About the Victorian health services policy and funding guidelines

Overview

The Victorian Government is responsible for delivering a wide range of health services to the community including:

• health care services through the public hospital system, community health services, ambulance services, dental services and public mental health services
• health promotion and protection through emergency management, public health and related preventative services, education and regulation
• residential and community care for older people, along with support and assistance to enable people to function independently in their own homes.

Over 700 organisations are contracted by the department to provide health services for the community and these policy and funding guidelines provide an outline of the policy and funding objectives, new initiatives and an overview of the health budget.

Detail

There are four divisions within the Department of Human Services (the department) responsible for health and aged care services in Victoria:

• Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services division is responsible for health and aged care services in metropolitan Melbourne, and has responsibility for service and capital planning, statewide policy and program direction for the specific program areas of acute, sub-acute and ambulance services.
• Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services division is responsible for health and aged care services in rural and regional Victoria, and has responsibility for statewide policy and program direction for aged and home care, primary health, dental health, public health and statewide quality.
• Mental Health and Drugs division encompasses public sector policy, program, service and workforce development in relation to mental health and drug matters.
• Portfolio Services and Strategic Projects division provides a cross program focus for research, policy analysis and strategic planning to support the Departmental Executive in determining portfolio priorities to ensure that they are delivered in a coordinated and collaborative manner. In particular it has responsibility for nurse policy and health workforce initiatives.

  top of page