Regional Health Infrastructure Fund Program (9th Edition) – Australia

This helps people in rural and regional areas receive safe and efficient care.

Objectives

• The key objectives of RHIF 2024-25 are to assist regional and rural health services to:
  • mitigate infrastructure risk and to maintain patient safety, healthcare worker safety, service availability and business continuity
  • enhance service capacity, support contemporary models of care and improve patient and staff amenity
  • sustain and improve infrastructure assets that provide essential capacity for delivering responsive and appropriate clinical services across rural and regional public health facilities
  • provide a stronger role for outer regional services that will allow care to be safely provided closer to where people live
  • further incentivise health services and agencies to implement effective asset management that aligns with existing government frameworks and policies.

Funding Information

• A share of $75 million is available under the ninth round. More than 100 health services and agencies are eligible for funding.

Eligible Activities

• Construction works
• Fire safety
• Infection prevention and control
• Minor medical equipment
• Healthcare worker safety

Ineligible Activities

• Projects, or elements of projects which are ineligible and may not be funded by VHBA include:
  • operational funding (including recurrent costs for items such as subscriptions, licencing, ongoing support etc.)
  • projects that do not have current operating funding to undertake ongoing activities related to the asset
  • funding for direct costs of internal staff (such as project managers, ICT personnel, etc)
  • health service internal administration costs in excess of 1.5% of Total Estimated Investment (TEI)
  • fixtures, fittings and furniture not associated with a refurbishment project or specialty medical equipment. Routine replacement of furniture and fittings that are worn is the responsibility of agencies to manage as part of their existing maintenance and replacement program
  • general building maintenance such as cleaning, painting, general repairs
  • Master Planning
  • Major capital works in excess of $10m such as the construction of a new facility
  • motor vehicles (eligibility restricted to bush nursing centres only).

Eligibility Criteria

• Funding is available to Victorian regional and sub-regional health services, local and small rural health services, multipurpose services, public residential aged care services, registered community health services, bush nursing hospitals and centres, women’s health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, and publicly funded community specialist palliative care services.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants may be ineligible for consideration in this funding round where they have received funding under previous RHIF rounds and either:
  • failed to substantially commence their project within two years of receipt of funds
  • failed to fully comply with conditions of funding (for example, submission of progress reports, acquittals, unapproved change of scope)
  • failed to complete their projects within approved timeframes, without reasonable and adequate justification accepted by VHBA in its absolute discretion.

For more information, visit Victorian Health Building Authority.