New chief executive at Central West Hospital and Health Service

Central West Hospital and Health Service (CWHHS) acting chief executive Jane Hancock has been permanently appointed to the role.

Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Cameron Dick said Ms Hancock has been acting in the position since August 2016.

“Over the past 12 months, she has shown a commitment to and passion for the people of the Central West,” Mr Dick said.

“A highly experienced health executive, Ms Hancock’s appointment is evidence of the outstanding job she has done to date while aligning with the Palaszczuk Government’s promise to all Queenslanders, regardless of where they live, to deliver the highest quality health care.”

CWHHS Board Chair Jane Williams said Ms Hancock had come from Gold Coast Health, where she had been Executive Director of Operations since 2012.

“In the year she has been with us, Jane has truly listened to our region’s people, and has worked with them and for them to deliver some excellent outcomes,” Ms Williams said.

“Strengthening general practice, improved integration of primary and acute healthcare and increasing access through the provision of more services locally and by telehealth are among the achievements to date.

“With her interest in patient outcomes and value in health service delivery, the Board is thrilled with Jane’s permanent appointment to the chief executive’s role.”

With thirty years of healthcare experience, Ms Hancock said she saw an opportunity to make a real difference in the Central West in delivering improved health outcomes for people in rural and remote communities.

“When I first arrived, I was at a meeting with community leaders in a regional town, talking about their challenges, their concerns and their fears,” Ms Hancock said.

“We are the recipients of some significant infrastructure investment from the Queensland Government, and so we will be working with people from across the Central West to assess their wants and needs, to plan for and provide the service they both expect and deserve.

“Our eyes will be on today, but everyone in the Central West has their sights on an even better tomorrow – and we’ll be working in partnership with our communities to deliver.”

The year ahead will see ongoing collaboration between general practices, along with the community health and outlying primary care nursing staff, to work on a single plan to support residents managing their own care.

“This will be assisted by the Integrated Care Innovation Fund project to improve services in the remote Western Corridor targeting both non-indigenous and indigenous health outcomes,” Ms Hancock said.

“We will continue to implement priorities as identified in the 10-year regional health plan “Health of the West” which centres on services focused on our people and our patients, while empowering the community and our workforce.”

Background

Ms Hancock has qualifications in critical care nursing from the University of New South Wales, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She also has a Masters of Business Administration, Bachelor of Education (Nursing), Diploma of Applied Science (Nursing) with Honours and recently completed a program of study at Harvard University, Boston, USA. 

ENDS

Media contact:            

Emma McBryde 0447 155 332

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