Victorian Public Healthcare Awards winners and finalists

Winner

Paediatric and Neonatal Hospital in the Home (HITH) Service Expansion

Mercy Health Victoria Limited

Wyndham’s rapid population growth and increasing birth rates placed unsustainable pressure on inpatient paediatric and neonatal services at Werribee Mercy Hospital (WMH), mostly affecting culturally and linguistically diverse families. WMH delivers hospital equivalent care through an integrated HITH model that enables safe early discharge, equitable access, and efficiency.

They co-designed the program with families, GPs and community services, embedding flexible outreach, Electronic Medical Record integration and virtual bed tracking to support direct care at home. Interpreter-supported onboarding, remote monitoring and new referral pathways from ED and Maternal Child Health Nurses were central innovations.

Finalists

Health@Home Pathway

Each

The Health@Home Pathway aimed to reduce avoidable hospital visits and improve outcomes for people with chronic conditions through coordinated, person-centred care. It integrated hospital and primary care, enabling patients to manage health at home. The nurse-led model supported transitions from hospital to home with coaching, coordination, and community services.

Two pilot care models were tested, combining telehealth, social prescribing, and multidisciplinary care. Backed by strong governance and real time data, the program reduced emergency visits, improved patient self-management, and delivered strong value. Patient experience and system outcomes both improved significantly.

Streamlining at-home care - the HITH eligibility identifier

The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Hospital-in-the-Home (HITH) has many benefits for both patients and the healthcare system, but selection of appropriate patients is complex. The Royal Melbourne Hospital has developed a computerised clinical decision support system embedded within its electronic health record to identify potential patients for HITH services, to optimise and maximise acute home-based care via increasing HITH bed occupancy and number of HITH referrals.

There have been improvements in HITH activity and timeliness of referrals, with an increase in bed occupancy to 96%, reduced length of stay, and positive consumer feedback with all survey respondents reporting that they felt safe as a patient.

Winner

Our Climate, Our Health: Embedding Sustainability and Equity in Community Healthcare

Your Community Health

Your Community Health (YourCH) recognised that climate change threatens community health—especially for vulnerable populations—and that healthcare delivery contributes significantly to emissions. There was a lack of integrated, community-based models addressing both health equity and environmental sustainability. YourCH launched a whole-of-organisation Climate Action Plan using a cross-functional, evidence-based approach.

Staff, clients, and communities were engaged in innovative actions including fleet electrification, rooftop solar retrofitting, waste reform, and a Climate Champions Program. The initiative has reduced organisational emissions by 33% (19% reduction this year), improved climate resilience, and empowered staff and communities to take meaningful climate-health action.

Finalists

The gloves are off – reducing single-use medical waste

South West Healthcare

South West Healthcare (SWH) created the ‘Gloves On, Gloves Off’ campaign to raise awareness of unnecessary use of non-sterile gloves, to improve understanding of hand hygiene, and decrease clinical and landfill waste. SWH's Sustainability and Infection Control teams collaborated to lead a simple behaviour-change campaign focused on one product and one action.

‘Gloves On, Gloves Off’ resulted in a 17% reduction in glove use over a twelve-month period, keeping 400,000 gloves from landfill, avoiding associated emissions and reducing hospital-acquired infection rates. As a result of the project’s success, SWH is now sharing its learnings with immediate, fully replicable and positive impact.

Hospital Kitchen Garden Program

The Royal Children's Hospital

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Kitchen Garden Program fosters climate resilience and child health through a hands-on, nature-based care model. It tackles the growing disconnect between food systems and produce origins by incorporating fresh, on-site grown produce into RCH's inpatient menu.

As a national first, produce is propagated by inpatients in the Therapeutic Garden Program, nurtured, harvested, and prepared by Food Services. This program enhances engagement, wellbeing, and food literacy for inpatients and staff, supporting a sustainable, climate-resilient health system where all kids thrive.

Winner

Elimination of Seclusion

Peninsula Health

Peninsula Mental Health has eliminated seclusion and mechanical restraints in its mental health inpatient settings creating a safer, more therapeutic and rights based environment for all. The methodology to achieve this was a multifaceted data driven and collaborative approach that combines leadership commitment, cultural change, workforce development, and continuous evaluation to sustainably reduce restrictive interventions in hospital settings.

