ballarat’s superior medical precinct is augmented by a comprehensive array of medical specialists, therapists and services, including emergency medicine, surgical, paediatric, obstetrics acute, coronary, oncology, psychiatric and aged care.
Employment
Ballarat’s Health and Community Services Industry makes a significant contribution to the local economy, accounting for the employment of over 4,600 people and a growth rate of 3.0% per annum. The vast majority of people (74.3%) are employed in the Health Sector, 21.9% are employed in the Community Services sector, and the remainder (3.8%) are employed in closely related occupations.
Facilities and Services
Figures from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing indicate that there is a combined total of 1,020 hospital, nursing and hostel beds in Ballarat. In addition, there are 910 residential aged care places within the City, consisting of both high-care and low-care facilities.
The regional community is serviced by over 100 Ballarat-based General Practitioners (ie. Doctors) and a substantial range of specialised and general health care services, including:
Home and Community Care (HACC) is a Government funded program which provides community services to older residents who live in their own homes. There are approximately 14,400 residents who subscribe to this service, injecting $7.1 million into the local economy through this industry sector.
Department of Human Services data indicates that Ballarat Health Services is a well performing service when compared with major regional city and major metropolitan Melbourne hospitals. This is highlighted by relatively low waiting times data for emergency treatment and elective surgery.
In Ballarat, there are 14 Long Day Care providers offering approximately 570 places; there are approximately 340 Family Day Care places and 30 Occasional Childcare places.