St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney (SV&MHS) forms part of the Sisters of Charity Health Service (SCHS) which is the largest diversified health care organisation within Australia’s not for profit and Catholic health care sectors.
St Vincents & Mater Health is governed by a Board appointed by the Congregational Leader & Council of the Sisters of Charity with reporting requirements to the National Board of the Sisters of Charity Health Service.
Click here to download the SV&MHS Annual Review 2005-06 (PDF).
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St Vincents & Mater Health operates in the public and private health care sectors, incorporating 6 major entities: 3 public hospitals, 2 private hospitals and 1 aged care residential facility.
St Vincent’s Hospital - a major public teaching hospital, principal referral hospital and major medical research organisation providing acute medical and surgical services, mental health, drug & alcohol and community health services.
Sacred Heart Hospice - managed by St Vincent’s Hospital, Sacred Heart is a public hospital providing palliative care, rehabilitation and cancer services.
Both public hospitals operate within South Eastern Sydney & Illawarra Area Health Service which is part of the NSW public health system.
St Vincent’s Private Hospital - a leading tertiary level private hospital, colocated with St Vincent’s Hospital.
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The Mater Hospital - a leading provider of private hospital services to the North Shore community.
St Joseph’s Hospital - a public hospital providing rehabilitation and aged care services as part of the Sydney West Area Health Service.
St Joseph’s Village - a Commonwealth funded residential aged care facility.
St Vincents & Mater Health works closely with affiliated institutions on the St Vincent’s Campus, including Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, St Vincent’s Clinic and the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology & Clinical Research.
We also support outreach and social advocacy services through the funding of the Sisters of Charity Outreach and the Mercy Foundation. |
Our Heritage and Tradition
The facilities comprising St Vincents & Mater Health Sydney
have a diverse and rich history. All were founded by the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Charity or, in the case of the Mater, by the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney.
Under the auspice of the Catholic Church, Mary Aikenhead and Catherine McAuley established the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy to serve the disadvantaged in nineteenth century Ireland before extending their healing ministry to Australia.
Arriving in Sydney in 1838, the Sisters of Charity were the first religious order to provide Catholic healthcare services in Australia. St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney’s second hospital, was established in 1857, firstly at Potts Point and later at Darlinghurst. This was followed by the establishment of St Joseph’s Hospital in 1866, firstly at Parramatta and later at Auburn, with the Sacred Heart Hospice and St Vincent’s Private Hospital being established in Darlinghurst in 1893 and 1909 respectively.
The Sisters of Mercy North Sydney arrived in Sydney in 1865 and established the Mater Hospital in 1906.
St Vincents & Mater Health was formed on January 1 2001 through the merger of St Vincent ’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospice, St Vincent ’s Private Hospital and the Mater Hospital . The joining of the Sydney health ministries of the two congregations in this way was visionary and has supported the development of each health facility creating a healing ministry greater than each could achieve alone.
In March 2005 the two Sisters of Charity facilities based at Auburn – St Joseph’s Hospital and St Joseph’s Village were integrated into the SV&MHS governance structure.
Our Mission
Our Mission is to bring the healing ministry of Christ to all we serve, continuing the ministries of the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy.
Our Vision
To serve the community through excellence in care, teaching and research in both public and private health and aged care services, and to reach out to the poor and the marginalised. In doing so, we maintain our fundamental respect for the skills and talents of our staff and our profound respect for the humanity of every individual patient.
Our Values
The core values which St Vincents & Mater Health holds precious and which are embodied in our Code of Conduct are:
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Compassion – we will accept people as they are and display kindness and sensitivity to them.
Justice – we will act with integrity and believe that people have the right to good health care without discrimination.
Human Dignity – we will teach people with care, acknowledging each person is unique in the eyes of God.
Excellence – we will excel in all that we do so that we can positively promote the healing ministry within our society.
Unity – we will create a community in which we collaborate with gentleness as a sign that we value one another.
Mercy – we will respond to those in need by providing the best possible treatment and care.
Hospitality – we will welcome people with kindness and do all that we can to assist their health and wellbeing.
Respect – we will be open to all people who need our care and our time, acknowledging that they have the right to our services.
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Strategic Direction
Drawing on our Mission, Vision and Values, the SV&MHS Strategic Plan 2007-2010 outlines the key directions for the organisation over the three years. The Strategic Plan is a living document and is reviewed and updated annually to ensure that SV&MHS remains responsive to the needs of the communities it serves. Click here to download a copy.
Service of the Poor and Marginalised
Working for the Common Good through our Social Accountability Initiatives
We have inherited an important tradition from our sponsoring Congregations, the Sisters of Charity and the Sisters of Mercy, to reach out to those in our community who are poor and marginalised. This heritage ensures that our commitment to this ministry is not just an add-on to our health care service but a core reason for our existence.
This commitment is evident in the way the facilities of St Vincents & Mater Health have each responded to provide services and assistance to those in our community who are vulnerable and in need. Support for groups such as the Asylum Seeker Centre, and through services such as Gorman House, we have responded to those who are often the most marginalised in our community.
The commitment to our ministry is also evident in the way we have worked through our private hospitals to partner with our sponsoring Congregations to support the work of the Sisters of Charity Outreach and the Mercy Foundation. These ministries are an integral part of the ongoing work of the Sisters and our support provides an important contribution that makes this care possible.
Whilst responding to the poor and marginalised in our community is the most visible expression of our ministry, we also exercise our commitment to the common good by advocating for changes in health policy and representing the disadvantaged in our society through various forums of influence and debate. In recent times this has particularly been expressed through our care of those living with mental illness and our partnership with government in ensuring that we not only care for the immediacy of their need but also advocate for long term change which might improve the lives and experience of those who suffer in our community.
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