Seclusion and mechanical restraints have been eliminated for three years. Occupational violence and aggression has decreased, there are decreased incidents of workplace injuries and improved psychological safety and wellbeing alongside enhanced quality of care.

Finalists

Regional Phone Counselling Service

headspace

headspace Regional Phone Counselling Service addresses inequitable access to mental health and wellbeing support for rural young people, who are disproportionately affected by socioeconomic and geographic barriers to support, and experience worse mental health outcomes than their urban counterparts.

The program provides youth-friendly telecounselling to Victorian government secondary schools located 50km+ from a headspace centre. The service supports school staff to identify students' mental health concerns, and provides students with personcentred, family-inclusive care. The program increases access to mental health support, provides a positive help-seeking experience and improves mental health and wellbeing in young people, families, and school communities.

MOST: Transforming Youth Mental Health Care in Victoria with Digital Innovation

Orygen Digital

Young Victorians experience disproportionately high rates of mental ill-health, yet face long waitlists, fragmented services, and limited access to care. To directly address this, Orygen Digital developed and implemented MOST, a world-first, co-developed youth digital mental health platform that integrates with clinical care to deliver accessible, engaging, and continuous support for young people.

Between May 2024 and May 2025, MOST sustained and built on its strong track record since 2020, transforming youth mental health care by supporting 2,776 young people across 131 services and reducing service gaps.

Winner

Restoring Dignity and Quality of Life: Specialist Dementia Care Program for People with Severe Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

Barwon Health

Barwon Health’s Specialist Dementia Care Program (SDCP) delivers innovative, person-centred care tailored to the unique needs of people living with severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. It uses evidence-based dementia care practices, specialised staff in a specific dementia-friendly environment designed to promote safety, independence and dignity.

Continuous monitoring ensures high-quality care and positive outcomes for residents and their families. Aligned with the latest best practice standards, SDCP sets a new benchmark for excellence in dementia care.

Finalists

Cycling Without Age - feel the wind in your hair

Dhelkaya Health

Cycling Without Age

The Dhelkaya Health partnership with Cycling Without Age is a powerful initiative aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness among older people by fostering social inclusion, community participation, and improved mental and physical wellbeing.

This innovative program offers older people the opportunity to enjoy outdoor trishaw rides, supported by a team of trained and passionate volunteer pilots. These rides offer more than just a breath of fresh air; they bring meaningful moments of joy, conversation, and connection. The sensation of “wind in their hair” becomes more than a slogan—it becomes a symbol of dignity, vitality, and belonging.

The little things make the biggest impact – when innovation intersects with care

South West Healthcare

South West Healthcare's (SWH) team engaged its clinicians, a speech pathologist, dietitian, catering and Leisure & Lifestyle staff to develop an ice cream on a stick for individuals on a modified fluids diet, that residents remembered fondly from their childhoods.

Through testing and trials, they developed a product that residents could swallow safely, that helps to maintain adequate nutrition, and enhances the quality of their eating experience. Their professional team works hard to create a safe, supportive environment, so that residents have the clinical support, compassionate care, autonomy and dignity of choice they so richly deserve, within a space that feels like home.

Winner

Transforming Asthma Care: Delivering Value-Based Care with a Co-Designed Asthma Digital Pathway

Northern Health

Northern Health faced rising demand for asthma care, with long wait times and limited ability to prioritise patients at high-risk of deterioration, leading to delays in treatment and poor health outcomes. Traditional referral processes lacked personalisation and failed to support early intervention or patient self-management.

The Severe Asthma Digital Care Pathway was co-designed with consumers with lived experience to deliver timely, personalised, and digitally enabled care that empowers patients to achieve the health outcomes that matter most to them while improving clinical efficiency.

Finalists

Digi Dentures

IPC Health

Overwhelming demand for priority dentures led to a situation where patients faced a wait of almost 7 months to be fitted with oral prosthetics and costs for manufacturing dentures had risen to almost $1m a year. The Digi Dentures Program improved patient access to dentures by increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost of manufacturing.

IPC Health embedded digital workflows into an existing clinic, trained staff and students, and created a scalable public health model that delivers high-tech, high-impact, patient-centred care — reducing the priority waitlist by 50%, cutting the cost of dentures by between 50 and 66% in the process.

