Latest news with #StephenNicholls
Sydney Morning Herald
20-06-2025
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Heart hospital closing operating theatre, beds for ‘fiscal sustainability'
'We've spent almost two-thirds of a billion dollars putting up this facility. It's madness.' A Monash Health spokesman insisted the changes would not be detrimental to patients, and said they were about using hospital resources more efficiently. 'This operational change at the Victorian Heart Hospital aligns services and resources with patient demand, not rumoured budget cuts, and will not negatively impact patient wait times or outcomes, or our team members,' the spokesman said. 'The change will not reduce the number of procedures performed.' But a change impact statement prepared by Monash Health in February this year, leaked to The Age, states it was 'no longer feasible for Monash Health to operate under the current care and establishment model'. 'The closure of one lab will enhance our planned operational improvement work and, in addition, assist in the program being fiscally sustainable,' the document says. 'The total number of half-day sessions will reduce from 44 to 40 public sessions that will be available for procedures.' 'The Victorian government is very interested in having new railway lines, but not in addressing public health.' Dr Roderick McCrae In leaked correspondence to staff, also seen by The Age, Monash Health said the changes were necessary because of Victoria's activity funding caps. Under these arrangements, health services that conduct surgeries beyond their agreed targets are not fully reimbursed for the extra surgeries. 'Currently, the organisation is operating at approximately 106 per cent of its funded target,' the letter, from May, states. Loading 'This means 4 per cent of activity is being delivered without corresponding funding, which introduces financial risk rather than benefit.' Dr Roderick McCrae, Victorian president of doctors' union the Australian Salaried Medical Officers, expressed concerns about the changes, saying they reflected broader issues with the state's overwhelmed health system. 'There is a massive underinvestment in physical and mental healthcare across Victoria,' he said, adding that demand for these services was intensifying due to the state's growing population. 'The Victorian government is very interested in having new railway lines, but not in addressing public health.' Two Victorian Heart Hospital staff confirmed that the hospital's program director, Professor Stephen Nicholls, informed employees late last week that the health service was forging ahead with its plan in coming weeks. The proposed changes have been criticised by doctors working at neighbouring hospitals who regularly refer patients to the specialist facility. One cardiologist, who wanted to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said his hospital had instructed staff to tell patients that they would have to wait longer for procedures at the Victorian Heart Hospital. 'It's terrible from a patient perspective,' he said. 'The longer they wait, the worse their heart gets.' He said the Victorian Heart Hospital was set up to reduce waiting times for heart procedures, and the changes flew in the face of this. 'Now it is a big house with no one in it,' he said. Monash Health says it is well positioned to scale up its services to meet increased demand. State government performance data from the Victorian Heart Hospital shows that the median waiting times for surgery at the Victorian Heart Hospital have deteriorated over the past year. Category 2 patients at the hospital waited a median of 104 days for surgery from January to March 2025, compared with 26 days over the same period last year. In Victoria, category 2 refers to a patient awaiting planned surgery who requires treatment within 90 days. Just 24 per cent of category 2 patients were treated within the recommended 90-day time frame. More than 3000 patients were triaged at the hospital's cardiac emergency department during its first six months of operation, according to a recent annual report. A third cardiology source said they were concerned the changes would contribute to emergency department delays and ambulance ramping because fewer beds would be cleared as quickly. 'It does have a statewide impact,' the source said. The heart hospital overhaul is not the first contentious cost-cutting program at a Victorian health service this year. Just last week, The Age revealed that management at Eastern Health was preparing to cut paediatric services from Maroondah Hospital and relocate specialist staff to Box Hill. The day after The Age 's story, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas fronted the media to confirm she would use her powers to block the proposal – which would have led to children presenting at Maroondah and requiring more than a night's stay in hospital to be transported at least 20 minutes away to another health service. In April, the Royal Children's Hospital scrapped plans to cut a dozen jobs at its Children's Cancer Centre after The Age unveiled the plan in the lead-up to the Good Friday Appeal. A fourth cardiology source described the latest situation at Monash Health as bureaucracy gone mad. 'The department tells Monash Health to find savings. Monash Health tells us they want to save money. But if you speak to the Health Department, they say, 'We wouldn't deem to tell a hospital how to run a hospital.'' An economic impact assessment, presented to the state government in 2017 and later tabled in parliament, stated that the heart hospital would generate almost $400 million for Victoria in 2026 – including $112 million from research and teaching. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the changes appeared to be another example of mismanagement. 'Labor can't manage money, can't manage health, and it's Victorians who are paying the price.' An Allan government spokeswoman said the changes were a decision made by Monash Health based on demand. 'There has been no budget cuts and there is no impact to frontline care,' the spokesperson said. 'Since we opened Australia's first specialist cardiac hospital in 2023, it has transformed and saved the lives of thousands of Victorians – with cutting-edge telehealth facilities so regional Victorians can connect with specialists and local doctors, no matter where they live.'
