THE ideas and commitment of staff have been the major contributors to Orange Health Service (OHS) and the Western NSW Local Health District (WLHD) coming in $200,000 under budget for the last financial year according to WLHD chief executive officer Scott McLachlan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Mr McLachlan said Orange hospital is a fine example of how staff are working closely with management to change the culture and implement change while services were growing, while at the same time meeting budget targets.
“When you consider we are working with a budget of $900 million annually, this is a fantastic result,” Mr McLachlan said.
Mr McLachlan said the financial result for 2014/2015 is a turnaround from the result in 2012/13 when a number of strategies including redundancies were introduced to rein in a $19 million deficit.
“We have 7000 staff across the WLHD and we have really listened to them,” he said.
Mr McLachlan said Orange is leading the state in the way it has implemented change in the accident and emergency department under the directorship of Doctor Colin Dibble.
“We have reached a target of 81 per cent of patients either being treated in emergency and discharged or admitted at Orange.
“Patients should not be left waiting in emergency departments,” he said.
Mr McLachlan said the change in fortunes for Orange Health Service finances is due to staff and management working more closely together.
“Orange is one of the most innovative hospitals in the whole of the region,” he said.
Mr McLachlan said the WLHD has worked intensively in the marketplace to negotiate more attractive contracts with health product suppliers that have contributed to the WLHD being in the black last financial year.
He also said activity-based funding that means Orange as a major trauma hospital is now attracting more funding due to the complexity of cases treated, has also helped balance the budget.
Mr McLachlan said OHS and WLHD will have to remain vigilant into the future to ensure the budget can continue to be balanced.
“It will be a real challenge for us to meet expected growth in the sector,” he said.
“With the number of specialists in Orange, the people of Orange and the region now have access to world class treatment,” Mr McLachlan said.
He said the WLHD wants to be transparent about its operations in the future.
This is now the second year in a row the WLHD has come in on or under budget.
