Health is a key priority for the Hodgman Liberal Government and that’s why we’ve invested a record amount in the Heath Budget, which includes funding for more than 120 beds and treatment recliners.
Today I am releasing an update of the New Beds Implementation Team which shows 79 beds and four treatment recliners are open across Tasmania.
A further 22 beds and treatment recliners will open in the next two months, followed by a 22 bed ward at the Hobart Repatriation Hospital, due to open by mid-2018.
The update also includes key feedback from the work undertaken by Deloitte which the Government is releasing in the public interest.
That work included interviews and a survey of leaders and managers across our health system, to gather individual perspectives on how they are working as one health system to achieve their strategic objectives.
The work of Deloitte also looked at leadership, the clarity of roles and authority, direction and focus, governance and service planning.
Pleasingly, there was very strong support for the statewide One Health System strategy introduced by the Government.
However the survey and interviews showed that the THS Executive is not yet operating effectively, with a need to improve communication, consultation, process, culture, accountability and relationships.
There is a clear need to clarify roles and responsibilities in the THS, so that all members of the organisation understand and work effectively within management structures at the local and statewide levels.
The Government is considering the feedback provided through the survey which we initiated in order to continue our efforts to improve Tasmania’s public health system.
The report is available online at:
http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/266528/NBIT_Summary_December_2017.pdf