General News
17 February, 2025
Laundry operations in Horsham scaled back, due to replacement costs
Grampians Health Horsham operations cut but services continue
After months of uncertainty surrounding the laundry service operating from the Wimmera Base Hospital, Grampians Health announced on Friday, February 14, that its services would be downgraded due to the financial cost of replacing failed equipment.
The statement claimed the plant's aged equipment was beyond repair and the $19 million needed for new equipment had not been secured.
The temporary services adopted last year will continue to operate but as the permanent plan going forward.
In a prepared statement, a spokesperson for Grampians Health said, "The linen services provided at the Horsham campus will be changed after a significant equipment breakdown at the centre last year.
"The change means theatre laundry products will continue to be processed in Horsham, while bulk laundry will be processed at the Ballarat centre and delivered to the Horsham campus.
"This model has been successfully in place since last year's equipment breakdown, ensuring a seamless linen service for both the health service and the community.
"There are currently no changes to the linen service for local community businesses," they said.
Grampians Health CEO Dale Fraser acknowledged these changes' impact on the laundry team, which has maintained an uninterrupted linen service for the Horsham community since the equipment failure.
"As the plant's aged equipment is beyond repair and the $19 million needed for new equipment has not been secured, Grampians Health had to make the difficult decision to change how we provide laundry services in the Horsham region," he said.
'"We explored every possible option to get the centre fully up and running after years of regular breakdowns, but in the current financial climate, the cost was simply out of reach," Mr Fraser said.
Mr Fraser said the changes required a small team to operate the changed Horsham service, reinforcing that staff retention was a priority.
While some roles will be affected, all staff will be offered the opportunity for alternative roles and retraining if needed.
"We have been working closely with the Horsham Linen team during the past few months, ensuring they have been kept informed, with some Horsham Linen team members already moving across to work in our Environmental Services department.
"The linen team at Horsham has been nothing short of outstanding, especially during the past few months when interim arrangements were put in place to ensure the delivery of linen to our Horsham campus. We want our staff to know that we are here for them and will provide as much support as possible."
Mr Fraser said Grampians Health was committed to providing the highest quality care for its community and would continue prioritising essential healthcare in Horsham, including front line services, anesthetics and women's health.
"Since the formation of Grampians Health, there has been a 12 per cent increase in the number of jobs at the Horsham campus, compared to a six per cent increase at other sites," he said.
Grampians Health has expanded its services to meet community needs by opening a Maternity Outpatients Clinic and launching new services for home-based cancer care, specialist rehabilitation, and respiratory testing.
The announcement on Friday followed several statements throughout 2024 about the continuing issues that faced the service due to aged equipment and continuing breakdowns.
On June 7 2024, a spokesperson for Grampians Health said there were no plans to close the linen service in Horsham after reports of breakdowns.
In a prepared statement on October 31, Grampians Health advised the Wimmera Mail-Times there had been further significant breakdowns in equipment, and temporary measures had been put in place.
"Some of our equipment, including washers and dryers, broke down at our laundry plant in Horsham a few weeks ago. Grampians Health has put in place temporary measures to maintain seamless service delivery until onsite operations are running again," the statement read.
The staff had been informed and were temporarily adjusting their work routines, including travelling to Ballarat.