Eastern Health Partnership
Eastern Health is one of the largest public health services in Victoria. Their ten hospitals and two state-wide services provide a range of emergency, surgical, medical and general healthcare services to over 840,000 people in Melbourne’s eastern region – from the inner suburbs of Kew and Camberwell to the Yarra Valley and beyond.
Our support of Eastern Health translates into:
- Ground-breaking Research enabling staff to investigate innovative healthcare pathways that improve outcomes for patients.
- Education and Training enabling health workers to become leaders in their fields through postgraduate education.
- Technology and Equipment transforming the way health care is delivered, including 3D mammography and breast biopsy system, a world-first artificial intelligence suicide monitoring system and a Cancer Multidisciplinary Meeting Room.
- Enhancing Patient Care giving patients of all ages the best chances for excellent health outcomes.
Partnership Announcement – January 2025
Eastern Health Partnership-
Working towards ‘Healthier Together’ for Melbourne’s Inner East.
Community Bank Inner East signs $400k two-year partnership with Eastern Health.
Today marks the official launch of the two-year partnership with Eastern Health Box Hill worth $400,000.
In the first year, funds will support the Eastern Health Research Forum and at least five Eastern Health Research & Innovation Grants. Funding will also be used for training of nursing, medical and allied health staff and urgent equipment support for the Box Hill Emergency Department and Maternity Ward.
Eastern Health Chief Executive Adj Prof David Plunkett has appointed Adj. Clin. A/Prof Paul Buntine as the Executive Sponsor of the partnership.
Eastern Health Chief Executive, Adj Prof David Plunkett says, “We are pleased to partner with Inner East Community Finance, whose generous commitment will enhance our ability to deliver high quality care to the community we serve.”
“This partnership is a testament to the shared vision of improving patient outcomes and fostering innovation in healthcare.”
Adj. Clin A/Prof Paul Buntine says, “Partnerships like these help us empower our staff. By investing in research, innovation, and staff training, we are equipping our teams with the tools they need to make meaningful improvements in consumer care.”
“We thank Inner East Community Finance for this exciting partnership.”
Our Chair, Bob Stensholt, says “our partnership with Eastern Health was motivated by a strong desire to increase our business’s impact in the health sector and to ensure that high-quality public health services remain accessible to all residents of Melbourne’s Inner East, both now and in the future. The funds we have contributed will lead to immediate, tangible improvements, including the acquisition of new equipment. Additionally, our investment in Research and Innovation Grants and staff training will equip Eastern Health employees to deliver the best possible outcomes for patients.”
Nick Coker, CEO of Community Bank Inner East, says, “Along with our support for equipment, training, and research grants, our branches and staff are here to offer personalised financial services to all Eastern Health employees. We provide a full range of banking and financial products at competitive rates, with tailored services to meet the unique needs of Eastern Health staff.”
What does our funding support?
Research and Innovation Grants
We have approved Research Grants for the following research projects:
Co-designing oncology pharmacy services: shaping the future with our patients and clinicians – a comprehensive survey report.
Mr Sam Maleki, Pharmacy, Box Hill.
Cancer patients in outpatient settings are often prescribed high-risk, complex medications including oral chemotherapy, targeted therapies or opioids. Older cancer patients face additional challenges such as cognitive and functional impairments, psychological and economic impacts. Age-related changes, chronic conditions, polypharmacy and adherence issues increase the risk of adverse drug events, treatment interruptions and reduced quality of life (QoL). It’s crucial for Eastern Health to fully understand these challenges. This survey study aims to identify unmet medication management needs of cancer service outpatients and clinicians and gather insights on potential solutions to address these issues.
Cost-effectiveness of NfL in dementia diagnosis.
Dr Maja Christensen, Neurology, Box Hill.
There is no simple test for detecting all types of dementia, causing diagnostic delays. The study aims to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of neurofilament light chain (NfL) within a cohort of Australians who may be indicative of a potential dementia diagnosis, compared to the standard care model. Healthcare utilisation data will be extracted for these study participants from Medicare to comprehensively compare the healthcare costs and outcomes for patients who received NfL testing versus those who did not, as part of their diagnostic work-up. It is hypothesised that utilising NfL in dementia diagnosis will be highly cost-effective, leading to cost-saving in diagnostics and improved quality of life. Establishing the economic value of NfL in dementia diagnosis will be crucial for policy decision making.
Community, Country, and Cognition: Place-based healthy brain ageing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Dr Antonia Clarke, Neurology, Box Hill.
