Queensland Health
Encyclopedia
Government of Queensland
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
responsible for operating and administering the public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
system of the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n State of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It is responsible to the State's Health Minister Geoff Wilson and its Director-General
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
is Tony O'Connell.
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 Hospital
Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital
The Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital is a public hospital located in Coopers Plains, Brisbane, Australia.The hospital originally was developed to be a site for future expansion of the Mater Children's Hospital, a center for servicing the needs of the Commonwealth Games held nearby and a range...
s 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
Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital is a hospital located in the suburb of Herston in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.The hospital was formerly known as the Brisbane General Hospital.The hospital currently has a total of 948 beds...
(RBWH) and on Southside lay the Princess Alexandra Hospital
Princess Alexandra Hospital
The Princess Alexandra Hospital , is located on Ipswich Road in Woolloongabba, Australia. It is one of the major hospitals in Brisbane and is a teaching hospital of the University of Queensland. It is a tertiary level teaching hospital with all major medical and surgical specialities onsite except...
or regional centre.
From September 2008 the 20 health service districts were further reduced to 15. According to a Queensland Health media release, 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 - Cooloola, 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 75,000 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.
History and Developments
Replacement senior staff appointed in late 2008 included:- Deputy Director-General, Policy, Planning and Resourcing
- Professor Michael Cleary
- 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
- Dr Tony O'Connell.
- Chief Health Officer
- Dr Jeannette Young
- Chief Information Officer
- Mr Ray Brown
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."
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.