We’re grateful to Community Bank Mt Martha for a $10,000 grant through its Stronger Community Grant Program, alongside support from the Mornington Masonic Lodge and Freemasons Foundation Victoria, helping fund a new colonoscope for The Bays Hospital. This investment will expand our endoscopy capacity and improve access to timely bowel cancer screening and diagnosis for Mornington Peninsula residents.
Recently, The Bays also purchased an additional colonoscope, further strengthening our ability to meet rising demand for gastroenterology services across the region. Together, these investments ensure our expanded endoscopy services can be fully utilised to support more patients, sooner.
The project helps local families access care close to home, reducing the need to travel off the Peninsula and ensuring faster answers when early detection can be life-saving. Colorectal cancer is over 90% curable when detected early, and 1 in 21 Australians will be diagnosed by age 85.
Demand for gastroenterology services at The Bays has grown by 64% over the past five years and is forecast to rise a further 27% in the next nine years as the population ages.
In response to this growth, The Bays added an additional endoscopy procedure room in late 2025, increasing local access. This has already lifted colonoscopy activity from 2,415 procedures (Dec 2023–Nov 2024) to 2,750 (Dec 2024–Nov 2025), an increase of 335 procedures in one year.
The new colonoscope helps fully utilise this expanded capacity by removing equipment constraints, enabling more procedure lists and supporting a further projected 10% increase in activity, or around 275 additional procedures next year.
This investment ensures more Peninsula residents, particularly those aged 55+ and those at increased risk from age 40, can access timely care close to home.
We also acknowledge Community Bank Mt Martha’s broader community impact, with nearly $100,000 in grants awarded this round to local organisations supporting sport, safety, education, and wellbeing across the region.
Thank you to Community Bank Mt Martha, Mornington Masonic Lodge, and Freemasons Foundation Victoria for helping strengthen local healthcare and keeping care close to home for our community.