Place shapes healthcare outcomes, including dementia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience greater dementia prevalence than non-Indigenous Australians, especially in rural areas. This project engages with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander healthcare professionals and community members to explore the role of Country (place) in brain health and dementia care across rural and urban contexts. Place shapes both awareness of brain ageing and access to resources that support brain health, particularly in rural areas where services are often limited.
By focusing on the place-based strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities—particularly through the lenses of Community, Culture, and Family—this project will drive the development of culturally informed policies and education that address dementia risk and promote brain health across diverse settings, from urban centres to remote regions.
Prepartum fibrinogen levels and risk of postpartum haemorrhage – a pilot study.
Dr Sarah Lee, Anaesthesia, Box Hill and Angliss.
Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. The WHO estimates that 14 million women experience PPH yearly, resulting in 70 000 deaths worldwide. While PPH related mortality is much lower in Australia, in Victoria, PPH caused 37% of all severe acute maternal morbidity reported in 2019. This pilot research will assess the possibility and worth of a larger trial to identify potential association between simple blood test and a parturient’s (patient in labour) risk of major bleeding after birth. It will characterise the nature, size and current practice of pregnancy-related bleeding within Eastern Health which may improve practice.
Can we identify patients with communication difficulty who are at greater risk of adverse events in hospital, early in admission? A prospective, observational study.
Dr Rebecca Sullivan, Speech Pathology, Box Hill.
Patients who have difficulty communicating are more likely to have an adverse event in hospital. For every 100 patients discharged from hospital, between 6 -7 will have experienced an in-hospital adverse event. Adverse events not only increase patient suffering, they also increase healthcare costs, through increased length of stay and additional healthcare.
Patients may have difficulty communicating because they have a disability or health condition that impairs their ability to communicate (such as hearing loss, stroke or dementia), or because there is a cultural or language difference between the patient and healthcare provider. Although up to 64% of patients admitted into hospital have communication difficulty, it is not routinely identified through screening and is not considered in preventing adverse events. The aim of this research is to investigate if screening patients for communication difficulty early in admission is a feasible way to identify these patients who are at higher risk of in-hospital adverse events.
Research Forum
Research and innovation play pivotal roles in public hospitals by continually advancing medical knowledge, treatments, and healthcare delivery. Research conducted at Eastern Health extends across all aspects of healthcare including surgery, aged care, emergency, drug and alcohol, oncology, mental health, and health service research. The Eastern Health Foundation Research and Innovation program started in 2012 with the generous philanthropic support of individuals, community groups and businesses.
The Eastern Health Research Forum is an annual event that highlights research excellence at Eastern Health. It is an opportunity to celebrate the research across all disciplines advancing healthcare locally, nationally, and internationally through innovative research. Our support of the Eastern Health Foundation Research and Innovation Program, helps Eastern Health clinical staff and researchers make their unique contribution towards delivering the best healthcare experiences and outcomes for our patients.
Research Forum- prize recipient
“A structured emergency nursing framework improves documentation of care and patient experience: HIRAID® Eastern Health”
I’m deeply grateful to Community Bank Inner East for sponsoring the Best Poster Award at the Eastern Health Research Forum. My poster focused on the effect of an emergency nursing framework called HIRAID® on patient and carer experience in emergency departments. HIRAID® stands for History including Infection risk, Red flags, Assessment, Intervention, Diagnosis, reassessment and communication and was implemented in Eastern Health’s three emergency departments along with 26 emergency departments in New South Wales as part of Australia’s largest clinical trial in emergency nursing. When emergency nurses use the HIRAID® framework, patients and carers felt their needs were met, nursing staff explained what was happening, involved them in decisions, and communicated effectively. They also perceived that nurses were attentive to their individual needs, responded promptly, and ensured their safety. Thanks to this award, I will attend the International Conference on Emergency Medicine in May 2025 in Montreal to share our trial results with a global audience. This event gathers emergency care professionals worldwide to share the latest ideas and best ways to improve patient care in emergency departments.
Professor Julie Considine AO RN PhD SFHEA, Professor of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Deakin University
Chair in Nursing and Director, Centre for Quality and Patient Safety Research – Eastern Health
Staff Training
Training of nursing, medical and allied health staff at Box Hill Hospital (examples of training opportunities include PIPER, Cardiac Arrest simulation, Newborn and Infant resuscitation).
Equipment
Urgent Support for the Box Hill Emergency Department and Maternity Ward.