St John of God reports strong performance, despite challenges

ST JOHN of God Health Care has posted more than $2 billion in revenue, a seven per cent increase on the previous financial year, despite the “formidable” challenges currently facing the private healthcare sector.

Group chief executive officer Bryan Pyne said among these difficulties were regulatory changes, rising costs and changing and variable patient demand.

Despite these challenges, Mr Pyne said the organisation had demonstrated continued resilience, an unwavering commitment to its mission to deliver an outstanding patient experience and remained optimistic about the future.

“We are responding to pressures on healthcare funding by leaning into change and aligning resources to streamline service delivery across the organisation,” he said.

“We are pleased to have generated more than $2 billion in revenue, which reflects our resilience and reinforces our path towards sustainable success, but our margins remain challenging.

“We continue to invest in upgrading our facilities, systems and technology, while also continuing to prioritise the training and development of our caregivers.

“These efforts are designed to meet the evolving needs of our patients, clients and caregivers, and to ensure we respond to the health needs of the broader community.”

St John of God’s Geelong hospital was first established in Myers Street in 1905 and last month mark its 50th anniversary.

Speaking of the milestone, chief executive Stephen Roberts said despite periods of uncertainty through the hospital’s history, its staff had built a service that has changed the community and “become a beacon of healing hope for many”.

“It’s amazing how far we’ve come. Our hospital is now made up of more than 1,200 caregivers and hundreds of doctors and volunteers who make a great difference.”

Key achievements for the hospital over the past financial year include the stage one completion of a $7.5 million upgrade to its maternity ward, a collaboration with the East Timor Hearts Fund which saw life-saving heart surgery provided to two individuals from Timor-Leste, and a partnership with Barwon Health that has seen the improvements in the care of its youngest patients.

“The achievements of the past year have laid the foundation for our new St John of God Health Care strategy which we ae planning to launch in 2025,” Mr Pyne said.

“This strategy will map out how we deliver optimised care outcomes and exceptional experiences and embrace innovation to create a healthier future for the communities we serve.”