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The nature of our work as a Health Manager is
never static. It is a ceaseless dynamic process that
is always changing and continuously adapting to the
ebb and flow of the tide that is health and health
care. Central to our guiding role as managers is our
requirement to be continuously well-informed of the
many changes in health care practices, theories, and
evidence. This is where continuing professional
development steps to the fore.
Continuing professional development, or CPD, is
the conscious, systematic maintenance and improvement
of professional knowledge, skills, and competence
throughout a person’s working life. It is a
professional commitment to improving standards of
competence by being up-to-date, and continuously
seeking to improve not only yourself, but the
profession as a whole. Innate to these definitions is
the onus that the learner takes full responsibility
for developing and directing their own CPD
requirements[1]
CPD may sound like a lot of work, however, in
order to stay abreast of the growing and
ever-changing needs and demands of health and health
care, it is recognized as an essential exercise. We
must all partake in order to expand our knowledge
base and remain up-to-date with new developments.
General practitioners, pharmacists and lawyers are
required to participate in CPD events, and we, as
future ACHSE fellows and health managers are also
required to partake in CPD events. In fact,
participation in CPD is a Federal Council requirement
for College members engaged in health management
roles, and is provided for by each ACHSE
branch[2] You can find more information on
future ACHSE CPD events at the following website: http://www.achse.org.au/upcoming.html
CPD need not be confined to continuing education
events held by the many ACHSE branches. Instead, CPD
may also encompass any extra reading or research you
may carry out through the course of your professional
life. Although not formally recognized in terms of
CPD points, reading health management journals and
magazines are a great source of information and the
latest evidence-based research findings affecting our
industry. Furthermore, networking, attending seminars
and courses, and participating in discussion forums
are additional methods of continuing one’s
education.
CPD is not a thorn in our side – something which
we have to do in order to fulfil our requirements as
a health manager, but something which we must do in
order to continuously better ourselves personally and
professionally. After all, as the saying goes,
“nothing ventured, nothing gained.” We have embarked
on a lifetime of learning and re-learning what we’ve
learnt. And in this day and age where it is literally
survival of the fittest, you have to ask yourself,
will you sink or swim? The onus is on you to choose
to swim and to keep abreast of this never-ending,
dynamic profession we have entered.
We need to be cognizant and continuously aware of
our personal and professional strengths and
weaknesses, and we need to always ensure that our
weaknesses are addressed in an appropriate manner.
CPD is one such mode that ensures we continue this
life-long journey of learning and enquiry, so that we
may be the best we can be, and I believe we deserve
to be.
References
- The Chartered Institute of Logistics &
Transport (UK) website. Available on-line at: http://www.ciltuk.org.uk/pages/cpdwhat
(accessed 26/11/2007).
- Australian College of Health Service Executives
website. Available on-line at: http://www.achse.org.au
(accessed 26/11/2007).
Shelly
Dhaliwal
As you may have heard from several gossip
columnists across Australia, the 2007 ACHSE National
Congress in Melbourne was the health event of the
year, and we were lucky enough to attend.
The theme of the congress, ‘Health Innovation
– Reforms or Raffles’, was evolved to reflect
the concept that if the reform process is not
strategic and systematic in its policy development
and delivery, then the anticipated improved health
outcomes are likely to be haphazard.
Speakers from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong
and America addressed the topics of chronic disease
management, mental health and obesity across the two
day program. These were identified as the three
global challenges that are placing increasing
pressure on the health system and require
considerable reform.
Amongst the first day of speakers we were all
lucky enough to hear from the Hon Jeffrey Kennett AC,
former Premier of Victoria and now the dynamic,
engaging and passionate Chairman of BeyondBlue. He
gave a realistic overview of the pressure facing
Australians with mental illness; as well as giving
all the delegates an insight into managing staff with
mental illness and in fact looking after their own
mental health!
Also of note in the Concurrent Session on
‘Effective Action across the Continuum – Closing the
Gaps’ was a presentation by Shaun Larkin; a former
ACHSE Management Trainee, and now General Manager of
HCF.
Thursday night was the congress dinner themed
‘Racing Carnival Fever!’ With morning suits, jockey
outfits, hats, fascinators and the ability to bet
with someone else’s money - it was truly a memorable
night! We are glad to report that there was no
holding back on the dance floor from our fearless
leaders in health, many of whom partied well into the
night!!
After a few sore heads, Friday was started by a
personal journey of mental illness and how creativity
can educate and inspire patients and employees to
look beyond stigma attached to Mental Health. We then
heard how information technology is being used as a
system enabler for co-ordinated care at Intermountain
HealthCare in Salt Lake City. Finally, the day
concluded with a panel consisting of the Hon Dr
Michael Armitage and other senior executives from
Private and Public sectors to discuss the changes in
the Private Health Insurance Legislation.
