July 01st, 2016

Friday, 1 July 2016

• New Health Services Act 2016 comes into effect today
• New boards bring decision-making closer to patient care
• Promises better care and value for WA communities 

A new era in the delivery of a safe, high-quality, sustainable healthcare system for all West Australians begins today, with the Health Services Act 2016 coming into effect.

The legislation replaces the outdated Hospitals and Health Services Act 1927 and involves establishing boards that are legally responsible and accountable for delivering health services to their communities.

Health Minister John Day said the new Act supported the Liberal National Government's unprecedented investment in world-class infrastructure and its focus on providing care as close to home as possible.

"Western Australia's population has grown to more than 2.6 million people - six times the size of the population when the previous Act was passed," Mr Day said.

"Community needs and technology have changed substantially in this time and the new Act allows for a dedicated focus on local health needs across the State, whether in the country, or rapidly growing communities such as the eastern metropolitan corridor."

The Minister said a key feature of the 2016 Act was the clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities it set for all levels of the system.

"The Department of Health, led by the director general, will act as the system manager and is responsible for the overall management, performance and strategic direction of WA Health, while five new Health Service Boards will oversee health services across the State," he said.

"Each health service will be led by an experienced chief executive to manage day-to-day operations and deliver safe, high-quality and efficient health services to local communities."

The five boards cover the North, South and East metropolitan health services, the WA Country Health Service and the Child and Adolescent Health Service.

​Fact File

• WA Health has an annual budget of more than $8 billion, more than 90 hospitals and about 43,000 staff
• System-wide support services such as Information and Communications Technology will be provided by Health Support Services, which will be established as a separate, accountable legal entity
• Planning for the changes began with the appointment of the WA Health Transition and Reconfiguration Steering Committee by Cabinet in December 2013
• Changes to the governance of WA's health system are in line with reforms implemented in Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland
• For more information, visit http://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/Improving-WA-Health/Health-reform