In financial year 2023, there was an average of **** public hospital beds per one thousand people in the Northern Territory in Australia. Victoria had the lowest public hospital bed density, with only **** beds per one thousand people.

The first Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act was passed in 1847 to enable a hospital committee to sue and be sued. That legislation, however, did not provide for financial assistance by the Government. In 1864 voluntary incorporation of institutions and the election of hospital management committee by the contributors to the funds of the institutions commenced.

Up until 1985 public hospitals were registered under the provisions of several Hospitals and Charities Acts and private hospitals were registered under several Health Acts. Public hospitals were subject to supervision by the Charities Board/Hospitals and Charities Commission and private hospitals were subject to some control by VA 695 the Health Department I, VA 652 the Health Commission and VA 2695 the Health Department II.

Supervision of all public institutions subsidized by the Victorian Government (such as hospitals) was the responsibility of VA 2701 the Charities Board, VA 693 the Hospitals and Charities Commission and VA 652 the Health Commission of Victoria.

The series comprises public hospital building construction plans and drawings. It appears that this is a collection of civil, structural, architectural, electrical, mechanical and other works drawings and plans for the public hospital buildings submitted to the recording/creating agencies (Charities Board of Victoria/Hospitals and Charities Commission) by hospitals/institutions incorporated under the provisions of Hospitals and Charities Acts.

The Charities Board/Commission was responsible for the approval of all capital works programme of institutions/hospitals incorporated under the provisions of Hospitals and Charities Acts. The architectural work of public hospitals was confined to the architects' panel kept by the Charities Board of Victoria.

Many institutions were exempted from the operation of Hospitals and Charities Acts. These included:
- any hospital asylum wholly maintained by the State,
- any hospital for the insane or hospital and asylum or receiving house or licensed house within the meaning of the Lunacy Acts,
- any institutions licensed or established under the Inebriates Act,
- friendly societies,
- any private hospital under the Health Act,
- Queen's Memorial Infectious Disease Hospital at Fairfield,
-Sanatorium at Heatherton,
-Institutions conducted by the Old Colonists,
- Freemasons' Homes of Victoria,
- Any asylum or institution established by the Commonwealth Government,
- Any asylum or institution established by any municipality/municipalities,
- Fairfield Hospital came under the control of the Health Department.

The Charities Board/Commission was responsible for the allocation of funds from the Hospitals and Charities Fund. The Board/Commission exercised control over capital works and determined the location and extent of all new buildings.

Note:
The Public Works Department was responsible for the architecture of TB sanatoria, mental and infectious diseases hospitals and was not involved in the approval of design and construction of public hospitals.

For plans and drawings of hospital buildings exempted from the operation of the Hospitals and Charities Act refer to: Public Works Department /Building Services Agency building plans (VPRS 3686 Pre-Metric Building Plans and VPRS 3821 Metric Building Plans).

Related Series
Correspondence relating to capitals works was filed in VPRS 4523 Hospitals and Charities General Correspondence Files. For a register/listing to these files, refer to VPRS 4525.

For approval of sketch plans, working drawings, specifications and tender documents, refer to VPRS 4524 Meeting Minutes. For a summary of minute sheets, refer to VPRS 4525.

Building specifications and a list of specifications are located in VPRS 5470 and VPRS 5526.

The Health Services subdivision encompasses various health facilities and services. General hospitals generate more than half Australia's health services revenue. Other key revenue sources include general practitioners (GPs), clinical specialists and dentists. While demand for health services has surged in response to Australia’s ageing population, the pandemic created mixed demand within healthcare industries. Pathology services experienced strong revenue growth during 2020-21, whereas psychiatric hospital revenue dropped during the same period. In 2024, service provision has recovered as healthcare systems adapt to the ongoing challenges, including the integration of telehealth. This technological advancement, along with improved access to services, is expected to provide a steady boost to revenue. Revenue in this subdivision is expected to have expanded at an annualised 0.5% over the five years through 2024-25 to $217.3 billion. While the pandemic initially disrupted services and redirected resources, the only significant revenue drop occurred in 2022-23, when cost-of-living pressures and the lingering effects of the pandemic, including workforce shortages and healthcare disruptions, negatively impacted the subdivision. Despite these setbacks, revenue is projected to climb 1.0% in 2024-25, spurred by an ageing population and ongoing demand for healthcare services. Profit margins have shrunk over the past few years, tied closely to rising wage costs throughout the Health Services subdivision. Over the coming years, Australia's ageing population will continue driving demand for health services. The recent re-indexation of Medicare rebates for services provided by general practitioners, specialists and diagnostic imaging will support revenue growth in these areas. An increasing number of Australians are taking out private health insurance for hospitals and general treatment, strengthening the provision of private healthcare services. In addition to greater uptake of private coverage, expanded federal funding for Medicare is a key driver in why revenue for the Health Services subdivision is projected to grow at an annualised 3.0% over the five years through 2029-30 to $251.3 billion, highlighting the need for strategic planning and resource allocation.