Telstra has secured a substantial $1.6 million contract with Peninsula Health, a prominent public health service serving Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. The agreement entails a comprehensive upgrade of technology and connectivity to enhance patient outcomes and experiences.
Under the terms of the contract, Telstra will revamp Peninsula Health’s existing IT infrastructure across its 13 hospital and healthcare facilities, implementing smarter, safer, and more resilient technology such as CISCO SDWAN. This initiative will also involve the provision of faster internet services and the streamlining of existing contracts and processes, ultimately fostering cost efficiencies.
John Ieraci, Telstra Enterprise Group Owner for Defence & Public Sector, emphasized that this IT transformation will position Peninsula Health as a leader in integrating innovative technology within a public health setting. He expressed pride in undertaking this work and highlighted the excitement surrounding the delivery of a holistic technology solution that will significantly impact staff, patients, and the community.
The key objectives of the deal include connecting all four hospitals in the region, transitioning to a more efficient online-only system, and ensuring secure internet services for Peninsula Health staff and patients. Recognizing the critical impact of power outages or local disruptions in healthcare settings, the program will also incorporate redundancy measures to enhance system resilience.
In addition to these improvements, the contract will deliver a capacity boost to address the rising population across Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, and parts of the City of Kingston. Upon completion, Peninsula Health will have increased capacity to manage current and future demand effectively.
The project will also provide more bandwidth and local survivability, achieving a fourfold increase in network speed. This solution allows local sites to operate independently and uninterrupted in the event of an outage at the headquarters, ensuring seamless service continuity.
David English, Peninsula Health Executive Director Digital Health & Informatics, welcomed the technological advancements, emphasizing their role in making operations more efficient. He noted that the focus on providing the best care to patients and community members will be significantly enhanced through faster, more agile systems and improved connectivity across all sites.