The Better Health and Housing Program

St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

The Better Health and Housing Program (BHHP) aims to address the interconnection between chronic homelessness and poor health, which often results in fragmented care and over-reliance on emergency services. The BHHP is an integrated, trauma-informed model of care, combining secure housing with tailored health and housing support.

Delivered through a cross-sector partnership, it uses co-designed care plans, peer support workers and a value-based, data-driven approach to ensure person-centred, inclusive and culturally safe service delivery. Health, housing, service utilisation and economic outcomes, along with enhancements in residents’ capabilities, show the BHHP is helping individuals break the cycle of homelessness and poor health.

Winner

Pioneering Care: supporting the addiction medicine needs of women in the custodial setting

Western Health

People in custody face high rates of untreated addiction and trauma, leading to preventable harm and poor reintegration. The Custodial Health Addiction Medicine Clinic (CHAMC) at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre was created to address this injustice with specialist, trauma-informed care.

Through integrated in-prison treatment, the clinic delivers safety, dignity, and recovery-focused care. It has improved outcomes for incarcerated people and now leads national reform through the National Prison Addiction Medicine Network.

Finalists

When Everyday Counts: Transforming Time-Critical Women’s Health care in Central Victoria

Bendigo Community Health Services

Women in central Victoria faced long wait times, fragmented care, and poor access to timely pregnancy counselling and termination services—especially in rural areas where travel and system complexity created barriers. Many missed the window for early intervention and were forced to undergo surgical terminations far from home.

Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS) launched a nurse-led phone line and strengthened partnerships to provide rapid access to triage and coordinated care. Leveraging existing staff the initiative streamlined workflows, and collaborated with stakeholders to enable same-day care. This has halved wait times and improved client experience—delivering a low-cost solution transforming reproductive healthcare across regional communities.

Sexual and Reproductive Advice Clinic

Maryborough District Health Service

The Sexual and Reproductive Advice Clinic (SaRAC) at MDHS was established to address critical gaps in access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for women, girls and gender-diverse people in the Central Goldfields.

Led by Endorsed Midwives working to their full scope, SaRAC delivers high-quality, person-centred care close to home through integrated, accessible and culturally safe services. The clinic is changing the healthcare story and outcomes for rural communities, while expanding the rural midwifery workforce and inspiring replication across Victoria. With more than 650 points of care delivered in its first year, SaRAC shows innovation, equity and excellence in rural healthcare.

Winner

FLIP THE VAPE: Flipping the script on vaping for Aboriginal youth

Victorian Aboriginal Health Service

Mo Works Creative Agency

Aboriginal youth are vaping at increasing rates. Traditional health campaigns were failing to resonate, often relying on fear-based messaging that lacked cultural relevance. FLIP THE VAPE reimagined anti-vaping messaging by centring Aboriginal youth voices and cultural pride.

Using behavioural science, co-design with 11 ACCHOs and 11 Aboriginal ambassadors, and rollout across youth-first platforms like TikTok and Snapchat, the campaign flipped negative messaging into bold, empowering storytelling. It reached over one million young people, sparked a quitting movement, and set a new standard for culturally relevant, community-driven public health campaigns that will soon be extended to more states across Australia.

Finalists

Helping community walk tall on country by bringing specialist care closer to home

Gippsland Health Service Partnership and community partners

The Strengthening High-Risk Foot Care initiative aimed to expand culturally safe, community-led diabetic foot care for Aboriginal people in Gippsland to prevent amputations and bring specialist care closer to home.

Using a co-designed, grassroots approach, the initiative partnered with local ACCHOs, hospitals, and community members to embed foot care services, train staff, incorporate telehealth access to specialist podiatrist and wound care nurse, and create welcoming clinic environments grounded in culture.

Minimum Category Three triage for First Nations patients in the ED

St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

First Nations patients were experiencing significantly longer wait times than non-Indigenous patients in St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne’s (SVHM) Emergency Department (ED). SVHM implemented a mandatory triage policy requiring First Nations patients to be assigned a Minimum Category Three Triage.

Through consultation with First Nations patients, clinicians and community-led organisations about how to meaningfully address these inequities, the project has successfully been embedded in the ED; the first known Australian example of using a triage category policy to address wait time inequities. First Nations patients are now seen more promptly than non-Indigenous patients, representing a significant shift in access and equity.

