Annual Report 2004 - 2005
NCAHS 2005 Annual Report (1.8 mb)Download a full copy of the 2005 Annual Report
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Chief Executive's Year in Review
(extracted from the 2005 Report)
The past year was marked by great challenges and significant achievements as we completed the transition to the new North Coast Area Health Service (NCAHS) following the amalgamation of the former Mid North Coast and Northern Rivers Area Health Services. The main aim of the establishment of a new health structure across NSW from 1 January 2005 was to redirect about $100 million from administration to frontline clinical services. Throughout the year, local communities benefited from the amalgamation through the delivery of additional clinical services at hospitals and community health centres. Within 12 months of the amalgamation, more than $1 million in savings achieved by NCAHS was invested in frontline clinical care. NCAHS is now delivering more clinical services to our communities than ever before.
We achieved a number of early key targets as a result of intensive planning in the months leading up to the amalgamation. Our staff worked with great professionalism and dedication in meeting the ‘challenges of change’ and I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Executive, to thank them for their efforts and their contribution towards the development of NCAHS.
The main transition achievements included the development of a comprehensive and far-sighted Health Care Services Plan, draft Workforce Development Plan and Clinical Governance Framework. The Health Care Services Plan 2005-2008, a roadmap for the delivery of future clinical services, resulted from extensive consultation with senior clinicians, community representatives, General Practitioners and Health Service management. This process took place across the North Coast over a five month period, including seventy sessions with more than eleven hundred participants. A detailed draft plan was widely circulated for comment.
The draft Workforce Development Plan is aimed at addressing the challenges of a workforce that, in line with the broader community, is ageing. In the next decade, almost a third of current NCAHS employees will retire. Over the same period, it is projected that demand for hospital services will rise by at least 25%. Successful implementation of the Plan will ensure the continued delivery of health services to our communities by appropriately qualified and skilled staff.
Tighter guidelines to support the delivery of safe, appropriate, accessible and effective services have been developed within a Clinical Governance Framework. The Framework aims to build Clinical Governance into the core business of leadership and management and its implementation will help to instil a culture of clinical excellence.
Achievements in the period since the amalgamation include a closer networking of hospitals, enabling a critical mass of more specialised services to be established as ‘centres of excellence’ which ensures less duplication of services. NCAHS is creating a larger base for the development of specialist clinical services, such as Radiotherapy, which will help attract additional specialist staff.
The development of services within geographical Networks (Tweed-Byron, Richmond, Coffs-Clarence and Hastings-Macleay) will ensure that residents achieve maximum access to healthcare services. Networks are centred on patient care and provide a framework for the provision of services close to where residents live. The aim is for the majority of residents to be able to access a wide variety of inpatient services, including higher level services, within about one hour’s travel time, reflecting NSW Health’s objective of providing high quality healthcare closer to home.
We have made major inroads into addressing the number of patients waiting more than 12 months for their booked surgery. For the 12 months to June 2005, the number of patients on the North Coast waiting more than 12 months for their booked surgery was reduced by 73 per cent, from 1,746 to 475. This was a major achievement and I thank all Clinical Staff who made a concerted effort to enable this additional surgery to be undertaken over a short period.
The introduction of the Sustainable Access Program in winter 2005 resulted in an additional 47 beds or bed equivalents (including transit lounges and stress testing services) being opened in the Base Hospitals and larger District Hospitals across NCAHS. This initiative will now operate all year around as it is recognised that extra capacity is needed to meet growing demand.
Significant medical workforce recruitment successes during the year included an Acting Director of Area Cancer Services, Clinical Director of Renal Services in the Hastings Macleay, Director of Medical Services at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, an additional eight medical specialists to Coffs Harbour Health Campus (including a Haematologist, Urologist, Gastroenterologist and Oncologist), specialist Emergency Department Physicians at The Tweed Hospital and a Paediatrician for Grafton Base Hospital. In addition, senior Mental Health appointments were made, including an Acting Area Clinical Director of Mental Health Services and Area Director of Mental Health. The recruitment of clinical staff to regional areas continues to be a challenge that is being addressed by a number of initiatives, assisted by the Divisions of General Practice and all three tiers of government.
Extensive community and clinical consultation has continued to build on the strengths of both the former Area Health Services. Future participation and input from members of the public and clinicians is expected to greatly benefit service planning, and we look forward to working closely with the new North Coast Area Health Advisory Council which will be led by Dr Sue Page, the National President of the Rural Doctors Association, who was appointed Chair. Dr Page is committed to community and clinician involvement in health and is aware of the need for NCAHS to work closely with GPs and other service providers. The establishment of Area Health Advisory Councils will ensure a close involvement from both local communities and health care professionals.
With NSW’s fastest growing and most rapidly ageing population, meeting the emerging health needs of our community will continue to be a challenge for NCAHS. The nature of our population has resulted in a marked increase in activity across the Area, particularly Emergency Department presentations and hospital bed occupancy rates. Medical admissions and demand for community health services are expected to grow significantly over the next decade, highlighting the importance to plan for future healthcare needs. We also recognise the integral role that prevention, early detection and early intervention programs play in the delivery of good health care.
As we consolidate the new NCAHS structure, the major priorities for the year ahead include commencing the implementation of the Health Care Services Plan and completion of the Workforce Development Plan, concluding the Area amalgamation by redirecting further resources from corporate and administrative savings into expanding frontline clinical services, the progression of the Health Care Advisory Council, the development of clinical streams (with the Mental Health Stream being the first to commence) and the creation of a positive organisational culture. I look forward to working with our dedicated Staff and Managers to achieve these goals. We will also continue to work with our communities in a positive partnership crucial to the ongoing provision of quality health services to the people of the North Coast.
Chris Crawford
Chief Executive