Introduction
The Victorian local board structure applies to the 19 public health services, 13 metropolitan and six regional boards, 56 rural public hospitals, 7 multi purpose services, and the statewide ambulance service, Ambulance Victoria and Health Purchasing Victoria.
Each entity is governed by a board of directors or board of management, accountable to the Minister for Health for setting the strategic directions of the entity, within the framework of government policy. They are accountable for ensuring that the organisation:
- is effective and efficiently managed
- provides high quality care and service delivery
- meets the needs of the community
- meets financial and non-financial performance targets.
The devolved governance model allows decisions to be made that are most appropriate and effective for each local community, increasing local autonomy and flexibility, and enabling services to be innovative and responsive to local needs.

