Community & Business
3 November, 2025
Hospital Licence handed in
The Board of Directors of the Clifton Co-Op Hospital Limited, which nowadays trades as Clifton Community Health Services, has revealed that it has surrendered the organisation’s Private Hospital Licence.
Delivering his Annual Report, Chairman of the Board, Andrew Douglas said while the breadth of services provided continues to present challenges for Clifton Community Health Services (CCHS), the organisation remains committed to delivering client value to the fullest extent possible, in line with the evolving needs of the community.
“This is likely to call increasingly on innovative approaches and partnerships over the coming period and at times, for difficult decisions to be made via an evidence-based approach,” he said.
“One such recent example relates to how best to position the organisation to provide rehabilitation and palliative care services into the future, particularly for older members of our community.”
Mr Douglas said decreasing levels of private health insurance, workforce availability, particularly GPs, increasing compliance requirements and associated expenses along with hospital occupancy over recent years left the board and management with little option other than to surrender the Co-operative’s Private Hospital Licence.
“With the Hospital having been the reason the organisation was established some 76 years ago, and it having long provided a vital service to the community, the decision to surrender the licence was made neither lightly nor easily,” Mr Douglas said.
He said it is planned that the services most recently delivered by the Hospital will, over the coming period, transition to a stepdown rehabilitation offering and a palliative care haven, both delivered via the Health Services Aged Care business and a refined and enhanced Model of Care.
“Consistent therewith, we are pleased to announce an exciting and encompassing initiative designed to reposition the organisation in line with prevailing best practice, impending legislative changes and the evolving needs of the greater Clifton community,” Mr Douglas said.
“At its core, this extensive programme of work, internally named “Programme Sunflower”, will see the Model of Care for CCHS Aged Care businesses transition to a social model, with an overarching focus on the individual client/resident and a holistic person-centred approach, as opposed to being predominantly focused on the biomedical elements of aged care.”
The Model of Care will be known as ‘WeAreClifton’.
It will be co-designed and will continually evolve in collaboration with CCHS Residential Aged Care (RAC) Residents, Support at Home (Home Care) Clients and their respective support persons, and CCHS team members to ensure the provision of care that focuses on the experience of the client, with an emphasis on lifestyle and living.
CCHS has a Site Master Plan which, with the support of the Australian Government, will see work begin in a number of areas during the coming year.
This will include refurbishment of much of the RAC facility, as well as construction of two new dementia-friendly RAC facilities, a new commercial kitchen for the complex and a new administration and wellness centre.
Construction has already commenced on ten new purpose-built social housing units alongside the existing Vedette Villas.
These will include eight one-bedroom and two, two-bedroom units.
These projects, which were outlined in Mr Douglas’ report, will see more than $23 million spent under the CCHS capital works programme over the next two years.
He said this will enhance the local economy and the Co-operative’s asset base, further enhancing the significant value the organisation delivers to the community.