Attending the congress was a fantastic opportunity
and a highlight of our ACHSE experience. We must send
a big thank you to Robert Cusack who so kindly
donated this scholarship for us to attend.
Sarah
Thew and Cath Gannon
This years Rural Study Tour (RST) was held on the
18th – 20th July. The trainees visited several
organisations across both Hunter New England Area
Health Service and North Coast Area Health Service.
Altogether, twenty one trainees from both first and
second year attended, along with the NSW ACHSE State
Director Dr Sarah Mott and the NSW ACHSE Aboriginal
Health Management Development Program Development
Officer Mr Zane Rice.
Day one began at ACON in Newcastle. ACON (which
incidentally is not an acronym) is a community based
organisation providing a range of care and support
services to people living with or affected by
HIV/AIDS, and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, inter-sexed and queer community. The
Hunter branch of ACON provides services such as care
and support; counselling; needle and syringe exchange
programs; and education and information for the
Newcastle, Central Coast and Hunter Regions. The
ACHSE group was given a presentation by several
dedicated team members who described their roles and
the services provided by ACON. The manager of Hunter
ACON highlighted the importance of developing
partnerships with the government, Area Health
Services, local GP’s and other community
organisations, to effectively provide the array of
services to their constituents.
 Bulahdelah
Hospital, which is a 12 bed acute medical rural
hospital, was the next facility to be visited by the
ACHSE group. It began with a tour of the facility by
the Acting Executive Officer/Nurse Manager, the
Administrative officer and the facility maintenance
manager. The visit to Bulahdelah Hospital highlighted
a number of difficulties that are faced by rural
hospitals. Firstly, Bulahdelah has no staff medical
officers and is solely reliant on the local General
Practitioner (GP) and Visiting Medical Officer (VMO)
for medical coverage. The town has one GP who not
only services the community and the hospital but also
the large nursing home, which is situated next door
to the hospital. Also, there are difficulties with
the recruitment and retention of staff. The isolation
and tyranny of distance were seen as significant
reasons for these difficulties. With a small
complement of staff, it was interesting to note the
important role of the maintenance manager in
providing support to the nursing staff for indirect
patient care activities.
Accommodation for the two nights was at the Port
Macquarie Sundowner Breakwall Tourist Park. Situated
adjacent to the breakwall, the location was beautiful
and an easy walk to the evening events.
Wednesday and Thursday nights provided an
opportunity for some “team bonding’ on a river cruise
in Port Macquarie. It was fantastic opportunity for
the trainees to get to know each other on a social
level.
The next day began at the Booroongen Djugun
Aboriginal Corporation (BDAC). BDAC Facility in
Kempsey was officially opened in early 1997 and
currently offers 20 low level care beds and 40 high
level care beds for both indigenous and non
indigenous peoples. The facility was established to
provide care to Aboriginal frail aged, aged and
people with a disability, who could not be cared for
in the community. Its design is derived from the
views and opinions of the Elders, and reflects the
spiritual feelings associated with the traditions and
customs of the Aboriginal people.
Following from Booroongen Djugun, the ACHSE group
visited the Kempsey Durri Aboriginal Medical Service
(AMS). Durri AMS has been open since 1997. Initially,
staff were in a one-room building, but have recently
moved to a two-storey building that sees
approximately 12,000 patients and has a staff count
of 106. Durri services communities include
Bowraville, Nambucca, Bellbrook, Kempsey, Greenhills,
Crescent Head, Burnt Bridge, South West Rocks, the
Mid North Coast Correctional Centre, TAFE and
community houses. Services include holistic early
interventions, primary health transport, clinical
outreach, home visits, education (eg mental health),
eye health, drugs and alcohol, diabetes, sexual
health, hearing health, foot care, counselling,
doctor service, maternal neo-natal, vascular health,
adult and child dental screenings. Field trips are
provided by doctors, nurses and the Aboriginal health
worker, as well as home visits, external clinics,
transport services and referrals. Durri AMS’s Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) gave a presentation to the
trainees about the services provided by the AMS and
the organisational structure. In addition, the CEO
highlighted the funding opportunities that are
available to the AMS and discussed the difficulty in
managing projects with a limited administrative team.
Although the AMS is widely accepted in the community,
the CEO pointed out that some negative public
perception still exists today; a challenge that
continues in the ongoing process of developing
partnerships with local council and businesses.
 The third visit
of the day was to the Mid North Coast Correctional
Centre; based at Kempsey. It is a Medium and Maximum
Security Level facility. A tour of the facility
provided an opportunity to view the unique working
environment of Justice Health clinicians. Justice
Health and the Department of Correctional Services
work closely together to provide services to inmates;
however it was noted that the differing objectives of
these organisations is occasionally a source of
conflict, especially in the fields of population
health and related programs.
