Country staff to have their say on health services

The future shape of the six regional Local Health Networks (LHNs) will receive input from the people who know the system best - the staff who work across country South Australia.
Minister for Health and Wellbeing Stephen Wade said that as part of the transition from Country Health SA, staff consultation goes into a key phase with the call for feedback on the high-level future design and functions of the six new regional LHNs and associated support services.

“The Marshall Liberal Government is devolving the governance of SA Health to ensure decision making is made at a local level to the greatest extent possible,” Minister Wade said.
“We want to empower local clinicians, staff and communities to be actively involved in decisions about their local health services.
“To do this, we are encouraging all staff across regional South Australia to provide feedback on the way local health services will operate and how they relate to one another in the future.
“We recognise that healthcare needs and challenges vary, so we are committed to consulting with staff to make sure LHNs and support services reflect the needs of the local community and build on the strong foundation of working together across regional South Australia.”
Chair of Yorke and Northern LHN Governing Board, Vanessa Boully, said the consultation period will be open for four weeks to enable feedback from as many staff as possible.
“Staff on the front line have a wealth of knowledge and expertise about their local health service,” Ms Boully said.
“In seeking their input, we are aiming to develop a strong, locally-driven LHN with services that are tailored to the local community and well supported across regional South Australia.
“In conjunction with oversight of the Governing Board and input from local community groups including the Health Advisory Councils, this will bring a fresh perspective to local health services.”
All Country Health SA staff and unions are encouraged to provide input on the functions, leadership structure and future state of their Local Health Network.
The consultation period is open from Monday, 14 January to Monday, 11 February 2019.
Country Health SA will continue in its current form until the 30 June 2019. The six new regional LHNs and their Governing Boards will become fully operational from 1 July 2019.