It’s a win for Cohealth clients with more funding to keep services open. But without a change in management, there are questions about how things will be different going forward.
Federal health minister Mark Butler has released a statement this afternoon promising an additional $1.5 million in funding to make sure Cohealth services at the Collingwood, Fitzroy and Kensington sites stay open.
The money is time-limited and conditional for 12 months, “while Cohealth, supported by North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, makes the necessary changes in response to the independent review”, the announcement said.
“Changes are expected to include a strengthening of senior management and board governance, and a new integrated and sustainable general practice model of care.”
However, further details on those changes, including the highly anticipated independent review led by Professor Stephen Duckett, were not provided with the media statement.
A statement from Cohealth chair Sam Sondhi acknowledged the need for changes, however, suggesting the report was a critical one.
It said Cohealth recognised that there were areas where the company needed to do better and it was committed to strengthening both how care is delivered and how it engaged with, supported and communicated with its communities about that care.
“While the Board does not support all findings of the Review relating to governance and management, we recognise there are areas requiring further strengthening across governance, leadership and management and significant changes are already underway to address this,” the statement said.
Cohealth also said it recognised that rebuilding trust and confidence must sit alongside the work of strengthening services and shaping their future.
“We wish to acknowledge the real impact and uncertainty the past few months have had on our patients, communities and staff,” Mr Sondhi said.
“We are committed to spending time with our communities to acknowledge this directly and to listen carefully to what people have experienced. What we hear through this process will shape how we move forward and how we work differently into the future.”
“Ensuring continued access to care for these vulnerable communities has always been, and remains, cohealth’s core focus,” Mr Sondhi said.
Response from the community
The Save our Community Health advocacy group said it was pleased but the funding boost, but it remained cautious about what it meant for services on the ground.
“We won. But,” spokesperson Bill Deveney, former Melbourne Lord Mayor and board member of Kensington, Flemington, North Melbourne, Community Health told The Medical Republic.
“They’ve announced that the Kensington, Fitzroy and Collingwood services will be retained, which is great news. But we don’t know whether it means with the medical staff … We’re short of doctors. Does that mean more doctors?
“There’s no mention of social workers or counsellors or the pharmacy at Collingwood. What’s happening there? No mention of the Collingwood building that Cohealth has continually said they proposed to sell.
“The other part is that they retain the current board and senior management. They talk about governance change. What are they meaning? They haven’t released a partial or full report.”
There was speculation that the original report had recommended the removal of the board and senior management.
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Fellow advocate Dr Stephen Alomes told TMR he believed that to be the case.
“Has Cohealth again put a block on public awareness and discussion of the full report and its full recommendations? Did the review recommend the replacement of the Board and senior management?” he said.
Mr Deveney agreed.
“We want to know the full truth, so we’re wanting access to the full unredacted report as soon as possible.”
He highlighted that the board and senior management had failed the community in the past with the closures of Laverton, Braybrook and North Fitzroy.
“It just beggars belief. We just don’t know, and can we trust them? In the past, it shows we can’t,” he said.
In a statement released before Mr Butler’s announcement, the group called on Victorian health minister Harriet Shing to use her powers to dismiss the Cohealth board.
“We have no confidence in the board and the senior management. They have managed the organisation badly and lost our trust, through: their closed minds; mistruths; lack of communication to all our communities; failing to support clients with complex care; an unwillingness to listen to the centre’s staff and our community’s; their overall poor management; their policies of not taking new clients nor accepting clients from other Cohealth service – demonstrating why we don’t trust them or believe their words,” it said.
Toxic Culture, incompetent management
A quick search of the Seek Reviews page gives an inkling as to what it’s like to work at Cohealth.
It continues to hire, including community health nurses, GPs and physiotherapists. However if it is not getting many applicants, the 2.6-star rating might be an indication why.
Of the 39 reviews dating back to 2015, the majority (particularly in recent years) paint a picture of a toxic workplace and poor management.
In February 2026, one person flagged:
“Poor management, too much focus on expanding as an organisation, severe lack of support” and another said “toxic culture, incompetent management”.
However, there were poor reviews even before the financial and management issues became public in October 2025.
In August 2025, one person said: “Horrid. I experienced a toxic workplace. Management talk the talk but cannot walk the walk.”
Even in December 2023, there were issues:
“Management, particularly senior management and executives, and the lack of responsibility and accountability (as many other reviews have stated), which results in a toxic and disconnected workplace.”
Since 2022, only four reviews out of 15 were positive.
In April 2025, a peer support worker said: “A great learning experience full of challenges and insight into Melbourne’s AOD and homelessness crisis”, however they recognised that the health system’s and government’s systemic failure allows service users to fall through the gaps and cracks.
“Some frameworks and policies are questionable,” they wrote.
Mr Deveney said these reviews weren’t surprising.
“It’s got a bad workplace culture. Staff aren’t really allowed to think and act independently and if they do, they get jumped on,” he said.
“They’re all afraid. And it’s not the environment for health, let alone community health.”
The Save Our Community Health Group will continue to fight. A public meeting will take place at 10am on Saturday 16 May at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Gower St, Kensington.
