Growth in community services, a rise in patient care numbers and strong progress towards environmental targets are highlights for the year at St John of God Health Care.
In releasing the 2024 annual report, Group CEO Bryan Pyne acknowledged the difficulties facing the Australian private health care sector while anticipating a positive future.
“We’ve been navigating a challenging landscape of regulatory shifts, rising costs and fluctuating patient demand for several years but we are resolute in our commitment to deliver outstanding care and clinical excellence,” Mr Pyne said.
“We are pleased to have generated more than $2 billion in revenue, which reflects our resilience and reinforces our path toward sustainable success but our margins remain challenging.
“We are responding to pressures on health care funding by leaning into change and aligning resources to streamline service delivery across the organisation.
“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.”
“Our optimistic approach is summed up by the theme of our annual report: Courageously committing to the future.”
In the 2023-24 year, St John of God Health Care:
• Generated more than $2 billion revenue, a seven per cent increase on 2022-23
• Treated 402,054 overnight and same day patients at our hospitals and services, a rise of almost 30,000 on the previous year. Delivered 68,641 at-home patient services in Victoria and Western Australia
• Recorded an exceptional Patient Net Promoter Score of 80.3 for our acute hospitals
• Provided close to 19,000 community mental health care visits and handled more than 18,000 admissions for mental health services
• Delivered $30.3 million in free or low-cost community services and social justice outreach initiatives, an increase of more than $1 million on the previous year.
Mr Pyne said environmental sustainability remained a key focus for the group, with a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and a minimum 50 per cent cut by 2030.
“In March, we were the first in the Australian private health sector to stop using anaesthetic agent desflurane across our 17 hospitals,” he said.
“Working with anaesthetists, we made the switch to alternatives with no adverse effect on patient care and an expected reduction in emissions of 260 tons annually.”
Major capital development projects continue to move forward at hospitals nationwide to enable caregivers in delivering outstanding patient care.
“We have successfully managed $240 million in expansions or upgrades to our hospitals over the past two years including Subiaco, Ballarat, Geelong, Murdoch, Midland and Richmond hospitals,” Mr Pyne said.
“These upgrades are vital in delivering contemporary private health care close to home for our communities.
“Since people are central to everything we do, health and wellbeing are always a focus, and we have are pleased with the success of our safety and people risk reduction programs and proud of our success in building and retaining exceptional talent.
“This year we also proudly endorsed our 2024-2026 Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, which focuses on closing the gap in health outcomes for Aboriginal people and enhancing their employment opportunities in the communities we serve.
“The achievements of the past year have laid the foundation for our new St John of God Health Care strategy which we are planning to launch in 2025.
“This strategy will map out how we will deliver optimised care outcomes and exceptional experiences and embrace innovation to create a healthier future for the communities we serve. At the same time, we are committed to sustainable financial outcomes, honouring the legacy of our founding Sisters of St John of God.”