QUEENSLAND HEALTH RESTRUCTURE DELIVERS LESS BUREAUCRACY AND MORE SERVICE FOR SUNSHINE COAST

Health Minister Stephen Robertson and Queensland Health Director-General Mick Reid today announced a new Sunshine Coast District will incorporate the existing Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Fraser Coast districts.

The new District is part of major reforms to sharpen Queensland Health’s focus on patient care.

Mr Robertson said the restructure would build on previous reforms following Peter Forster’s Queensland Health Systems Review in 2005.

“This restructure is all about less bureaucracy and more services,” he said.

“These reforms will also strengthen performance and accountability for managers, and redirect savings of at least $5 million to patient care.”

The key elements of the reforms include:

• removing one level of bureaucracy by abolishing the three Health Areas
• reducing the number of Health Districts from 20 to 15
• establishing direct reporting lines from Health District heads to the Director-General of Queensland Health
• cutting around 50 management and communications positions
• generating savings of at least $5 million recurrently
• using savings to cut children’s long wait lists for elective surgery

The new Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay District will incorporate the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Fraser Coast health service Districts.

This will take effect from September 1, with a Chief Executive Officer expected to be appointed by November.

The new Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay CEO will report directly to Mr Reid on budget, performance and operational matters.

Mr Robertson said the merger would have no impact on infrastructure plans for the Sunshine Coast.

“We will continue to deliver the infrastructure to improve frontline health services for the Sunshine Coast, including a $1.2 billion tertiary hospital at Kawana, a $27 million Caloundra Hospital redevelopment, a new $45 million community health precinct at Maroochydore and a new postnatal care clinic,” he said.

“The new, larger and better resourced District will allow health managers and health professionals to deliver better local services.”

“We want Queenslanders to continue to have access to world-class health care, today and into the future,” Mr Robertson said.

“We want to ensure that District CEOs are squarely focussed on providing doctors and nurses and allied health professionals with the resources and support they need to deliver health care to our growing and ageing population.

“That’s why the Director-General is making structural reforms to remove a layer of bureaucracy and build on the efficiencies already achieved.

“And that’s why he is ensuring District CEOs report directly to him on their success in providing timely and quality health services to their local communities.

Mr Robertson said Queensland Health will use the savings generated by the restructure to increase investment in children’s health services including making inroads into children’s long wait elective surgery lists.”

Queensland Health undertook far-reaching reforms in 2006 following the independent Forster and Davies reports into the health system.

“In 2006, we established Health Areas as recommended by the Forster report to help strengthen local decision making,” Mr Robertson said.

“However, in practice we discovered that this got in the way of decision makers and the local communities they serve.

“That’s why the restructure will remove this level of bureaucracy and move decision making closer to frontline health services.”

Mr Robertson said the new structure would ensure direct reporting by Districts to the Director-General, making Area Health Services no longer necessary.

Mr Robertson thanked the Area Managers for their hard work over the past three years, particularly in driving improvements to delivering Area and District plans that will focus Queensland Health on the challenges that lie ahead.

“It will now be up to the strengthened Districts to deliver on those Health Service Plans,” he said.

Mr Reid said Health Service District will be strengthened by reducing the number of Districts from 20 to 15,” Mr Reid said.

“This will allow larger and better resourced Districts to deliver local health services and important hospital building and rebuilding programs.

“We will also do this by devolving decision-making, encouraging closer relationships between District CEOs and clinicians and strengthening the performance and accountability requirements on District CEOs.”

Mr Reid said in 2006 Queensland Health also introduced a cap on Head Office staff numbers.

“Under this restructure some Area Health Service functions will transfer back into Head Office but, to ensure a tight control on numbers, I will be signing off on all new Head Office positions,” he said.

“Clinical Networks will remain as they are.

“To maximise the benefits of these structural reforms, the current role of Senior Director in the Office of the Director-General will become a Senior Communications role to provide timely advice to media and the public, with a focus on greater openness and transparency.

“In addition, a new position of Deputy Director General will drive performance of District CEOs, and will improve performance throughout Queensland Health.

“The structural reforms will result in a leaner bureaucracy with an immediate reduction of around 50 management and communications positions and ongoing reductions as the new Districts are implemented.”

“However, Mr Reid stressed there would be no forced redundancies of administrative, technical and professional officers or frontline clinical staff, in redirecting some of the existing District functions to new Districts.

“The welfare of staff has been of primary importance in our structural reform deliberations,” Mr Reid said.

Contacts: Kate Van Poelgeest 3234 1185 or 0458 449 267