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AWH Chief Executive Officer Susan Delroi said the report provided an honest account of the year, including areas where AWH needs to improve, alongside the achievements of its people and continued progress in patient care and regional capability. 

“There’s no question 2025–26 was a challenging year for AWH, and this report gives us a very clear picture of both our strengths and the areas that need our continued attention,” Ms. Delroi said. 

What stands out to me is that through all of that change, our people never lost sight of why they’re here: to care for this community. They kept delivering, kept improving and kept looking for better ways to care for people, and that gives me enormous confidence in what we can build from here.” 

During the year, AWH recorded more than 73,000 emergency presentations; 51,000 inpatient admissions, 16,000 planned procedures and more than 9,000 patients cared for at home. 

“Those figures show how much this region depends on AWH. Our people keep delivering, which makes me incredibly proud and reinforces the responsibility we have to caring for the AWH community”, she added.  

The report also highlights progress in bringing specialist care closer to home. The transition of inpatient and day oncology into the public system means more people can access coordinated specialist cancer care on the Border without out-of-pocket costs. 

“Keeping people closer to home and their families matters, particularly when they are going through something as significant as cancer treatment. Building that level of publicly available specialist care right here in our region is something we all should be really proud of”, she said.  

AWH also cared for more than 9,000 patients in their own homes, while programs such as PATCH continued to bring hospital-level paediatric care to children at home with their families. 

Clinical improvement featured strongly across the year, including redesigned emergency stroke care, with patients receiving a brain scan in a median of around 29 minutes. 

“That’s regional healthcare at its best, and it shows what our clinicians can achieve when they are supported to challenge how we do things and keep raising the standard of care”, Ms. Delroi explained.  

AWH also continued to build regional workforce and service capacity. Graduate nurse intake increased from 31 in 2020 to 63 in 2025, with around three-quarters trained locally, while ten additional renal dialysis care points will effectively double capacity once operational. 

Ms Delroi said the Annual Report also reinforced the priorities she has identified following her first months as CEO. 

“Over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time listening to our people and thinking carefully about where I can make the biggest difference as CEO. That has given me real clarity about where I want to focus; making sure our staff feel connected, listened to and empowered to do their jobs, that our leaders provide clarity and confidence, and that our community sees an organisation that is open, transparent and committed to providing the best possible care.” 

Her priorities include delivering a comprehensive response to the Safer Care Victoria review, improving governance and decision-making, and building stronger, more open relationships between AWH leadership, staff and the community. 

The focus is on creating greater clarity and support for staff, strengthening leadership and ensuring the organisation around AWH’s people enables them to provide the best care possible. 

AWH will continue that focus on openness and community engagement at its Annual General Meeting on 7 December, which will be held in person and provide an opportunity for the community to hear directly from AWH about the year and its priorities ahead. 

Community members will be invited to submit questions in advance. Questions will be addressed thematically at the AGM, with responses to all individual questions received published on AWH’s Your Say site following the event. More information about the AGM, including attendance and how to submit questions, will be shared in the coming days. 

“We should always be open about where we can improve, but that should never stop us recognising what we do well. I’m incredibly proud of the care our people provide every day, and this report shows just how much there is to be proud of and build on as we look to the future”, Ms Delroi said.  

The 2025-26 Annual Report is available on the Albury Wodonga Health website following its tabling in Parliament on 30 October 2026.  

AWH Website Link: Reports and Publications