 On the last
day, the ACHSE group visited Port Macquarie Base
Hospital (PMBH). Presentations were given by the
Director of Medical Oncology, on Managing Clinicians;
the General Manager of PMBH, on Contemporary Rural
health issues; and the Director of Corporate
Services, on PMBH’s transition back to the public
sector. To complete the tour, the Area Manager of
Cancer, Palliative Care & Breast Screen, gave the
group a tour of the new Cancer Institute, which is
collocated on the PMBH site.
The final visit was to the newly built Port
Macquarie Ambulance Station where the Assistant
Operations Manager (AOM) gave the ACHSE group an
insight into the role of the ambulance service and
the challenges faced by the isolation of rural towns
in providing timely emergency services.
The tour went flawlessly and the RST Committee are
to be commended on an outstanding job of organising
this event; thank you on behalf of all those who
attended. In addition, the ACHSE would like to thank
the various health facilities that hosted the RST for
their support in our learning.
Hamish
Carver
Master of Health Services Management (MHSM)
through Charles Sturt University (CSU) became a
mandatory component of the Management Development
Program (MDP) in 2006. The second year trainees
finishing the program at the end of 2007 will mark
the first group to complete the MHSM as a required
educational aspect of their traineeship.
The MHSM is a two year part time course undertaken
through distance education. The trainees are granted
study leave to complete the course and there is also
support provided by CSU at the monthly Study Days,
with students given the opportunity to have
face-to-face contact with university lecturers. The
course was designed in consultation with relevant
professional bodies including the Australian College
of Health Service Executives. The trainees undertake
eight subjects in the MHSM during their two years in
the MDP and are awarded 32 points credit for the
completion of the program following the successful
completion of those eight subjects.
The course aims to help students develop their
managerial competencies by equipping them with the
knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate
efficiency, effectiveness and a high quality of
service in performance at personal, departmental and
organisational level. Throughout the course trainees
as students are called to demonstrate a capacity to
evaluate the relevance of different conceptual
approaches to management issues in the context of
their own experience and workplace placements.
A distinct feature of the MHSM is its online
support including electronic assignment transmission,
forums or threaded bulletin boards, direct email to
Course Coordinators and access to electronic
databases and journals. The forums allow students to
raise issues of concern and ensure not only
contemporary learning, but also an exchange between
professionals in different health care systems
occurs. There are no examinations and assessment
tasks are largely workplace based or situated. Study
materials include printed packages containing course
overview, study guide and selected readings.
Additional electronic resources are updated
frequently and often within the session of study to
complement the study resources provided. All of these
features allow trainees spread out over NSW and ACT
the ability to keep up to date and stay in contact
with the lecturers and other students around the
world.
Of the eight subjects trainees undertake five are
core and three are elective subjects. The five core
subjects are:
Perspectives on Health Care Systems – An
introduction to the health care system that overviews
the discipline of health services management.
Management of Health and Aged Care Services –
Examines the nature of management functions, roles
and evolution of management thought, emphasizing the
behavioural, political and symbolic dimensions of
management in health services.
Resourcing Health and Aged Care Services –
Explores existing and alternative funding models for
health and aged care service.
Epidemiology and Public Health – Introduces
descriptive and analytical epidemiology and its
application to public health from a managerial
perspective.
Evaluating Health Services – Explores political
and cultural issues surrounding evaluation of health
services and guides through the phases of evaluation
planning.
To complement the training program and to give
trainees the most appropriate educational
development, the three electives were chosen by the
College and undertaken by all trainees. These
subjects are: Human Resources Management (Health
Services), Regulating Health and Aged Care Services
and Health Planning.
The MHSM is an important part of the learning and
development that trainees undergo during their time
in the MDP. This provides an academic support to the
placement experience they receive, which has made MDP
highly competitive and most sought after.
Peter
Braithwaite
Tony Martin
Area Director, Aboriginal Health, Hunter
New England Area Health Service
Favourite food: Thai and
Sunday Roast
Favourite reading
material: Koori Mail and the National
Indigenous Times
1. Could you give us some background
information about yourself – where you are from and
how long have you been involved in
Health?
I am from Bourke in Western NSW (Descendants of
the Kunja nation of South West Queensland). I
commenced my career in health in 1988 as an
Aboriginal Health Worker with Bourke Aboriginal
Medical Service. Then I worked in Wilcannia from 1997
to 1999 as a Project Officer with the Co-ordinated
Care Trial. After that, from 1999-2003, I worked as
an Aboriginal Health Coordinator based at Maari Ma
Heath Aboriginal Corporation in Broken Hill through
an agreement with Far West Area Health Service. And
now I’m the Area Director of Aboriginal Health with
Hunter New England Area Health Service.
2. What significant change(s) have you
seen in Health?
