HEYWOOD Rural Health has been named the 2025 Premier’s Small Health Service of the Year, taking out the top honour at the Victorian Public Healthcare Awards in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
The award recognises outstanding achievement in safety, quality, innovation, leadership and community impact across Victoria’s public health system.
Heywood Rural Health was selected from a field of around 20 entries and had been shortlisted alongside two other finalists before securing the statewide title.
Chief Executive Officer Leigh Parker said the win was a landmark moment for the organisation and the Heywood community.
“This is an extraordinary achievement for a small rural health service,” Mr Parker said.
“It reflects years of hard work from our staff, our board and our partners, and it shows that high-quality, person-centred care is thriving in our region.”
Judges cited Heywood Rural Health’s strong workplace culture, community-focused model of care and deep partnership with Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation as standout strengths.
The submission outlined several major achievements that set Heywood Rural Health apart from other applicants.
Judges highlighted the organisation’s cultural leadership, with 97 per cent of staff, executives and board members completing Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation–led cultural safety training on Budj Bim Country.
Significant gains in workforce culture were also noted, with reports of bullying dropping from 40 per cent in 2018 to just seven per cent in 2024.
Over the past two years, the organisation has also undergone rapid and carefully managed growth, recording a 60 per cent increase in workforce and expanding its reach across the Great South Coast.
The panel also recognised Heywood Rural Health’s leadership of the Your Care Path program, which supports people living with chronic health conditions across five local government areas.
A strong focus on early intervention and prevention has driven the expansion of allied health programs and the introduction of new community-based group exercise classes.
The service has achieved full accreditation across all programs, including acute care, aged care, the medical clinic, home care and community health, and has delivered measurable improvements in residential aged care nutrition and dining through the Maggie Beer Foundation’s mentoring program, further strengthening quality of life for residents.
Mr Parker said the award recognised not just the service’s recent achievements, but its long-term commitment to improving rural health.
“This win belongs to every staff member, volunteer, partner organisation and community member who has worked alongside us,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved, and even more determined to keep building on it.”
Board Chair Tony Oxford, CEO Leigh Parker and members of the HRH leadership team attended the awards gala in Melbourne on Wednesday evening, alongside leaders from health services across the state.
Mr Parker said the recognition would help strengthen momentum for future work.
“We’ve shown that a small health service can deliver big results,” he said.
“Our focus now is to continue expanding access, strengthening partnerships and shaping healthier, more equitable outcomes for our community.”
