SSWAHS + SWSLHD + SLHD and the Medicare Locals - 70

In a remarkable bit of spin by the CEO of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice comes this short piece from the Wednesday publication of the Southern Highland News.

While there is nothing new about this news it does give a remarkable impression of "the tail wagging the dog". Does anyone really believe that the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice somehow pulled off this coup without the major contribution of the other partner?

At least, finally, the local community who are supposed to "find it easier to navigate the health system" are being told about it! Well done, Dr Ruscoe.

Enhanced health services for Southern Highlands
9th November 2011
By: Southern Highland News

The Southern Highlands Division of General Practice, in partnership with our neighbouring Division in Macarthur, has been successful in its bid to establish the new South Western Sydney Medicare Local.

This will become operational on July 1, 2012, and will eventually cover primary care services from Bankstown in the north to Wingecarribee in the south, mirroring the boundaries of our Local Health District.

It is one of thirty-eight organisations selected to become the next Medicare Locals that will drive access to better primary health care across Australia, announced by Minister for Health and Ageing Nicola Roxon on Friday.

"Importantly, Medicare Locals will maintain and build on the excellent work already done by the local Divisions of General Practice, with GPs and general practice being at the centre of a strong, integrated primary health care system," the Minister said.

The new Medicare Local will be responsible for population health planning, identifying and filling gaps in primary care services and will have greater involvement in co-ordination and integration of services at the local level.

"The Federal Government’s Medicare Local concept is designed to make it easier for patients to navigate the health system", CEO of the Southern Highlands Division of General Practice, Dr Warwick Ruscoe, said.

SSWAHS and its response to complaints from the Southern Highlands

Mr Graeme Slade
Designated Senior Complaints Officer
SSWAHS

Dear Mr Slade
I have your letters addressed to me and dated 18th and 19th November 2009 in which I am assured by you that the matters about which I "complained were being, and would be, investigated and a written response would be provided to me upon completion of the investigation."

I write to inform you that I have not yet received a written response to my complaints, nor have you even made any form of contact with me, the complainant.

Mr Slade I find it surprising that this has not happened given that in the NSW Health Code of Conduct there is specific mention that complaints such as mine (or indeed from any complainant) should be dealt with in a timely manner.

I also draw your attention to the SSWAHS Policy Directive: Complaints: Management of a Complaint or Concern about a Clinician - Document No: SSW_PD2007_035, which describes the procedures to be followed in the matter of all complaints received by the SSWAHS oganisation, and in particular, the role of the Designated Senior Complaints Officer.

I can assure you that as I was not anonymous in my complaints nor did I consider them to be frivolous in nature I did anticipate that there would be some action and some response as you had stated.

The fact that there has been no apparent action or response leads me to believe that SSWAHS is failing in its adherence to both the NSW Health Code of Conduct and its own Policy as stated above.

The alternative may be, however, that you, Mr Slade, have died, been terminated, or simply decided to part company with SSWAHS. Perhaps, if you are neither dead, nor been terminated, but still work for SSWAHS you might consider responding to this email. For myself I can assure you that I am not dead, and I still want to have a written response to those several complaints.
Yours sincerely,
......................................

Socrates was fortunate enough to be sent the above email from a member of the Southern Highlands community who has been following this blog and who has been waiting patiently for due process to be followed by SSWAHS. One has to ask the question - how long is long enough, and do investigations of complaints made to SSWAHS really need to take such a long, long time?

Of other note, of course is how does SSWAHS manage to investigate any complaint without even having anything like a simple conversation with a complainant? Surely, they do not rely on just the brief detail given in a written or verbal complaint to ensure that faults are rectified and that the quality of their services are improved.

In preceding posts, Socrates has given several examples of complaints being made directly to SSWAHS, and also through the advocacy and publication of those complaints in the Southern Highland News.

It could be an interesting exercise to see if any of those affected people or their families ever received anything like a written response from the SSWAHS Executive.

Another good news story that can't be taken by SSWAHS from the local Southern Highlands people.