The Age
20-06-2025
- Health
- The Age
Heart hospital closing operating theatre, beds for ‘fiscal sustainability'
'We've spent almost two-thirds of a billion dollars putting up this facility. It's madness.' A Monash Health spokesman insisted the changes would not be detrimental to patients, and said they were about using hospital resources more efficiently. 'This operational change at the Victorian Heart Hospital aligns services and resources with patient demand, not rumoured budget cuts, and will not negatively impact patient wait times or outcomes, or our team members,' the spokesman said. 'The change will not reduce the number of procedures performed.' But a change impact statement prepared by Monash Health in February this year, leaked to The Age, states it was 'no longer feasible for Monash Health to operate under the current care and establishment model'. 'The closure of one lab will enhance our planned operational improvement work and, in addition, assist in the program being fiscally sustainable,' the document says. 'The total number of half-day sessions will reduce from 44 to 40 public sessions that will be available for procedures.' 'The Victorian government is very interested in having new railway lines, but not in addressing public health.' Dr Roderick McCrae In leaked correspondence to staff, also seen by The Age, Monash Health said the changes were necessary because of Victoria's activity funding caps. Under these arrangements, health services that conduct surgeries beyond their agreed targets are not fully reimbursed for the extra surgeries. 'Currently, the organisation is operating at approximately 106 per cent of its funded target,' the letter, from May, states. Loading 'This means 4 per cent of activity is being delivered without corresponding funding, which introduces financial risk rather than benefit.' Dr Roderick McCrae, Victorian president of doctors' union the Australian Salaried Medical Officers, expressed concerns about the changes, saying they reflected broader issues with the state's overwhelmed health system. 'There is a massive underinvestment in physical and mental healthcare across Victoria,' he said, adding that demand for these services was intensifying due to the state's growing population. 'The Victorian government is very interested in having new railway lines, but not in addressing public health.' Two Victorian Heart Hospital staff confirmed that the hospital's program director, Professor Stephen Nicholls, informed employees late last week that the health service was forging ahead with its plan in coming weeks. The proposed changes have been criticised by doctors working at neighbouring hospitals who regularly refer patients to the specialist facility. One cardiologist, who wanted to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak publicly, said his hospital had instructed staff to tell patients that they would have to wait longer for procedures at the Victorian Heart Hospital. 'It's terrible from a patient perspective,' he said. 'The longer they wait, the worse their heart gets.' He said the Victorian Heart Hospital was set up to reduce waiting times for heart procedures, and the changes flew in the face of this. 'Now it is a big house with no one in it,' he said. Monash Health says it is well positioned to scale up its services to meet increased demand. State government performance data from the Victorian Heart Hospital shows that the median waiting times for surgery at the Victorian Heart Hospital have deteriorated over the past year. Category 2 patients at the hospital waited a median of 104 days for surgery from January to March 2025, compared with 26 days over the same period last year. In Victoria, category 2 refers to a patient awaiting planned surgery who requires treatment within 90 days. Just 24 per cent of category 2 patients were treated within the recommended 90-day time frame. More than 3000 patients were triaged at the hospital's cardiac emergency department during its first six months of operation, according to a recent annual report. A third cardiology source said they were concerned the changes would contribute to emergency department delays and ambulance ramping because fewer beds would be cleared as quickly. 'It does have a statewide impact,' the source said. The heart hospital overhaul is not the first contentious cost-cutting program at a Victorian health service this year. Just last week, The Age revealed that management at Eastern Health was preparing to cut paediatric services from Maroondah Hospital and relocate specialist staff to Box Hill. The day after The Age 's story, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas fronted the media to confirm she would use her powers to block the proposal – which would have led to children presenting at Maroondah and requiring more than a night's stay in hospital to be transported at least 20 minutes away to another health service. In April, the Royal Children's Hospital scrapped plans to cut a dozen jobs at its Children's Cancer Centre after The Age unveiled the plan in the lead-up to the Good Friday Appeal. A fourth cardiology source described the latest situation at Monash Health as bureaucracy gone mad. 'The department tells Monash Health to find savings. Monash Health tells us they want to save money. But if you speak to the Health Department, they say, 'We wouldn't deem to tell a hospital how to run a hospital.'' An economic impact assessment, presented to the state government in 2017 and later tabled in parliament, stated that the heart hospital would generate almost $400 million for Victoria in 2026 – including $112 million from research and teaching. Opposition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier said the changes appeared to be another example of mismanagement. 'Labor can't manage money, can't manage health, and it's Victorians who are paying the price.' An Allan government spokeswoman said the changes were a decision made by Monash Health based on demand. 'There has been no budget cuts and there is no impact to frontline care,' the spokesperson said. 'Since we opened Australia's first specialist cardiac hospital in 2023, it has transformed and saved the lives of thousands of Victorians – with cutting-edge telehealth facilities so regional Victorians can connect with specialists and local doctors, no matter where they live.'
