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Albury Wodonga Health (AWH) today held its 2025 Annual General Meeting, highlighting a year of significant progress, strengthened accountability, and renewed focus on delivering safe, high-quality care for the border community.

Board Chair Jonathan Green said the AGM provided an important opportunity to reflect openly on achievements and challenges across the health service.

“This year has been one of strengthening the foundations of our health service. We have made deliberate, disciplined progress to improve safety, culture, governance and accountability across AWH.

 Our community expects a health service that is safe, consistent and compassionate. The Board is absolutely focused on delivering that standard - every day, in every part of our organisation”, Mr Green said.

As part of the AGM, Mr Green also acknowledged external reviews currently being undertaken by Safer Care Victoria (SCV) in our Health Service’s surgical services and the emergency department.  Additionally, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) ‘Out of Cycle Hospital Inspection’ following serious concerns raised by trainees and clinical staff about workplace culture and behaviour, trainee welfare and safety, clinical supervision, workload and clinical governance.

“These reviews reinforce why AWH continues to take strong action in implementing cultural change across our services. We are cooperating fully with both RACS and SCV and supporting staff to participate openly and honestly, as we work together to build a safer, stronger and more supportive health service for our region”, he added.

Chief Executive Officer, Bill Appleby, presented the 2024–25 Year in Review, outlining key achievements including progress on the Albury Wodonga Regional Hospital redevelopment, strengthened regional partnerships, and important improvements across cancer services, mental health, maternity, emergency care and workforce wellbeing.

Building on these achievements, the AGM demonstrated that AWH has delivered tangible improvements across patient care and workforce development. Orthopaedic services were strengthened through Bone Week, a focused initiative providing timely orthopaedic surgical treatment, streamlined recovery pathways, and reduced wait times. In-home models of care, including Hospital in the Home, Subacute in the Home, and paediatric and maternity programs, were expanded, allowing patients to receive high-quality, tailored care in their own homes while easing pressure on hospital beds.

Workforce capability continued to grow with the largest-ever intake of graduate nurses and midwives, supported by innovative multidisciplinary orientation and training programs that foster early collaboration across allied health, nursing, and mental health teams. Specialist clinics were also expanded across the region, improving access for people with complex and chronic conditions, while initiatives in mental health and lived experience engagement ensured care remained culturally safe, inclusive, and responsive to community needs.

“Our teams have delivered exceptional work in a year of substantial demand and change. Despite the external challenges, they continue to show up with compassion, skill and a deep commitment to the people of our region”, Mr. Appleby said.

Our focus now is strengthening the culture and systems that support them, so they can continue delivering the safe, high-quality care our community trusts us to provide. The work underway is not about short-term fixes - it’s about building a service that is more self-sufficient, accessible and sustainable for the long term”, he added.

The AGM also showcased updates from AWH’s Board Directors on the progress made against the health service’s four strategic pillars within the 5-Year Strategic Plan, Transforming For Our Future - Safe Connected Care, Empowered Teams, Regional Leadership, and Sustainable Services - highlighting achievements in patient safety and quality, workforce and culture initiatives, regional collaboration, and the planning and development of future infrastructure.

Clinical Director of Cancer Services, Dr Brett Hamilton, was guest speaker and outlined the pathway forward for strengthening cancer care ahead of the transition to a publicly operated model in January 2026.

Mr Green also addressed the reasons for holding the 2025 AGM online, noting that this approach aligns with the Health Services Act, priorities resources for patient care, and provides a safe and respectful environment for staff and community engagement.

He closed the meeting by reaffirming the Board’s commitment to transparency and community engagement and inviting community members to submit feedback through the AWH Your Say online engagement platform.

“We will continue to listen, communicate clearly, and involve our communities respectfully in shaping a health service that meets the needs of the region now and into the future”, he said.

To view AGM steaming video CLICK HERE

To view AWH Annual Report 2024-25 CLICK HERE