Winner

A Blueprint for Community-led Multicultural Health Resources, starting with the Arabic-speaking community

Eastern Health

Rahma Health

Refugee and migrant families in Victoria, particularly Arabic-speaking communities, face barriers to accessing evidence-based, culturally safe, trauma-informed health information. Only 1% of health information is translated, 90% report obtaining health information from Instagram and TikTok and only 7% report attending antenatal classes. Rahma Health, which was founded at Eastern Health and works with 20 Partners, created accessible, community-led, multicultural health resources which have been accessed a million times during the judging period.

The project was co-designed with the community, is led by the community, and driven by lived experience. This work is transforming healthcare for Victorian refugee and migrant families.

Finalists

Hearing from everyone: making feedback accessible for people with disability

Alfred Health

To hear about the experience of people with disability, Alfred Health wanted to make the feedback process easy and accessible. Changes included accessible information about how to give feedback, new ways to give feedback, staff education and improved data systems to recognise and respond to feedback from people with disability.

Codesign with people with disability was used to identify solutions to the problem as well as test and make improvements. Accessible feedback processes amplify the voice of people with disability enabling them to share their feedback in a way that suits their individual needs.

Lived Experience Leading Change: Embedding Disability Advocacy in Healthcare

Western Health

People with disability often experience exclusion, poor communication, and stigma in healthcare. Western Health embedded people with lived experience of disability in system design and staff training roles. Peer-led, co-designed education and service redesign projects aligned with the Best Experience Framework. National recognition was achieved for LEAPs successful appointment of disability-focused Lived Experience Advisors into key initiatives, resulting in more inclusive, accessible services and driving cultural change through the integration of lived expertise across Western Health.

Winner

Boosting Social Work via AHA Roles in RACS/TCP Pathways

Eastern Health

In 2023, Social Work (SW) teams faced 22.9% staff turnover and psychological distress due to overwhelming inpatient referrals and administrative burden. Patients transitioning via the RACS/TCP pathway experienced prolonged hospital stays, averaging 20 days post-assessment. To solve this, Eastern Health introduced targeted strategies to optimise SW resources and improve patient flow.

They implemented Allied Health Assistant (AHA) roles, streamlined reporting, and refined SW practices for complex discharges—innovations that enhanced efficiency and safety. By late 2024, SW turnover dropped 29%, referral response improved 60%, and discharge time reduced by 25%, releasing 5,440 bed days back into the system.

Finalists

Addressing gaps in childcare for a sustainable rural workforce

East Grampians Health Service

It is well established that access to childcare is a factor in not only recruitment of healthcare staff to rural areas, but also their ability to work to their full capacity.

To address this problem, East Grampians Health Service (EGHS) set up a flexible family day care service for its staff. Using a property on the health service grounds and in collaboration with a family day care provider, the service opened in September 2024. The service has increased staff capacity to work by providing flexible childcare and strengthened us as an employer of choice not only in healthcare, but within the region.

Intervening to make a difference - active bystander training

The Royal Melbourne Hospital

People Matter Survey data revealed specific demographic groups reporting higher rates of inappropriate behaviour and feeling less empowered to speak up. Staff felt confident addressing patient safety issues, but lacked skills and confidence to intervene when witnessing inappropriate behaviour directed at colleagues.

The RMH's active bystander training uses the five ‘Ds' framework to empower staff to intervene safely and supportively. The program uses peer-to-peer facilitation, delivering interactive workshops with customised content for different workforce groups. More than 1200 staff have voluntarily participated and developed significantly improved confidence in speaking up and showing support, creating a safer and more inclusive workplace.

Winner

Public Fertility Care Partnership

The Royal Women’s Hospital

Too many Victorians facing fertility challenges were unable to access treatment due to high costs, limited services, and exclusionary care models. Access to affordable, inclusive fertility care close to home was especially limited for regional communities and marginalised groups.

We implemented a statewide hub-and-spoke model, led by the Women’s, to embed expert fertility care in ten partner health services. Public Fertility Care has received 9,057 referrals; including priority populations such as First Nations (58), low income (119), single women (253), and patients with a disability (50), leading to 480 clinical pregnancies and 204 babies born.

Finalists

'Smile with Confidence' project: providing trauma informed dental care for survivors of family violence and sexual assault

Monash Health

The ‘Smile with Confidence’ (SWC) project is a collaboration between Monash Health Dental Services and multidisciplinary centres that supports survivors of family violence and sexual assault. With trauma informed practice at the centre of patient care, this partnership provided a safe, compassionate dental care experience tailored to the needs of the survivors.

