Ballarat Health Services employs approximately 4000 staff at the Base Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Centre 1 km to the south-west, and 13 off-site facilities in the surrounding area.

During the gold rush of the 1850s, the Government Camp provided medical support mainly for officers and not for miners and the general community.

However, the wounded individuals at the Eureka Stockade in 1854 received varying levels of attention, which highlighted the need for a dedicated hospital.

In 1994, the five-story Henry Bolte wing, designed by architects Bates Smart, was completed.

Three years later, in 1997, the Ballarat Base Hospital merged with the Queen Elizabeth Centre and the Grampians Psychiatric Service to form Ballarat Health Services.