Legislative compliance

East Grampians Health Service has a statutory obligation to report legislative compliance status on a range of matters.

Equal Opportunity

East Grampians Health Service has a commitment to the principles of merit and equality in employment and people management.

The staff recruitment and selection procedure was reviewed during the year ensuring ongoing compliance with the Public Sector and Employment Act 1988, and contemporary employment practice.

Occupational Health & Safety

The multidisciplinary Occupational Health & Safety Committee initiates and co-ordinates development of workplace safety policies and procedures, identifies and assesses workplace hazards, and provides for relevant education and training.

Clinical Governance and Risk Management

The development of a service-wide Clinical Governance and Risk Management strategy continues.

At the core of this exercise is the development of a culture which:

• Puts the focus on patient, resident and clients needs;
• Links the values and strategic objectives to the way we do business;
• Adheres to the principals of Acute, Aged Care and Disability Services Outcome Standards.

Complaints

It's important for the quality of our organisation to encourage consumer feedback.  It provides constructive information and helps us plan for the future.  We give consumers every opportunity to contact us to let us know when things go well or when they don't meet expectations.

We acknowledge that we don't always ‘get it right', however we are committed to addressing concerns and improving the way we deliver services. 

The Complaints Officer manages all community concerns confidentially.  Last year the health service received 87 concerns and 269 compliments.  Both are equally as important in shaping our future service delivery.

All formal complaints are directed to the Chief Executive and are dealt with according to guidelines laid down by the Health Services Commissioner.

Competitive Neutrality

Market changes are monitored and reviewed according to the guidelines of the Victorian Government Competitive Neutrality Policy with additional benchmarking being conducted where applicable tenders were received.

Publications

The East Grampians Health Service makes available to all interested persons any of its publications and produces a range of brochures aimed at informing the public of the range of services available.

Consultancies

No consultancies were undertaken during the year which exceeded $100,000.

Privacy

Privacy Legislation commenced July 1st 2002 and comprises:

• Health Record Act 2001 and
• Information Privacy Act 2001

Information Privacy Act 2001 covers the privacy principles of:

• collection of health information
• use and disclosure of health information
• data quality
• data security and retention of information
• openness
• access to own health information

East Grampians Health Service has policies in place to ensure that personal health information remains confidential and secure, will only be used by non-Service staff with the consent of the patient, and is accessible by the patient under Freedom of Information guidelines.

Patients, residents and clients are informed of their rights regarding their health information, on first contact with the Health Service.

Fees

All fees charged by East Grampians Health Service are regulated by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the Commonwealth Department of Family Services and the Hospitals and Charities (Fees) Regulations, 1986, or as otherwise determined by the Victorian Department of Human Services.