Epworth Hospital, Richmond
| Epworth HealthCare | |
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| Epworth HealthCare | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | 89 Bridge Road, Richmond, VIC 3121 |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Not-for-profit |
| Affiliated university | The University of Melbourne, Monash University, Deakin University and La Trobe University |
| History | |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
Epworth HealthCare is a provider of acute medical, surgical and rehabilitation services in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The group has four divisions: Epworth Richmond, Epworth Eastern, Epworth Cliveden, Epworth Freemasons and Epworth Rehabilitation, with rehabilitation sites at Richmond, Camberwell and Brighton. With over 1,200 beds and more than 4,000 staff, Epworth HealthCare is Victoria’s largest not-for-profit private hospital group.
Epworth Hospital opened in March 1920, as a community hospital initiated by the Annual Methodist Conference. The first matron was Ethel Gray, a Melbourne-trained nurse who had recently returned from serving as a matron in hospitals in France and England during World War I. A donation of £6,000 by Sir Aaron Danks led to the purchase of the mansion “Yallcowinna”, situated in one and half acres of gardens in Richmond. Renovations to convert the mansion into a hospital cost £3,324, part of which was donated by Dr. Georgina Sweet and her father in memory of Dr. Margaret Sweet who “gave her life during the 1919 influenza epidemic”. The influence of the Methodist traditions can be found in the name Epworth, as this was the name of the village where John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, was born.
There proved to be such a need for the hospital that within five months patients were being turned away and the nurses were being housed in tents while renovations were undertaken to increase the number of beds. Building works have continued apace throughout Epworth’s development, and are continuing with further development of new wards and medical centres throughout the Group.
In 1980, Epworth was incorporated under an Act of the Victorian Parliament, The Epworth Hospital Act. This Act was modified in 1997 to create the Epworth Foundation as the principal entity under the Act. In 1998 Epworth acquired Bethesda Hospital from The Salvation Army. Bethesda, meaning "place of healing" was originally opened in 1906 for the care of the sick and needy in Richmond and Collingwood.
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