The Bays Healthcare Group will strengthen endoscopy services for residents of the Mornington Peninsula by increasing local access to colonoscopy at The Bays Hospital, Mornington. We will do this by purchasing an additional colonoscope to support bowel cancer screening and diagnostic procedures, helping more people receive timely care close to home while also easing pressure ...
The Bays Healthcare Group
Strengthening Local Endoscopy Capacity: Increasing Colonoscopy Access on the Mornington Peninsula
GOAL
$15,000
Australia > VIC > Metro and Regional
Field of Interest
- Community and economic development
- Health/wellbeing and medical research
Target Population
- General population
- Seniors (65+)
The Bays Healthcare Group
The Bays Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit, community owned hospital that has been serving the residents of the Mornington Peninsula for over 88 years.
We are known for exceptional, personalised and innovative care, and our patients are at the heart of everything we do. Today we operate The Bays Hospital and Cancer Care Centre in Mornington and The Bays Dialysis Unit in Hastings. What began as a humble bush nursing hospital now delivers a comprehensive range of acute services, close to home. A key strength of The Bays is our membership - more than 600 community members who play a vital role in our governance and keep us closely connected to local needs. While each year, more than 13,500 patients trust us with their care.
Unlike many hospitals that are part of larger groups, The Bays remains owned by, and answerable to our community, with a single purpose: delivering exceptional, personalised care to the Mornington Peninsula. We operate without ongoing government funding for vital medical equipment or capital works. While a one-off federal contribution helped launch our Cancer Care Centre, it is philanthropy and community partnership that powers The Bays. And the need is real: in 2023 –2024, nearly seven in ten elective surgeries occurred in private hospitals - underscoring the vital role of community-backed facilities like ours in easing pressure on the wider health system and ensuring timely, high-quality care.
Project Summary
The Bays Healthcare Group will strengthen endoscopy services for residents of the Mornington Peninsula by increasing local access to colonoscopy at The Bays Hospital, Mornington. We will do this by purchasing an additional colonoscope to support bowel cancer screening and diagnostic procedures, helping more people receive timely care close to home while also easing pressure on metropolitan services.
Demand for colonoscopy services is rising rapidly as our community ages, and timely access is critical – colorectal cancer is over 90% curable when detected early. In the second half of 2025, The Bays expanded service delivery by adding an additional endoscopy procedure room, creating more appointment capacity locally. However, equipment availability is now the key constraint. An additional colonoscope will enable us to fully utilise endoscopy sessions already scheduled, reduce procedure delays and cancellations, and minimise the need for patients to travel off the Peninsula for care.
By keeping more procedures local, this project supports a more efficient health system overall – reducing the flow of Peninsula patients into city hospitals and helping to alleviate demand pressures on metropolitan endoscopy lists. This is a practical, immediately implementable step in a broader, community-driven expansion of local specialist services that supports earlier detection and faster treatment pathways for bowel cancer and other gastrointestinal conditions.
Project Outcomes
The intended outcome is increased local access to timely colonoscopy services for Mornington Peninsula residents by improving equipment capacity across endoscopy sessions at The Bays Hospital.
Over the past year, local colonoscopy activity increased from 2,415 procedures (Dec 2023-Nov 2024) to 2,750 procedures (Dec 2024-Nov 2025), demonstrating strong community demand and the impact of expanded service delivery. Building on this momentum, The Bays expects to increase colonoscopy activity by a further 10% over the next 12 months - approximately 275 additional procedures - supported by improved scope availability.
We will know we have achieved the project outcomes through:
Procedure activity data: increases in total colonoscopies performed, and the number of additional procedures attributable to the extra colonoscope.
Endoscopy list utilisation: increased number of procedure lists delivered as scheduled, with fewer cancellations or delays due to equipment constraints.
Together, these measures will demonstrate that the additional colonoscope has enabled The Bays to maximise existing endoscopy capacity, support earlier diagnosis, and keep more patients receiving care locally, close to their families and supports.
Budget Breakdown
TOTAL BUDGET: $50,800
FUNDING
| Funding source | Amount |
|---|---|
| Community Bank Mt Martha | $10,000 |
| Funding Gap | $15,000 |
EXPENSES
| Expense item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equipment purchase | $50,800 |
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