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Frequently asked questions
Why should the two hospitals integrate?
- The integration of the Albury and Wodonga health services will provide border residents with ready access to one of the largest health services between Sydney and Melbourne.
- The new integrated health service will meet the changing needs of the border community, and ensure delivery of the best possible health care services into the future.
- The benefits of integration include:
- improved continuity of care and more equitable access to services.
- better training opportunities for clinical staff.
- greater recognition and visibility of the combined health service, leading to improved recruitment and retention of the health workforce.
- greater "critical mass" assisting in attracting a greater range of specialist services to the region.
- The new integrated health service will provide a strong foundation for service growth to match population growth in the border region.
What does this mean for current health services?
- The community should continue to use their health services as they would normally.
- Both Wodonga Regional Health Service and Albury Base Hospital will continue providing quality health care under existing arrangements.
What services will Albury Wodonga Health offer?
- Albury Wodonga Health will provide the acute health services (excluding mental health) currently provided at Albury Base Hospital, and all services currently provided at Wodonga Regional Health Service.
- Planning and consultation regarding integration of mental health and community health services will follow.
- Over time, there will be opportunities to increase the level of service coordination between the two sites.
- The greater "critical mass" of the new integrated health service is expected to assist in attracting a greater range of specialist services to the region.
When will Albury Wodonga Health be operational?
- Albury Wodonga Health is scheduled to be operational from 1 July 2009.
- There is a still a substantial amount of work to be undertaken in order for this to occur.
- The establishment of the new health service and the appointment of the Chairperson and Board of Albury Wodonga Health, which are scheduled to occur in March 2009, will mark the next major milestones in the integration process.
Will there be job losses?
- There will be no compulsory redundancies involved in the creation of Albury Wodonga Health.
- Terms and conditions for all employees, in both Wodonga and Albury, will remain the same.
- Any future staffing changes will be subject to the provisions of existing industrial arrangements and legislation in each state.
Will community health services be part of Albury Wodonga Health?
- Primary health services provided by Wodonga Regional Health Service will be part of Albury Wodonga Health from 1 July 2009.
- Community health services in Albury will not be part of Albury Wodonga Health in the short term.
- Broadening of the new health service’s responsibilities to include community and mental health will follow over time following consultation with stakeholders.
Will mental health services be part of Albury Wodonga Health?
- Community based mental health services currently provided by Wodonga Regional Health Service will be part of Albury Wodonga Health from 1 July 2009.
- Acute and community-based mental health services in Albury will not be part of Albury Wodonga Health in the short term, and will continue to be provided under existing arrangements.
- Broadening of the new health service’s responsibilities to include community and mental health will follow over time and following consultation with stakeholders.
How will this affect HSS and GSAHS support staff based at Albury?
- Staff at Albury working in NSW Health Support Services or Greater Southern Area Health Service corporate or Area units will not be seconded to Albury Wodonga Health.
- Decisions on the ongoing provision of these services for the new entity will be made as part of the transition process.
- For contracted services, the usual processes of tendering for services to obtain optimum value will be undertaken as contracts are due for renewal. In some cases, there may be an opportunity to tender for greater volumes of services.
Will staff be asked to work on different campuses?
- The establishment of Albury Wodonga Health means that both the Albury Base Hospital and Wodonga Regional Health Service will be part of the same health service.
- There will be greater opportunities and support for staff to work across the two sites.
- Temporary secondment of staff may be made from one site to another for a defined purpose and a fixed period. The terms of secondment will be in accordance with the existing terms and conditions of the employee. A MOU between industrial associations and AWH will be developed which will detail arrangements for staff movements between sites. This MOU will not replace existing industrial arrangements.
How will staff be paid?
- Staff at both hospitals will continue to be paid under current arrangements in the short term.
- Future arrangements will be considered during the transition planning process that will occur over the next six months.
How will the financial and statistical reporting be handled?
- This issue will be dealt with through the transition planning that will occur over the next six months.
How will medical records, coding and reporting WIES be managed?
- This issue will be dealt with through the transition planning that will occur over the next six months.
Will staff be required to sign new employment contracts?
- No.
- Albury Wodonga Health will be the legal successor to Wodonga Regional Health Service (WRHS) and will assume responsibility for all employment contracts involving WRHS.
Where will the new Administration be based?
- This issue will be resolved prior to AWH becoming operational on 1 July 2009.
Will there be a requirement for dual registration?
- As is currently the case for medical professionals (including doctors, nurses and allied health professionals) working in two states, where clinical staff work in both Victoria and New South Wales, dual registration will be required.
- The National Registration and Accreditation scheme currently under development is scheduled to apply to a range of health professionals from 1 July 2010.
How will the new Board be formed?
- AWH will be a Victorian public health service established under the Health Services Act 1988 (Vic), and legal responsibility for appointing Board directors lies with the Victorian Health Minister.
- However, the Victorian and NSW Governments have agreed that the AWH Board will comprise four directors nominated by the Victorian Minister for Health, four directors nominated by the NSW Minister for Health, and a Chairperson agreed by both Ministers.
- There will not be advertising of vacancies in relation to the initial AWH Board.
What employment arrangements will apply to the senior executive positions in the new structure?
- Senior executive positions at Albury Wodonga Health will be Victorian contract positions.
- The employment arrangements will be negotiated between the AWH CEO and the successful applicant.
- Transfer of existing entitlements for any successful existing employees of ABH or WRHS may form part of the negotiations.
What opportunities will there be for staff to discuss how AWH will operate?
- There will be regular communication with staff in Victoria and NSW via a range of methods during the transition period.
- The first staff meetings were held on 19 December 2008 at Wodonga Regional Health Service and Albury Base Hospital and a website has been established.
- During the next few months, there will be further staff meetings and a regular newsletter on integration.
What is intended with waitlist management between the two campuses? Is it envisaged that both waitlists are managed from one campus as a single entity?
- Implementing a joint waiting list will be considered by the new entity post 1 July 2009.
- Current arrangements will continue to apply until such time as these are reviewed and changed.
How will policy and legislation apply across the new entity? For example will ABH ICU follow NSW Health recommended guidelines, policies and procedures? What timeframes could we expect ABH to adopt Victorian policy if this is to occur?
- These issues will be dealt with through the transition planning that will occur over the next few months.
- Critical issues that need to be addressed prior to 1 July 2009 will be identified and communicated.
- Unless otherwise advised, current arrangements will continue to apply until such time as these are reviewed and changed.
- The new entity will need to determine the relative priority of integration tasks from 1 July 2009.
Will Post Graduate Recruitment for ABH go through the NSW Consortium or site direct application from 2010?
- Existing arrangements for clinical placements for junior medical officers, nursing and allied health personnel will continue to apply in 2010 and until otherwise advised.
- This means that post graduate recruitment for ABH will continue to be undertaken via the NSW Consortium in 2010.
On 1 July 2009 when the cross border integration is due to commence, what arrangements have been made as to who will supply all goods and services to the new facility?
- Decisions on the ongoing supply of goods and services for the new entity will be made as part of the transition process.
- Existing arrangements will apply from 1 July 2009 unless otherwise advised.
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