This has led to a reduction in dental fear, increased confidence and oral health knowledge. The project provided a streamlined pathway that empowered trauma survivors to take charge of their oral health and overcome barriers that may hinder access to timely dental care in the public health system.

Co-designing the transition of cancer care for adolescents and young adults

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

The Royal Children's Hospital

The Victorian & Tasmanian Youth Cancer Action Board

Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service

This highly effective partnership between Peter Mac and the Royal Children's Hospital, the Victorian & Tasmanian Youth Cancer Action Board and the Paediatric Integrated Cancer Service has implemented a structured, supportive transition program for young people with cancer.

Through collaborative processes, clear overarching governance and a multidisciplinary approach, the youth-centred transition pathway is overcoming gaps in clinical practice to ensure a smooth, effective transition to support each young person’s health and wellbeing. Co-design has been at the core of this clinical transition pathway with healthcare professionals and young people working together to support and uplift young people with cancer.

Winner

Oral Health Victoria

Oral Health Victoria (OHV) is the lead oral health agency in Victoria, delivering quality services via the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Smile Squad, regional specialist hubs and 44 community dental agencies. Serving an eligible population including children, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, refugees, people without homes, and other vulnerable groups, OHV has pioneered a person-centred model of care, transforming the way it designs, delivers and measures its services.

Innovation is at the heart of OHV with new programs, partnerships and processes striving to create a Victoria that is oral disease and cavity free.

Finalists

Well for Life

IPC Health

IPC Health is redefining community health in Melbourne’s west through bold, equity-driven innovation and integrated, person-centred care. In one of the state’s most culturally diverse and socio-economically challenged regions, IPC Health has not only grown its services and workforce but is transforming how care is delivered - embedding consumer voice, cultural safety, and prevention into every level of practice. From redesigning access pathways and digital workflows, to cutting dental waitlists with 3D printing and supporting CALD women with inclusive outreach, IPC Health delivers care with impact where, how and for whom it’s needed most.

A values-driven organisation

Your Community Health

Your Community Health is a values-driven community health service delivering inclusive, equity-focused care to 16,500+ people across Melbourne’s northern suburbs annually. Guided by lived experience and community voice, they provide trauma-informed, culturally safe support across a range of medical, social, and wellbeing services. In 2025, they continued to lead with impact, advancing LGBTIQA+ inclusion, progressing Treaty action, embedding climate leadership, and embracing innovation to improve health outcomes for communities facing systemic barriers.

Winner

Heywood Rural Health

Heywood Rural Health is a small rural health service making a big impact. Guided by its values and shaped by the voices of its community, we deliver person-centred care that is inclusive, compassionate, and responsive. From urgent care to aged care, allied health to home-based community programs, we support people across the Great South Coast to live well and feel genuinely cared for. We are proud of the positive culture we have built, one that values wellbeing, flexibility and human connection. With innovation, collaboration and heart, we are building a healthier and more equitable future for our regional communities.

Finalists

A Vibrant Provider of Care

Beaufort and Skipton Health Service

Beaufort and Skipton Health Service (BSHS) continues to operate on a values-based model, building a sustainable workplace culture that promotes accountability, innovation and quality outcomes for its community. It has strong collaborative partnerships with the communities it serves to provide consumer centred care, focussing not only on individuals but on improving health outcomes for the community.

Five Stars: A Constellation of Best Care

Central Highlands Rural Health

It’s been five years since the local health services amalgamated to become a five-campus organisation servicing more than 60,000 people. As a proactive leader and trusted steward for rural health, Best Care is the commitment around which Central Highlands Rural Health clusters; it’s the north star for measuring success as we cultivate health and wellbeing through place-based engagement and social inclusion.

Winner

Dhelkaya Health

Dhelkaya Health provides a comprehensive range of low to moderate complexity services to a local population of more than 20,000 people and wider population for subregional services. The organisation has established a strong culture of staff engagement, through leadership and a focus on quality and safety.

This cultural shift is reflected in the consecutive People Matters Survey results which demonstrate improvements across all domains. Performance has significantly improved with a forecast financial operating surplus of 1.7% and achievement of activity targets. All service streams remain fully accredited and a minimum 3-star rating maintained across all residential aged care facilities.

