HASCU is incredibly pleased to announce that The Latrobe regional hospital has decided to reverse their decision, to contract out the Latrobe Regional Hospital Community Recovery and Care Unit (CRCU) following a directive from the Minister Martin Foley.

This is a win for the Gippsland community as it will ensure the maintenance of the much needed mental health service and is an even bigger win for members at Latrobe and across the Victorian mental health services.

HACSU State Secretary Lloyd Williams has been engaged in high level talks with the Minister to see that the Labor Party stuck to their election promise, not to contract out the Latrobe CRCU.

Under the previous Victorian Liberal Government, the Latrobe Regional Hospital began the processes of contracting out the CRCU and downgrading the service to a non-clinical staffing profile. HACSU lobbied against this decision engaging the then opposition Labor Government to maintain the service. HACSU were successful in seeing this cemented in the The Labor policy platform, which stated (Labor will) “Support the public system and avoid further privatisation or contracting out of mental health clinical treatment and rehabilitation services”.

Members at Latrobe will no longer face the uncertainty of contracting out. This means job security for members and continuity of care for clients.

This decision also sets a new precedent of security for the rest of Victoria’s mental health services, as the previous Liberal Government set out to contract out all CCUs.

HACSU will continue to fight for our mental health services, especially those much needed in our rural communities.