A year of Achievements for Central West Health...

Central West Health’s 2017–18 annual report detailing its past year’s activities has been tabled in State Parliament and Board Chair Jane Williams says residents will benefit from improvements in services and health infrastructure over the next 12 months.

She says in the report that solid foundations had been laid for further service improvements during 2018–19 following significant achievements in 2017–18.

“Telehealth will continue to be key to delivering a growing range of health services to residents of the Central West as the network of fibre optic connections in our region continues to improve. Thanks to the increasing availability of fibre optic and wireless connections in our communities we have been able to increase our telehealth delivery rates from just over 1300 individual service events in 2014–15 to 2959 in 2017–18.”

“Already in the Central West, we offer telehealth services in more than 30 disciplines and this number is growing steadily.”

“It was great to note that speech pathology services via telehealth started late last year and it is anticipated that, by December this year, we will be able to offer tele-chemotherapy services for low-risk patients in the region.”

“This expansion of services is being enabled with the support of cancer care services at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and the North Lakes precinct in Brisbane. Telehealth is really opening up a whole new world for health care in regional and remote areas like ours by providing specialist care without the need for travel.’’

Ms Williams said other highlights from 2017–18 included: • CT scanner installed at Longreach Hospital as part of an $11.3 million upgrading of hospital currently under way and due for completion in November. • Maternity upgrade completed at Longreach Hospital. • New day surgery unit completed at Longreach Hospital. • New $4.1 million Aramac Primary Health Centre Facility commissioned and operating. • 100 % of Emergency Department presentations seen with recommended timeframes for their category. (100 per cent of Category 1 most urgent presentations seen immediately.) • 96 % of all Emergency Department presentations departed the ED within four hours. • 100 % of Category 1 (most urgent patients) elective surgery patients treated on time. • Completion of the Connecting Care with Communities – Better Health Project, following extensive community and partner organisation consultation.

This project is being implemented in the 2018-19 year in the communities of Boulia, Bedourie, Birdsville, Windorah, Jundah, Stonehenge and Yaraka.

MS Williams says its focus on the four chronic disease areas of diabetes, cardiovascular, chronic respiratory disease and mental health will provide opportunity for better health services to be delivered to our most remote residents.

Ms Williams identified the following priority areas as the health service continues to work to deliver quality health services to communities as close as possible to people’s homes.

1. Develop a strong and positive leadership culture that supports the delivery of integrated, innovative, value-based and responsive healthcare 2. Attract, develop and motivate a strong and diverse workforce that is empowered to deliver safe, effective care and meet the changing needs of our communities 3. Work effectively with partners, communities and consumers to deliver high value care that is safe and consistent 4. Deliver more services locally by optimising planned and delivered infrastructure and technology investments 5. Improve access to culturally competent and safe primary healthcare through greater participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the workforce 6. Improve governance of corporate, financial and clinical systems to strengthen organisational resilience 7. Embrace technology for the delivery of care including supporting the use of My Health Record

Ms Williams says staff numbers had increased over the past 12 months to help deliver improved services.

As at 30 June 2018, the Central West HHS had a total of 378 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees across all classification streams, comprising full, part-time and casual staff and including 23 doctors and nurses.

This compared with 353 FTE staff at 30 June 2017.

“All our staff – clinical and non-clinical – are our greatest asset and I’d like to pay tribute to their dedication and commitment to helping us delivery quality health services.’’

The health service ended the 2017-18 financial year with a small operational surplus of $31,000 and had retained earnings from previous financial year surpluses of $1.4 million, which would be reinvested in our clinical services.