St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne

Social workers at St Vincent’s provide essential emotional, social, and practical care to patients, helping to support their unique needs and overall well-being.

Olivia Brancato, Senior Social Worker at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney, supports clients through their care at the Drug and Alcohol Unit.

“St Vincent’s has strong values that they really stand behind,” Olivia says. “They provide compassionate care to all clients, no matter what background people are from.”

Our Prosthetics and Orthotics teams at St Vincent’s Public Melbourne are now using a cutting-edge laser scanning system that is transforming care for amputees.

The scanner and its computer-aided design software allows for more precision and accuracy, which means designs can be better tailored to the unique needs of patients like Raymond – who had his right leg amputated last year.

The technology uses infrared light to take thousands of measurements of a patient’s limb per second, overlapping and stitching them together based on geometric shape. The scan is then modified by our clinicians, creating a carving of the patient's limb via an automated machine or 3D printer.

He's now regaining his confidence and quality of life. “Before I got my prosthesis, I couldn’t do anything alone or independently,” he said.

“It has made such a big difference.”

Last week St Vincent's Private Werribee celebrated Wear it Purple Day - an annual LGBTIQA+ awareness day especially for young people, based in Australia.

A day to wear purple to celebrate diversity and young people from the LGBTIQA+ community. As an organisation we strive to foster supportive, safe, empowering and inclusive environments for everyone, and that includes rainbow young people. By wearing purple, Australians demonstrate to rainbow young people that they are celebrated and respected, acknowledging all have the right to be proud of who they are and who they are becoming.

“I didn’t realise how much I’d love it until I got here,” says Catherine Smith, Clinical Nurse Consultant at St Vincent’s Sydney.

“I love working with a big multi-disciplinary team. We’re here for our patients and we work so well as a team together. And I can say wholeheartedly, everyone is so passionate about their work.”

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! 🌟

Today, we celebrate the diverse and unique ways fatherhood is expressed across our community. From new dads to granddads, single fathers, and father figures, your love, guidance, and support make a world of difference.

Thank you for all that you do! From the St Vincent’s team ❤️

We are happy to announce a new partnership agreement with the private health insurer Bupa.

The two-year deal will help provide joint patients and customers certainty over their health and care expenses while helping to limit out-of-pocket costs for Bupa members at our hospitals.

It will cover Bupa’s customers at St Vincent’s 10 private hospitals in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland.

A sneak peak from inside our soon-to-open hospital! This photo was captured from one of the four bridges that seamlessly connect the original St Vincent’s Private Fitzroy hospital with the brand new $180 million tower. From this vantage point, you can see how the architectural designs of both buildings complement each other, combining the charm of our heritage with a progressive vision. More than just a pathway, this bridge represents our journey into the future. We eagerly anticipate opening our doors and welcoming patients to the new hospital tower!

When St Vincent’s Private Community Hospital Griffith opened its doors in 2016, it brought necessary care to the local community.

Jennelle Webb, Pre-Admission Coordinator, supports patients through their experience at the hospital, from first admission to their discharge home.

“My role is to ensure that our patients have a smooth and safe surgical journey,” she says. “And as soon as people walk in here, they feel at ease - that's what I am most proud of."

Congratulations and a heartfelt thank-you to Vivian from our Preadmission Clinic for being the recipient of our latest Values in Practice (VIP) Award! 🙌

This monthly program encourages team members to nominate a colleague who embodies our hospital's mission and values every day. Vivian exemplifies this commitment through her daily interactions. Often the first point of contact for many new patients arranging their admissions, Vivian’s kindness and consideration shine through. She helps alleviate anxiety during what can be a stressful time, ensuring that patients feel genuinely cared for. Her compassionate support over the phone is truly invaluable. Vivian continuously goes above and beyond, assisting her colleagues and ensuring that new staff receive the support they need. She truly is a gem!

Vivian was presented with her VIP award, pictured with Donna Kelly, Julie Wain, and Megan Hearn. Congratulations, Viv!

St Vincent's Private Hospital Werribee's brand new level 2 rehabilitation ward is off and running, helping patients regain independence and confidence.

Every room being a spacious single with a private ensuite and views of the city while you’re resting in bed. With all 14 beds already in use after only recently opening, we are proud to be offering the western community the rehabilitation support they need.

