Queensland Health
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Queensland Health is the department of the Government of Queensland responsible for operating and administering the public health system of the Australian State of Queensland. It is responsible to the State's Minister for Health Paul Lucas and its Director-General is Michael Reid.
Queensland Health was restructured toward the end of 2005 from 38 "health districts" to 20. There were a number consolidations particularly in the urban areas with the formation of the "Northside" and "Southside" Districts. Northside District included 3 major hospital facilities including The Prince Charles, Redcliffe and Caboolture Hospitals while Southside brought the Logan, Redlands, Beaudesert and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospitals together. Somewhat strangely one large facility lay within the geographic boundaries of both Northside and Southside but remained independent entities or Districts in their own right. Within Northside lay the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) and on Southside lay the Princess Alexandra Hospital or regional centre.
From September 2008 the 20 health service districts were further reduced to 15. According to a Queensland Health media release[1], 9 districts remain unchanged. They are: Central Queensland, Townsville, Mackay, Cairns, Torres Strait, Cape York, Mount Isa, Central West and South West Districts. 6 new districts were created. They are:
- Darling Downs-West Moreton incorporating the former Toowoomba and Darling Downs and West Moreton South Burnett districts.
- Sunshine Coast-Wide Bay incorporating the Sunshine Coast, Wide Bay and Fraser Coast health service districts.
- Metro South incorporates the Southside Health Service District and Princess Alexandra Hospital.
- Metro North incorporates the Northside Health Service District and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
- Children’s Health Services, will oversee the implementation of a Statewide paediatric service.
Queensland Health has approximately 65,000 employees across the state.
In the mid-1940s Queensland was the first state in Australia to introduce free and universal public hospital treatment, a policy that some other states followed.
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[edit] History and Developments
Replacement senior staff appointed in late 2008 included:
- Deputy Director-General, Policy, Planning and Resourcing
- Professor Andrew Wilson - formerly Professor of Public Health in the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland. He also worked for New South Wales Health for six years in the positions of Chief Health Officer and Deputy Director-General.
- Deputy Director-General, Corporate Services
- Michael Kalimnios - formerly from the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
- Deputy Director-General, Performance and Accountability
- Terry Mehan
- Chief Executive, Centre for Healthcare Improvement
- Professor Stephen Duckett - was formerly the Professor of Health Policy, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and Pro Vice-chancellor (Learning and Teaching) at La Trobe University. He is currently also a Commissioner of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. In 2009 he moved to Canada to accept the position of CEO of Alberta Health Services.
- Chief Health Officer
- Dr Jeanette Young
- Chief Information Officer
- Mr Ray Brown
[edit] Health Quality and Complaints Commission
In response to the Forster Review of Queensland Health Systems an independent Health Quality and Complaints Commission has been created to allow patients to lodge complaints about health matters.
The Minister stated (5 October 2005) that "The Forster Review found while Queensland Health's policy reflects contemporary best practice, its implementation has been poor and there is a lack of uniformity and quality in complaints systems across the State. People are unsure how to lodge complaints, staff don't feel confident in handling them and there is an inadequate system for informing Queensland Health about complaints or concerns."[citation needed]
The (full-time) Commissioner is Professor Michael Ward, a former Professor of Medicine at the University of Queensland. There are also a number of part-time Assistant Commissioners.
The Health Quality and Complaints Commission also has a role in the development and implementation of quality, safety and clinical practice standards throughout Queensland's public and private services and monitor best practice clinical governance and patient safety.
It was subject to review by an all-party Parliamentary Committee after its first full year of operation.
