Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Australia. The group has four divisions:
Epworth Richmond,
Epworth Eastern
Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong Epw ...
,
Epworth Cliveden,
Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong
Epworth Rehabilitation, with rehabilitation sites at
Richmond,
Camberwell,
Brighton and Geelong, Victoria. With over 1,200 beds and more than 4,000 staff, Epworth HealthCare is Victoria's largest not-for-profit private hospital group.
History
Epworth Hospital opened in March 1920, as a 25-bed community hospital initiated by the
Annual Methodist Conference. The first matron was
Ethel Gray, a Melbourne-trained nurse who had recently returned from serving as a matron in hospitals in France and England during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
A donation of £6,000 by Sir Aaron Danks led to the purchase of the mansion "Yallcowinna", situated in one and half acres of gardens in
Richmond. Renovations to convert the mansion into a hospital cost £3,324, part of which was donated by Dr. Georgina Sweet and her father in memory of Dr. Margaret Sweet who "gave her life during the 1919 influenza epidemic". The influence of the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...
traditions can be found in the name ''Epworth'', as this was the name of the village where
John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, was born.
There proved to be such a need for the hospital that within five months patients were being turned away and the nurses were being housed in tents while renovations were undertaken to increase the number of beds. Building works have continued apace throughout Epworth's development, and are continuing with further development of new wards and medical centres throughout the Group.
In 1980, Epworth was incorporated under an Act of the
Victorian Parliament
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...
, The ''Epworth Foundation Act (1980) as amended''. This Act was modified in 1997 to create the Epworth Foundation as the principal entity under the Act. In 1998 Epworth acquired Bethesda Hospital from
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
. Bethesda, meaning "place of healing" was originally opened in 1906 for the care of the sick and needy in
Richmond and
Collingwood.
In 1910 Bethesda was registered as the first non-public Nurse training School in Australia. With the opening of the Epworth Centre, built across the boundaries of the two older hospitals, full integration into a single entity was achieved for the Richmond campus. This meant
Epworth Richmond had become the largest not for profit private hospital on one site anywhere in Australia.
Early in 2002 Epworth acquired Box Hill Gardens Medical Centre and Day Surgery Unit, which is now staffed and managed by Epworth HealthCare. In September 2003 the Group acquired Brighton Rehabilitation Centre, now known as
Epworth Rehabilitation Brighton, expanding the current number of rehabilitation beds and services available for patients and establishing a musculoskeletal research centre. Epworth opened the Tattersall's Cancer Centre in partnership with
Peter MacCallum, to become Australia's most advanced radiotherapy centre.
In 2004 Epworth became the first hospital in Australia to acquire a state-of-the-art robotic surgical system. A Gastrointestinal Oncology Centre was established in 2005.
Epworth Eastern
Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Geelong Epw ...
in
Box Hill was completed and officially opened by the federal minister for health,
Tony Abbott
Anthony John Abbott (; born 4 November 1957) is a former Australian politician who served as the 28th prime minister of Australia from 2013 to 2015. He held office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Abbott was born in Londo ...
on 2 August 2005. Epworth was awarded the 2005 Australian Private Hospitals Award for Quality and Excellence. The entire Epworth group was recognised in this award for clinical excellence.
The Epworth Breast Service also opened in 2005, with a multidisciplinary team offering a patient centred service specialising in breast disease. In July the new Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Unit opened as part of
Epworth Rehabilitation.
Epworth Freemasons became part of the Group in May 2006, bringing Epworth's overall bed capacity to more than 1,150.
Epworth Rehabilitation expanded to include a site at
Camberwell with the purchase of Cedar Court in August.
Epworth Richmond
Epworth Richmond has over 700 beds and is equipped with quality facilities and latest technologies including a 39-bed Intensive Care Unit, 32 operating theatres, Australia's first da Vinci robotic system, day surgery facilities, catheter laboratories, community care and Hospital in the Home. With over 42,000 admissions, more than 6000 staff members and 1200 accredited visiting specialists, Epworth Richmond is a leading healthcare provider in Australia.
The Epworth Richmond Emergency Department is the only private emergency department in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
that is accredited to accept time-critical patients. Annually, the Emergency Department treats more than 28,000 patients.
Epworth Eastern
Epworth Eastern, situated in
Box Hill is the largest not-for-profit private hospital in
Melbourne's Eastern Corridor. Opened in 2005, this state of the art hospital has 223 beds, an 8-bed Intensive Care Unit, a 6-bed Coronary Care Unit and private rooms. Its principal focus is on cardiac, vascular, orthopaedic and general surgery,
oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος ('' ...
,
urology
Urology (from Greek οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and '' -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of the urinary-tract system and the reproductive org ...
and endoscopy services.
Epworth Eastern maintains state of the art equipment, including one of Epworth's two
Da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested on h ...
robotic surgical systems, digital operating suites, a computerised medication administration system, and operates in a fully wireless environment.
Epworth Eastern features a day medical unit offering
oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος ('' ...
,
scalp cooling,
haematology
Hematology ( always spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the produc ...
and
infusions.
Epworth Eastern provides a
Mandarin
Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to:
Language
* Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country
** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China
** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...
speaking concierge service.
Epworth Freemasons
Epworth Freemasons operates on two sites in East Melbourne – Clarendon Street and Victoria Parade. Its facilities include 210 inpatient beds, a Day Procedure Centre and a Critical Care Unit.
A key speciality is women's and related health services including maternity, women's health and breast clinics, breast and gynaecological surgery and in-vitro fertilisation. Epworth Freemasons offers comprehensive cancer care, and a full range of surgical services.
Epworth Rehabilitation
Epworth Rehabilitation operates from six locations –
Richmond,
Hawthorn,
Brighton,
Camberwell,
Thornbury and
Dandenong
Dandenong is a southeastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, about from the Melbourne CBD. It is the council seat of the City of Greater Dandenong local government area, with a recorded population of 30,127 at the . Situated mainly ...
, with a multidisciplinary team offering both inpatient and outpatient programs to cater to the needs of a range of rehabilitation patients.
Epworth Rehabilitation is one of the largest private sector rehabilitation services in Australia specialising in the clinical management of patients following hip and knee joint replacement, orthopaedic surgery, neurological events such as stroke, cardiac events, acquired brain injury and pain management issues.
Associations
The
Epworth Sleepiness Scale
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) is a scale intended to measure daytime sleepiness that is measured by use of a very short questionnaire. This can be helpful in diagnosing sleep disorders. It was introduced in 1991 by Dr Murray Johns of Epwor ...
by Dr. Murray Johns is named after this hospital group.
Image:Epworth hospital richmond.jpg, Old 1930s Spanish Mission style buildings at Epworth Hospital Richmond
Image:Epworth repatriation mansion richmond victoria.jpg, Old mansion on Erin street used as repatriation centre
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Hospital networks in Australia
1920 establishments in Australia
Hospitals in Victoria (Australia)