Ramsay Newsroom

As the Goulburn River peaked this week, Shepparton Private Hospital CEO, Rhys Jones, said he was proud of how his team was coming together to help each other and the community. 

“We have an amazing team of health workers at Shepparton Private Hospital who are providing incredible support and working double shifts to keep our hospital open during the flood. This is allowing us to continue to care for patients requiring vital treatment,” Mr Jones said.

“I would especially like to acknowledge our senior nurse unit manager Emma who put her three children in a car north with their Dad so she could come in to the hospital to assist. 

“When floodwaters cut off her property, she managed to hitch a ride out with a local in a 4WD who then dropped her at the hospital. 

“Martlie, our new Director of Clinical Services, has been working and sleeping at the hospital since Sunday after receiving an order to evacuate her property.

“On a personal note, I am grateful to my neighbours who are looking after my dog after my home lost power and was cut-off from Sunday. Working and sleeping at the hospital has allowed Martlie, Emma and I to respond quickly to the situation in order to keep our patients and staff safe. 

“Despite the challenges, spirits are high in our community as you can see from the photos that I took whilst shovelling sand at the Shepp Showgrounds on Saturday and in our Kingfisher Ward at the hospital.

“Sadly, we have a small number of staff whose homes have been flooded or cut off by the floods, and we’re working with them to help however we can, including offering some financial assistance to those who were badly impacted.

“I’m so grateful to our wonderful team members who have stepped up to help their colleagues, our patients and our community. We remain on high alert with more rain predicted, but we hope to get back to doing what we do best as soon as possible – that is, providing quality health care to the people of Goulburn Valley.” 

Ramsay Health Care also provides a free Employee Assistance Program for staff who want to access professional and confidential counselling, coaching and support.