HEALTHCARE SERVICES DEMAND
Over a number of years Moreland City Council identified key gaps in health and community service providers locally. This led Council through an extensive public process seeking parties to develop a health precinct.
Both CHH and Moreland City Council independent research supports the need for additional health care services in the greater Local Government Area.
Council carried out research into local needs, detailed strategic assessment, and extensive community engagement, before deciding that the best use for this particular site was a health and community services precinct
Previous engagement highlighted that local people supported the creation of new health services, community services, and jobs for central Coburg.
Health and community support was also a major concern for residents, according to the recent large-scale engagement for Imagine Moreland
The Moreland Health and Wellbeing Profile 2020 provides an analysis of data and research on health and wellbeing in Moreland. The profile considers the social areas of health, liveability and urban resilience across 77 categories, and identifies priority areas to inform planning, strategies and projects. Some of the key issues highlighted in the Moreland Health and Wellbeing Profile 2020 include:
Over half of adults in Moreland have one or more chronic disease.
Over one quarter of Moreland adults are diagnosed with anxiety or depression. There has been an increase in Mental Health impacts due to COVID-19.
The percentage of people reporting type 2 diabetes is among the highest in the state.
The percentage of people aged over 65 years with severe and profound disability living in the community is among the highest in the state.
The percentage of people reporting high/very high psychological distress is higher than average.
The percentage of females reporting fair or poor health status is higher than average.
Demand analysis carried out in 2018 for a proposed health precinct in Coburg found:
High population growth of people over the age of 50 in Moreland will drive demand in the aged care sector.
There is growing demand in Coburg and Moreland for Primary/Allied Health facilities.
There are significant annual shortfalls in current Medicare funding of healthcare services in the precinct’s catchment area (Brunswick, Coburg, Moreland-North, Darebin-North, Darebin-South and Essendon). This indicates an unmet demand and an opportunity for additional service provision.
The health and community services precinct in Coburg will actively support the Moreland Health and Wellbeing Profile 2020, which is being integrated into the Council Plan 2017-2021 and the Moreland Human Rights Policy 2016-2026. Some of the key guiding principles of the Council Plan that this project is addressing are:
Whole-of-Council Approach – the project team consists of a large variety of professionals, acknowledging the delivery of health services is not merely a technical exercise but a critically important collaboration to ensure the ultimate benefits are realised at community level.
Partnerships – through leveraging private sector and not-for-profit investment to expand health services in Coburg.
A focus on Health Equity – by ensuring that the services provided in the new Health Precinct will be accessible to the broadest possible range of the community.