For more information visit: https://www.svph.org.au/services/rehabilitation-medicine?hcode=svphwer

St Vincent’s has reached a new funding agreement with the private health fund, nib.

In July, we announced that we intended to end our agreement with the health fund (after a notice period of 65 business days) unless a new funding agreement could be reached.

A new funding deal means nib members can continue receiving treatment at our hospitals without any changes.

We believe the new funding deal appropriately recognises the rising costs of providing private hospital care.

Every day at St Vincent’s, our physios assess, treat and manage patients’ physical problems – enabling them to achieve optimal health and wellbeing.

Across our many facilities, physiotherapists like Anita from St Vincent’s Private Hospital Brisbane, work in partnership with patients and other clinicians to treat disease and disability.

Thanks to the incredible support of the community and St Vincent's Foundation - Victoria, we are excited to announce the purchase of a state-of-the-art scalp cooling system for St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee.

This cutting-edge device will profoundly enhance the treatment experience for our cancer patients by helping to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. This small but significant change can provide a sense of normalcy and self-esteem, which is crucial during their challenging journey.

Emma Saliba, St Vincent’s Private Werribee General Manager, shares, “Your generosity has made a world of difference, allowing our patients to face their treatment with renewed dignity and confidence.”

Curious about how this technology is making a real difference? Read more about this heart-warming story. https://www.stvfoundation.org.au/blog/how-generosity-is-changing-cancer-treatment

Art therapy can help people find meaning and make sense of challenging experiences. Through art, patients can manage symptoms, gain insights, and find emotional and spiritual release.

The Allied Health Teams across St Vincent’s Public Hospital Melbourne offer art therapy programs that support patients to explore their creativity.

Art therapy can be a highly effective treatment for patients in palliative care, and for those experiencing mental health issues.

We’re proud to have a workforce full of talented and diverse people.

St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee neurosurgeon, Dr Girish Nair was recently featured as one of Melbourne’s most influential Indian Australians.

Dr Girish Nair is highly skilled in treating of movement disorders, and brain and spine conditions. His interest in this field led him to be the first neurosurgeon in the world to
implant stem cells as part of an international research project on Parkinson’s disease.

Read more on Dr Girish Nair’s feature: https://shorturl.at/kpzPH

At St Vincent’s, we’re dedicated to training and up-skilling our nurses with a variety of specialties and courses. Our programs across Australia offer Registered and Enrolled Nurses hands-on experience in diverse and challenging environments, fostering excellence and best practices.

Claudia Sugg recently transitioned to become a Registered Nurse at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Sydney.

“I’ve been supported by the most experienced nursing staff,” says Claudia. “So now I’m confident stepping into my career as a Registered Nurse.”

This week we celebrated an Australian first at St Vincent’s Private Hospital Fitzroy with the successful implantation of the first EV-ICD in a patient in Australia ❤️

St Vincent's takes pride in being a frontrunner in the adoption of this innovative technology. The EV-ICD is a less invasive alternative to traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), with the lead being implanted under the breastbone instead of directly within the heart. The device received approval from Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration in early July and has been endorsed for coverage by most major health funds, indicating widespread confidence in its benefits as a game-changer in heart health.

In the lead up to this week's surgery, our Cardiovascular Teams at St Vincent's Private Hospital Melbourne, in collaboration with Medtronic Australasia, organised an Educational Evening for the staff.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the cardiology team, led by Dr Uwais “Wes” Mohamed, for this remarkable achievement! 👏🏼

A big thank-you to our friends at Quest Collingwood who recently donated two brand new breastfeeding chairs to our East Melbourne Kids Ward 👶🧒

At the top of our wish list for some time now, Nurse Unit Manager Carrie says the chairs were a very welcome addition.

“The breastfeeding chairs are something we’ve been wanting for a while now. Often the kids coming in to visit us have younger siblings, so these make life a little easier, especially for Mum who may already be feeling a bit anxious and apprehensive being away from home and normal routine. The chairs are located in two of our cot rooms and, reclining all the way back, are incredibly relaxing, whether being used for a feed or just to help take some of the load off for a quick rest. We are very appreciative to everyone at Quest Collingwood for so generously providing them – as are the many families who have already put them to good use.”

Partnering with Quest Collingwood since last year, when they very kindly supported our Christmas Toy Appeal, they also support our hospital in many other ways, by providing special staff and patient rates and donating a portion of sales revenue from any hospital bookings back to our Kids ward.