A focus on mental health ­- and why we’re blue - MORGAN DOWNS - SHN - 11 Oct, 2010 09:36 AM

THE MOST rewarding aspect of working as a registered nurse at Bowral Community Health Centre is seeing consumers’ illnesses resolving.

So says Kelly Mills, who takes pride knowing that she was part of her client’s journey with mental health.

“Work is different all the time, because everyone has their own story,” she said.

Ms Mills, along with senior clinical nurse Shane Schutz and service manager for mental health William Midson, spoke to the Southern Highland News specifically for Mental Health Month.

Run in conjunction with Beyond Blue’s Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month in October, it aims to raise awareness of mental health in communities.

Ms Mills’ career in mental health began while she was at university and gained experience working in the department.

“At first I was apprehensive, then I just loved it,” she said.

“I found that helping someone by working them through problems and especially liked early intervention with youth.”

She said it wasn’t until she began working at the Bowral Community Health Centre that she realised the extent of services available.

Mr Midson said that when people engaged in the health centre’s services they provided further information and advocacy for patients.

“It is difficult, but we help people to find a way through,” he said.

Mr Schutz – who has been working in the industry for 15 years – was able to see first-hand the stigma surrounding mental health gradually change.

“There is certainly still stigma and issues around mental illnesses and disabilities,” he said.

“But people accept them more now, particularly men.

“In the last 10 years, those stigmas have certainly reduced.”

Events such as Mental Health Month and Anxiety and Depression Awareness Month allow organisations, service providers and the community to create stronger partnerships.

Our masthead is blue this week to recognise mental health issues and mental health wellness."

Socrates says: Well done the Southern Highland News! You, at least know the value of quality local services for local people.

Lines of communication opening at Bowral Hospital

TRAVIS HOLLAND - SHN

21 Jul, 2010 02:02 PM

"NSW Health bureaucrats and the Parliamentary Secretary for Health have recently written to residents to advise they “regretted” the public might have been misled by recent reports suggesting services would be downgraded.

Each of these letters listed a variety of upgrades and improvements at the hospital.

They each had almost identical wording, despite being signed by different people.

A key claim of these letters was that “many patients have been happy to be referred to other hospitals”.

However, despite repeated requests, SSWAHS has been unable to refer any of these patients to the News to confirm those claims.

Health service short on words

In response to five detailed and specific questions about Mr Illek’s meeting with Denis Thomas, the News received the following two-sentence statement from SSWAHS.

“Bowral Hospital management regularly consults with the local community to receive their feedback on local health services.

“Yesterday’s (Monday) meeting was constructive.”

This information, as reported recently in the Southern Highland News and in the YourTimes monthly, is simply the usual spin put out by the media unit of SSWAHS. Anything that might now go wrong with the lines of communication will, no doubt, be dumped at the door of Denis Thomas, the hardworking General Manager of the Bowral Hospital outpost of the SSWAHS Empire.

Should we be surprised that letters from different people within NSW Health and SSWAHS should be so word perfect with just the names of signatories changed? Write a letter to the Minister or the Minister assisting the Health Minister and you can expect it to be bumped down to a lesser bureaucrat further down the food chain in the SSWAHS for a response that the Minister or some more senior bureaucrat can sign and send.

But don't hold your breath while waiting for something meaningful to come back in response. I know of one instance where a letter complaining about certain health services in the Highlands was sent to the NSW Health Ministers in September 2009 which went without even an acknowledgment to the correspondent. A reminder letter with copies of the earlier letters was again sent in April 2010 with the same result. Again, no response to the current date. The same letters sent to the Director General of Health and the CEO of SSWAHS generated a cursory note from the CEO of SSWAHS stating that a senior investigation officer of the Area would be following up the complaints.

That was on 28th November 2009 and, to date, there has not been any contact from that nominated person to the complainant. One could suggest that before we should expect the opening of the lines of communication between the community and Bowral Hospital we should, at least, expect to see some evidence of the lines of communication opening from the people in SSWAHS who have been so quick to reassure our community that communication lines at Bowral are now open.

I for one choose to remain unconvinced, by the evidence above, that any senior bureaucrat or executive member of SSWAHS is even slightly interested in the health of the Highlanders.