Fox News
15-06-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Experimental cholesterol pill cuts heart attack risk with 'convenient' once-daily dose
A new daily pill could provide an easier, more convenient way to lower cholesterol and reduce heart attack and stroke risk. The experimental medication, called Obicetrapib, underwent a Phase 3 clinical trial at Monash University in Australia. The trial included more than 2,500 people averaging 65 years of age. All had either been diagnosed with heart disease or had genetically high cholesterol, according to a university press release. All participants were receiving "maximum tolerated doses" of cholesterol-lowering therapy. One group received Obicetrapib and another group took a placebo, while still maintaining their existing cholesterol drugs. After 12 weeks, the participants taking the new drug showed a 32.6% reduction in LDL cholesterol and a 33.5% drop in lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], the release stated. The findings were presented last month at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress in the U.K. and were also published in The New England Journal of Medicine. "We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments," said study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, director of Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute and Monash Health's Victorian Heart Hospital, in the release. "We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments." "Obicetrapib offers a promising new option — not only did it lower LDL cholesterol by over 30%, but we also saw a reduction in Lp(a), which is much harder to treat and has been linked to increased heart disease risk." Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is sometimes called "bad cholesterol," is associated with negative health effects when present in high amounts. LDL can build up in the blood vessels and increase heart attack and stroke risk, the researchers cautioned. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a protein that is known to greatly increase the chances of a heart attack when it's present in high levels in the blood. Unlike LDL, Lp(a) is an inherited risk factor that can't be modified with healthy behaviors or medications. Obicetrapib was found to be "well-tolerated" by the participants, the researchers noted. "This could be a valuable tool in the fight against heart disease," Nicholls added. "It's convenient, it's effective, and it may help close the gap for patients who've run out of options." The study — which was funded by NewAmsterdam Pharma, a developer of Obicetrapib that is based in the Netherlands — did have some limitations, the researchers noted. For example, the participants were not chosen based on high Lp(a), which means the study did not determine how the drug impacted those with elevated levels of the protein. Additionally, the study assessed changes in LDL levels, but did not measure actual heart attack or stroke outcomes. For more Health articles, visit More studies are needed to follow patients for longer time periods and to include more diverse cohorts, the researchers acknowledged. Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for additional comment.
India.com
12-05-2025
- Health
- India.com
New Cholesterol-Lowering Pill Shows Promise In Cutting Heart Attack And Stroke Risk
New Delhi: An international team of researchers found that a cholesterol-lowering drug may offer a more effective and convenient way to protect people at high risk of heart attack and stroke. The study led by researchers at Monash University in Australia tested a once-daily oral medication called Obicetrapib and found it significantly lowered both LDL or bad cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), [Lp(a)] -- two key contributors to cardiovascular disease. The findings marked an important step forward for patients who have struggled to reach their cholesterol targets with current therapies, said study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute. "We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments," Nicholls said. "Obicetrapib offers a promising new option-not only did it lower LDL cholesterol by over 30 per cent, but we also saw a reduction in Lp(a), which is much harder to treat and has been linked to increased heart disease risk," he added. LDL cholesterol, often referred to as "bad cholesterol," builds up in blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a lesser-known but inherited risk factor that can also accelerate artery damage -- and unlike LDL, there are currently no widely approved treatments to lower it. The trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included more than 2,500 participants with established heart disease or genetic high cholesterol who were given either Obicetrapib or a placebo, in addition to their regular cholesterol medications. After 12 weeks, those on Obicetrapib had dropped their LDL cholesterol by 32.6 per cent and Lp(a) by 33.5 per cent on average -- many achieved guideline-recommended targets for the first time. Obicetrapib was also well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to earlier trials. "This could be a valuable tool in the fight against heart disease," Professor Nicholls said. "It's convenient, it's effective, and it may help close the gap for patients who've run out of options."
Hans India
10-05-2025
- Health
- Hans India
This cholesterol pill may fight high risk of heart attack, stroke: Study
An international team of researchers found that a cholesterol-lowering drug may offer a more effective and convenient way to protect people at high risk of heart attack and stroke. The study led by researchers at Monash University in Australia tested a once-daily oral medication called Obicetrapib and found it significantly lowered both LDL or bad cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), [Lp(a)] -- two key contributors to cardiovascular disease. The findings marked an important step forward for patients who have struggled to reach their cholesterol targets with current therapies, said study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute. "We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments," Nicholls said. "Obicetrapib offers a promising new option-not only did it lower LDL cholesterol by over 30 per cent, but we also saw a reduction in Lp(a), which is much harder to treat and has been linked to increased heart disease risk," he added. LDL cholesterol, often referred to as "bad cholesterol," builds up in blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a lesser-known but inherited risk factor that can also accelerate artery damage -- and unlike LDL, there are currently no widely approved treatments to lower it. The trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, included more than 2,500 participants with established heart disease or genetic high cholesterol who were given either Obicetrapib or a placebo, in addition to their regular cholesterol medications. After 12 weeks, those on Obicetrapib had dropped their LDL cholesterol by 32.6 per cent and Lp(a) by 33.5 per cent on average -- many achieved guideline-recommended targets for the first time. Obicetrapib was also well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to earlier trials. "This could be a valuable tool in the fight against heart disease," Professor Nicholls said. "It's convenient, it's effective, and it may help close the gap for patients who've run out of options."
