Committee Reporting Structure Western District Health Service was incorporated in July 1998 under The Health Services Act 1988 and is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors (BOD), appointed by the Governor in council upon the recommendations of the Minister of Health.
BOD terms of appointment are usually three years, with one third of terms expiring in October each year. Members are eligible for re-appointment.
BOD members serve in a voluntary capacity. The balance of skills and experience within the BOD is kept under continual review. The BOD orientation and evaluation process introduced in 2003 was continued in the 2005/06 year and has assisted greatly in evaluating the effectiveness and performance of the BOD and of individual members.
The BOD is responsible for the governance and strategic direction of the service and is committed to ensuring that the services WDHS provides comply with the requirements of the Act and the objectives, mission and vision of the service, within the resources provided.
In the course of their duties, the Board and Executive may seek independent advice from a range of sources. The BOD reviews operating information monthly in order to continually assess the performance of WDHS against its objectives and is also responsible for appointing and evaluating the performance of the Chief Executive Officer.
In order to ensure the effective operation of the BOD, the Board has membership on 9 committees, which meet as required and report back to the BOD.
Risk management
A comprehensive risk management program based on the Australian/New Zealand Standard for Risk Management, AS/NZS 4360, was implemented in 2001/2002. Risk management is an all-organisational activity and requires appropriate action to be taken to minimise or eliminate risk that could result in personal injury, damage to, or loss of assets. The Risk Management Policy was reviewed and updated in 2002/03 with plans implemented in 2003/04. During 2005/06 our insurers VMIA completed a site visit survey report at Hamilton Base Hospital. A risk treatment action plan was developed and implementation is well advanced. The Clinical Governance framework includes a clinical governance module in the BOD orientation program and regular reporting on clinical indicators. During the year the Clinical Risk Register was reviewed and updated. The Root Cause Analysis Policy and Reporting Process was also reviewed and revised.
Ethics
Board members are required by the Act to act with integrity and objectivity at all times. They are required to declare any pecuniary interest or conflict of interest during Board debate and withdraw from proceedings if necessary. There was one instance requiring declaration this year.
Executive Role
The Executive is made up of the Chief Executive Officer, Deputy CEO/Director of Corporate Services, Director of Medical Services, Director of Nursing, Director of Community Services, Coleraine Manager/Director of Nursing and Penshurst Manager/Director of Nursing. The Executive met 25 times during the year and provided regular progress reports to the BOD.