Incredibly grateful for their ongoing support, a very big thank you to everyone at Quest Collingwood for so generously supporting our East Melbourne Kids ward and in turn, the many families who come through for their stay 💜

Visits from Rosie the St Vincent’s Private Hospital Therapy dog are certainly a patient and staff favourite! 🐾

We were excited to welcome Rosie to Werribee recently to say hello to our patients and check out the new rehabilitation ward on level 2.

The new rehab ward helps patients gain strength and confidence as they recover from surgery with a focus on their physical and mental wellbeing to get them home safely.

See more about our newly opened rehab ward https://shorturl.at/I5hD0

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne is the leading provider of healthcare in Victoria for people experiencing homelessness.

This week is Homelessness Week, but at St Vincent's we know it’s a 365-day challenge for our community.

St Vincent's was built to care for people who need our help the most, and we commit to the continued improvement of health outcomes for all.

Meet Danial 👋

A former member of our Central Sterilisation Services Department (CSSD) Team - first at East Melbourne and then at Kew - Danial decided to make a career change at the end of 2019, after recognising the demand for nursing staff at the start of the COVID pandemic.

With a knowledge of theatre and the instruments used, Danial undertook a three-year nursing degree while also continuing to work hard in our CSSD unit.

He is now one of our newest Graduate Theatre Nurses at Kew.

Describing the juggle of study and work as stressful and at times emotional - especially in the peak of COVID - he says that his CSSD background has proven extremely beneficial in the theatre environment; having knowledge around the trays, instruments and sterility required.

Currently involved in plastics, he is looking forward to learning additional specialities and helping to provide education to other new graduates.

Grateful to our CSSD and Education teams for supporting him through the transition, Danial says it’s great being able to see surgeries performed and that the best thing about his new role is the sense of being part of a bigger team. “Each person in Theatre has their own part to play in ensuring the next level of care to deliver our patients the very best outcomes each step of the way. It’s great to be a part of that.”

We were thrilled to welcome the executive team of Western Football Netball League around St Vincent's Private Hospital Werribee last week. A great introduction to Werribee's new rehabilitation ward and the services it provides.

St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee is proud to be the exclusive hospital partner and the Senior Women's Competition Naming Rights Partner at Western Football Netball League.

The St Vincent’s Private Hospital Werribee WFNL Senior Women’s Football Competition is an exciting partnership that strengthens our community presence and commitment to positively impact the well-being of our community in Melbourne's West.

After losing both hands and legs, Peter Walsh became Australia’s very first hand transplant recipient in 2011.

A team of 10 surgeons at St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne performed the nine-hour surgery, which has only been successfully completed around 130 times globally.

Registering as an organ donor saves lives, is easy and only takes one minute at donatelife.gov.au

Forty years ago, Dr Victor Chang performed trailblazing heart transplant surgery on patient Fiona Coote, who at the time was just 14 years old. She was one of the first patients of the heart transplantation program at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney.

St Vincent’s Sydney’s Heart Lung Transplant Unit now performs around 60 heart and 50 lung transplants each year – and has completed more than 1,800 transplants in total.

Today, there are almost 2,000 Australians on the organ transplant waitlist.

Registering as an organ donor saves lives, is easy and only takes one minute at donatelife.gov.au

Mary Watson has been a dedicated St Vincent’s Volunteer for over five years now.

“It’s special here, full of friendly and kind people,” says Mary. “After my husband passed away, St Vincent’s has become a community for me.”

Her weekly visits to St Vincent’s Private Hospital Melbourne are filled with purpose. She delivers food and drinks to patients in the Oncology Ward and lends a helping hand to the Maternity team, offering her support wherever it's needed.

Volunteers like Mary enrich our hospitals across Australia, and we are so grateful for them.

A sad week at Werribee as we farewelled our lovely Val.

Val has been one of our treasured hospital volunteers over the past few years, you may know her from her infectious smile welcoming our patients through the door at St Vincent's Private Hospital Werribee.

Coming in droves from all different departments, we enjoyed eating delicious cakes, slices and nibbles to celebrate Val's amazing service.

Thank you, Val for the wonderful work you have done for at Werribee, you have well and truly left your mark!

We wish all the best to Val who will be spending more time with her family during her retirement.