Finalists

Supporting everyone to be healthy and live well

Echuca Regional Health

Echuca Regional Health (ERH) lives its values by delivering exceptional care through cultural respect, innovation, prevention and collaboration. It leads with compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence as it works to improve health equity and respond to the evolving needs of its community. Over the past year, ERH has made significant progress in providing safe, high-quality, and person-centred care. It expanded community-based and least intrusive care models, strengthened cultural safety, and enhanced workforce wellbeing. It drives this progress through meaningful partnerships, co-design with its community, and a strong commitment to continuous improvement.

Changing the healthcare story in the Central Goldfields

Maryborough District Health Service

Maryborough District Health Service is changing the healthcare story through major infrastructure investment, innovative models of care and strong purposeful partnerships. We've opened a new $115 million hospital and upgraded our logistics hub to improve care access, safety and sustainability. It expanded clinical and community programs, launched new services and strengthened Aboriginal health and reconciliation. The team of 500 staff delivers care with compassion and excellence across three campuses and the community. It is guided by its purpose to connect people to GREAT healthcare and a vision to transform health outcomes for all in the Central Goldfields and surrounds.

Winner

St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne (SVHM) is a large tertiary referral centre, with broad expertise, that delivers care to patients from Melbourne’s north-east and metro areas, as well as from regional Victoria. This year, SVHM delivered significant financial improvements, reduced surgical waitlists and ambulance offload times, extended care beyond hospital walls and partnered with health, research and other organisations to achieve the best outcomes for Victorians. SVHM remains proud to be a specialist care provider for some of Victoria’s most vulnerable population groups including people experiencing homelessness, First Nations patients, correctional health patients and people experiencing addiction and mental health challenges.

Finalists

The Royal Women's Hospital

The Women’s is one of Victoria’s leading hospitals for women and newborns with a focus on addressing health inequity. Through a range of clinical and support services, it provides world-class specialist healthcare and support both locally and at a statewide level. The Women’s is committed to delivering high-quality and responsive care and achieving long-term value for the community.

Western Health

Providing care for nearly one million people across Melbourne’s diverse and growing west, Western Health delivers over 800,000 care episodes annually in hospitals, community and virtual settings. Its integrated services include emergency, surgery, maternity, mental health, aged care and custodial health. In 2024–25, it delivered excellence through sustainable growth, innovation, and person-centred care. Major capital projects are bringing modern healthcare closer to home, while service redesign has cut emergency wait times and saved thousands of bed days. Award-winning care models prioritise early, least intrusive care and cultural safety. Backed by a dedicated workforce, it delivers high-quality, equitable care.

Winner

Volunteer Services Team

Bendigo Health

The Bendigo Health Volunteer Team in collaboration with, and inclusive of their volunteers, have designed and implemented a School Holiday Volunteer Program that offers an immersive volunteering in health experience and is shaping a future healthcare workforce, inclusive of positive pathways to education via LaTrobe’s ASPIRE program.

Finalists

Bringing Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre's 75-year history to life

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre’s specialist volunteer archiving team created a never-before-seen historic display, with artefacts from Peter Mac co-founders Sir Peter MacCallum and Dr Rutherford Kaye Scott. The team brought the rich history of Australia’s only public hospital dedicated to cancer to life for Peter Mac's 75th anniversary year.

Music that heals - Live music volunteers

The Royal Melbourne Hospital

Every weekday at the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) the Live Music Volunteers bring joy, calm and hope to the community with their diverse music and lived experiences. An assessment of LMVs' impact found that it can reduce the negative association with hospitals and create a welcoming, peaceful and joyful environment.

We celebrate these volunteers with 30 or more years of service and recognise their dedication to the healthcare sector and the people of Victoria.

• Kerrith Bell, Northeast Health Wangaratta
• Barbara Botterill, Western District Health Service
• Elva Lovett, Northeast Health Wangaratta
• Marilyn MacDonald, Northeast Health Wangaratta
• Gwenda Mathieson, Better Health Network
• Susan McDermott, Better Health Network
• Margaret Mundie, Northeast Health Wangaratta
• Christine Peruzzo, Northeast Health Wangaratta
• Margaret Shinns, Echuca Regional Health
• Judy Sommerville, Western District Health Service
• Roma Tully, Western District Health Service
• Thelma Wombwell, Western District Health Service