At a strategic level, governments recognising the
importance of early intervention and prevention to
reducing morbidity and mortality, especially within
Aboriginal communities, which are the most
disadvantaged across the nation. More specifically,
the Aboriginal Maternal and Infant Health Program,
which has been highly effective in encouraging
expectant mothers to take up antenatal care.
This has also resulted in a reduction in premature
births and an increase in immunisation rates across
HNE. These programs have engaged vulnerable women and
are improving the management of complicated
pregnancies. These programs also provide
opportunities for Aboriginal women to participate in
program planning. The otitis media screening program
targeting children 0-6 years has been successfully
implemented across HNE. Current efforts have been
around a holistic and collaborative approach by all
stakeholders, which has seen effective co-ordination
and delivery of culturally appropriate interventions
to minimise the impact of otitis media and hearing
loss.
3. What do you consider to be the
negative aspects in Health?
The continual shifting of responsibility between
State and Federal governments, which disheartens
people. Health is everyone’s business and governments
need to take responsibility, especially around
implementation of sustainable key initiatives that
are going to expand the lifestyle of Aboriginal
people.
4. How do you deal with the stress of
all these challenges?
Spend quality time with my children, relaxing,
catching up with family, friends and jet skiing.
5. What does Aboriginal Health mean to
you?
It’s holistic and there are a number of both
social and economic issues that impact on Aboriginal
people, including access to good education,
employment, unsatisfactory environmental health
conditions, and changes require participation of
Aboriginal people in decision making and policy
formulation around the health issues that affect
them. Progress including infrastructure access to
culturally appropriate health services, equal share
of resources and a skilled workforce will assist in
better health outcomes for Aboriginal communities and
individuals.
6. From your experience, what advice
will you offer to the Management Development Program
trainees and current managers?
Use your time wisely, look for new opportunities,
and provide leadership for others to follow. Align
yourself with a good mentor, and do not be afraid to
challenge other people’s views and opinions. You can
be assertive without being confrontational.
Cindy
Larkins
Karla van
Arend
Jane Edwards, Events Manager left the NSW ACHSE
Branch in August 2007 to pursue her career in events
management. NSW ACHSE would like to welcome the new
Events Manager Karlah Van Arend.
Warren Westcott is no longer the Business
Development Officer for ACHSE. Warren will be running
the ACHSE Mentoring Program for members next year for
the College. He is moving to a part-time role with
Sydney West Area Health Service as Management
Development Coordinator.
Zane Rice, Aboriginal Health Management
Development Program Development Officer, has left
after nearly 8 years (7yrs 359 days) with the
College. Zane will be pursuing a career as the
Corporate Services Manager, Aboriginal Employment
Strategy.
ACHSE would like to wish all the best to Jane,
Karlah, Warren and Zane in their new ventures.
UK Placement
David
Meharg
David Meharg has been successful in obtaining a
12-month position with the University Hospital
Birmingham Foundation Trust (UHB) based in the United
Kingdom. He commences in January 2008 and the College
wishes him all the best in his new role as the Group
Support Manager.
Prior to commencing with the ACHSE Management
Development Program (MDP), David worked with the
Greater Western Area Sexual Health Service for five
years. In this position he was responsible for the
clinical, educational and health promotional
initiatives targeting the Aboriginal community.
During this time he concurrently completed a
Bachelor of Health Science (Community and Public
Health) through Charles Strut University.
David’s MDP placements with Hunter New England and
South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service
provided a practical foundation that will support him
in his new position. These placements highlighted the
importance of ethical decision making and a
values-based approach while attempting to provide
efficient and effective health care. Additionally,
completing a Masters in Health Services Management
has strengthened his theoretical knowledge.
David’s most valuable MDP gain has been developing
close professional bonds with other trainees. He is
especially going to miss these relationships and the
ability to confide and discuss difficult
situations.
David is looking forward to gaining operational
management experience in an acute setting. The Group
Support Manager position is responsible for Trauma,
Orthopaedics and Hands Services. The position is
divided into three parts. The first is responsible to
manage administration staff and budget in Trauma and
Hands. The second relates to waiting list management
and the third is responsible for managing junior
doctors.
On his return to Australia, David hopes to
continue management in acute health settings.
The correct answers can be found at the end of
the newsletter.
Correctly identify the creature depicted in
the tattoo belonging to a NSW member. Please send
your correct entries to smott@achsensw.org.au
by 28 January 2008. Prize to the value of $100 will
be drawn on 30th January 2008.
Newsletter Committee
Shelly Dhaliwal (Editor)
Aidan Murphy
Peter Braithwaite
Cindy Larkins
Hamish Carver
Keep
us posted
Do you have any comments or articles you would
like to submit to Health Start? If so, please contact
us at the ACHSE (NSW Branch):
PO Box 341
North Ryde NSW 1670
Ph: (02) 9878 2200
Fax: (02) 9889 3099
Email: smott@achsensw.org.au
Correct
answers for Sudoku Puzzle
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