Metro Health Home < Business Units <

Health Reform & Innovation Branch

Director: Bernadette McDonald
Enquiries: Telephone (03) 9096 8007

Health Reform Organisational Chart (PDF File 26kb)

The Health Reform & Innovation Unit aims to contribute to the achievement of the Department of Human Services outcome of a building sustainable, well managed and efficient human services across Victoria by driving the achievement of the objectives of the Health Reform Program arising from the 2006 Health Options Review

Health Reform & Innovation Role and Function

In April 2007 the Health Executive of the Department of Human Services established the Health Reform & Innovation Unit as a cross Divisional resource, by expanding the responsibilities of the Executive Manager, Management Innovation Council Secretariat to include facilitation of the Health Reform Program, and supplementing the resource base.

In light of findings from the 2006 Health Options Review, the Government has endorsed a reform program going forward focusing on those initiatives which are likely to bring most return in terms of efficiency improvement, as well as enable the key performance targets for the hospital system to be met. Initiatives for initial focus are:

• structural workplace reform
• governance of clinical practice
• supply chain management, including improved purchasing
• targeting the highest cost growth services and cost categories for intensive management and monitoring
• further privatisation of outpatient services (to access Commonwealth MBS funding)
• the need to reduce variation in health service performance
• opportunities to re-engineer hospital processes
• improved management of patients with chronic disease by improving
• acute/ambulatory/primary care interfaces.

The Victorian Health Service Management Innovation Council

The Unit also works to support the Victorian Health Services Management Innovation Council develop and lead a program of work aimed at achieving significant system-wide improvements in the operational effectiveness and efficiency of public health services.

The Victorian Health Service Management Innovation Council (the Council) is a ministerial advisory committee created on recommendation from the 2003 Victorian Public Hospital Governance Reform Panel. It was established to draw together the operational expertise to deliver improvements to health service governance and operational management. These improvements will be achieved through developing system-wide priority projects and facilitating collaborative action.

The Council’s establishment is an acknowledgement of management innovation as a key plank in providing high quality, cost effective health services to all Victorians.

Focusing on innovation and change management, the Victorian Health Service Management Innovation Council will develop and lead a program of work aimed at achieving significant system-wide improvements in the operational effectiveness and efficiency of public health services.

Council membership is comprised of senior health service professionals including Board Chairs, Chief Executive Officers, clinician managers and Department of Human Services representatives. They bring a diverse range of expertise and experience to the table and can offer a broad perspective on issues within the Public Health System. The Council is supported by a small Secretariat.

If you would like any more information please contact us at the details below:

Bernadette McDonald
Director
Tel: (03) 9096 8007
Email: bernadette.mcdonald@dhs.vic.gov.au

Deborah Sykes,
Project Manager
Tel: (03) 9096 1184
Email: deborah.sykes@dhs.vic.gov.au

Mary Swift
Project Manager
Tel: (03) 9096 1377
Email: mary.swift@dhs.vic.gov.au

Caryn Hamburger
Office Manager
Tel (03) 9096 0497
Email: caryn.hamburger@dhs.vic.gov.au