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We monitor this page Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, excluding public holidays and weekends. For immediate enquiries, please call our Switchboard on 03 9342 7000. We encourage feedback and engagement on our social media channels, and as such we expect community members to treat each other with respect and courtesy. These standards apply to inter

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“Since my 20s, I did every test under the absolute sun,” Lauren recalls.At one point, doctors thought she had Multiple S...
10/06/2026

“Since my 20s, I did every test under the absolute sun,” Lauren recalls.

At one point, doctors thought she had Multiple Sclerosis.

It was only after a severe attack and a stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) that Lauren’s metabolic disorder was identified by the lab at the RMH as Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP).

“Broadly, patients can experience symptoms including severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, headaches, nerve damage, seizures, and occasionally it can be fatal,” Associate Professor Gayle Ross, Head of Dermatology Research at the RMH, says.

Lauren describes the moment she was referred to the RMH Porphyria Expert Centre as life-changing. “Since starting to manage my AIP symptoms, I'm gradually doing more and more in life”, she said.

“I've got two kids; I’m being a full-time productive parent, and I am able to do more, like help my partner and his business as time goes on.”

Two weeks ago, Lauren started a new treatment that was previously tested in research trials at the RMH between 2017 and 2021. The new treatment will help manage her acute symptoms, helping her get back to doing what she loves most.

Read Lauren’s story: https://f.mtr.cool/zizmxdzxws

09/06/2026

Autoimmune diseases are often thought of as the immune system going into overdrive. But new research suggests the story may be more complex.

Researchers at the Snow Centre for Immune Health - a partnership between WEHI, The Royal Melbourne Hospital and Snow Medical - have discovered subtle but consistent differences in how immune cells behave in people with coeliac disease.

These findings could help pave the way for:

🔹Earlier diagnosis
🔹More personalised care
🔹Better long‑term outcomes

While still at an early stage, this work opens a promising path toward understanding – and potentially predicting – autoimmune disease before it begins.

To learn more visit: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/researchers-uncover-hidden-defects-in-immune-cells-linked-to-coeliac-disease/

Transport to the Royal Melbourne Hospital used to look very different!🐴This picture, taken in 1904, shows a patient arri...
08/06/2026

Transport to the Royal Melbourne Hospital used to look very different!🐴

This picture, taken in 1904, shows a patient arriving at the RMH in a St John Ambulance Australia horse-drawn ambulance!

These days, we receive patients via state-of-the-art road and air ambulance, including the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service operated by Ambulance Victoria . In 2024/25 alone, we welcomed 461 air arrivals! 🚁

Discover more about our history: https://f.mtr.cool/mpydldcmvx

Today, the Minister for Health Harriet Shing MP Harriet Shing visited our Digital Coordination Centre (DCC) and Emergen...
07/06/2026

Today, the Minister for Health Harriet Shing MP Harriet Shing visited our Digital Coordination Centre (DCC) and Emergency Department to see firsthand how new capacity management roles, delivered in partnership with Ambulance Victoria, are helping improve emergency access and patient flow.

With Ambulance Victoria paramedics now embedded within our DCC, real-time ambulance and emergency department data is being used to better connect patients with the emergency departments best placed to provide timely care and support.

This is being delivered through the Virtual Hospital Pilot program, which we deliver in partnership with Austin Health.

We were also pleased to welcome Minister Shing to meet our dedicated Food Services team, who prepare and deliver approximately 766,000 patient meals each year, playing a vital role in the care and recovery of our patients.

Thank you, Minister Shing, for taking the time to visit and learn more about the innovative and essential work taking place across our health service.

Did you know the RMH is Victoria’s quarantine hospital for infectious diseases?Last week, our teams, together with colle...
06/06/2026

Did you know the RMH is Victoria’s quarantine hospital for infectious diseases?

Last week, our teams, together with colleagues at The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity , jumped into action to test and treat a suspected case of Ebola.

Thankfully, it was a false alarm. But it gave our people an opportunity to put their training into action and ensure we are prepared.

Our response involves rigorous infection prevention to contain any potential spread and the use of a specialised negative-pressure room in the RMH’s intensive care unit, which allows staff to safely treat a patient while minimising their own risk of infection.

Testing is completed in a special lab at the Doherty, run by Dr Katherine Bond.

"The laboratory is especially designed to keep people outside the laboratory safe from the infection”, Dr Bond said.

“Systems were tested and, after lots of planning and preparation, it all paid off in the sense that we were able to provide the patient safe care and keep our staff safe,” Director of the RMH ICU, A/Prof Christopher MacIsaac said.

An outbreak of Ebola has been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda; travellers returning from these affected regions should monitor WHO advisories and seek immediate medical attention if symptoms develop post-travel.

Last week, we welcomed Minister for Health Harriet Shing to the RMH Royal Park to formally open BreastScreen Victoria’s ...
05/06/2026

Last week, we welcomed Minister for Health Harriet Shing to the RMH Royal Park to formally open BreastScreen Victoria’s newly renovated Northwestern Reading and Assessment Service.

The newly refurbished facility was designed to create a calming space for women at a time in their life that can often feel overwhelming or anxiety-inducing.

Co-designed with staff, patients and consumers, everything from the artwork to the laptop stations for women to work at while they wait for their scan has been thoughtfully crafted to create a welcoming environment.

The RMH BreastScreen service provides free mammographic screening to women aged 40 years and over without breast cancer symptoms or breast problems.

For more information, visit: https://f.mtr.cool/seytfgdmcq

Preparing discharges ✅Organising hospital transport ✅Food and stationery orders ✅Giving directions to lost staff and pat...
01/06/2026

Preparing discharges ✅
Organising hospital transport ✅
Food and stationery orders ✅
Giving directions to lost staff and patients✅

Bev does it all! 💪😎

As a Ward Clerk, Bev helps keep Ward 3 South West a well-oiled machine.

“I just try to make the day go smoother for the team, because they are already very busy,” Bev says.

Want to join the team? Explore opportunities at the RMH: https://f.mtr.cool/msuwsvhfbr

29/05/2026

Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a rare muscle disease that slowly takes away strength and independence. Right now, there’s no treatment that can stop it.

A new collaboration with the Snow Centre, in partnership with the Snow Medical Research Foundation, and The Royal Melbourne Hospital Rheumatologist, Dr Jessica Day. The aim is to create a powerful research platform that can help researchers understand IBM better and speed up the search for effective therapies.

By using advanced technology to understand the disease more clearly and spot early signs of whether a treatment is working, we hope to bring new hope to people living with IBM.

Read more: https://www.wehi.edu.au/news/new-research-offers-hope-to-people-living-with-a-life-altering-muscle-condition/

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