North Western Health Care Network (Western Health Care Network 1995-1997)

Full description

The Western Health Care Network (WHCN) was created on 1 August 1995 by an order of the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister for Health under Section 65c of the Health Services Act 1988.  The WHCN was an aggregation of the Royal Melbourne Hospital (VA 1048), North West Hospital (see VA 5265), Altona Hospital, Western Hospital, and Williamstown Hospital. Additionally, Werribee Mercy Hospital joined later that financial year. The aggregation of the hospitals was part of the Kennett Government’s policy for health services in metropolitan Melbourne.  As a result, the individual hospital boards of management were replaced by one Network Board of Management (see Victoria Government Gazette G29, 27 July 1995, page 1981 and to s65(c) of the Health Services Act 1988 for legal effect of aggregation. Refer to s65(c) and s65(d) of the Health Services (Metropolitan Hospitals) Act 1995 which provided for the aggregation of metropolitan hospitals and succession in law.)

In August 1996 North Western Health Mental Health (NWMH) was established as a Western Mental Health program.

In February 1997 the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL) came under the control of the WHCN. 

On 3 November 1997, WHCN merged with part of the former North Eastern Health Care Network into the newly named North Western Health Care Network (NWHCN). This occurred under an order of the Governor in Council dated 28 October 1997, acting under section 8(1) of the Health Services Act 1988, and amending Schedule 3 to the Health Services Act, as published in Victoria Government Gazette s139, 3 November 1997, page 1. The NWHCN comprised those hospitals and services previously under WHCN as well as Preston and Northcote Community Hospital (PANCH), Northern Hospital and Bundoora Extended Care Centre.

NWHCN was disaggregated on 30 June 2000 and Melbourne Health (see The Royal Melbourne Hospital VA 1048) was proclaimed.  Melbourne Health was created and incorporated as a Metropolitan Health Service pursuant to the Health Services (Governance) Act 2000 and an associated Order by the Governor-in-Council dated 22 June 2000 (Victoria Government Gazette s88, 23 June 2000, page 11). 

Melbourne Health comprised of the RMH (VA 1028), Melbourne Extended Care and Rehabilitation Service (previously known as North West Hospital 1991 - 1999) (VA 5265), North Western Mental Health (NWMH), North West Dialysis, and the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory.

The WHCN, NWHCN and Melbourne Health head offices were located on the RMH site in Grattan Street, Parkville. Network records which relate only to The Royal Melbourne Hospital’s operations and functions during the time of WHCN, NWHCN and Melbourne Health are attributed to the RMH.  Records created at the Network executive level which relate either to overall Network strategy and management, or solely to other hospitals within the WHCN and NWHCN are attributed to the WHCN / NWHCN.

Records created during the Melbourne Health period are treated as records created by The Royal Melbourne Hospital (VA 1048) as the hospitals and services that comprised Melbourne Health were eventually subsumed under the RMH umbrella, and Melbourne Health itself rebranded as The Royal Melbourne Hospital on 1 July 2020, although Melbourne Health remained the legal name used for statutory purposes.

Note that some records relating to WHCN, NWHCN and Melbourne Health activities are also to be found in VA 5265 Melbourne Extended Care and Rehabilitation Service (previously known as North West Hospital 1991 - 1999).