Why has the Clinical Services Plan been updated?

The Clinical Services Plan has been updated following the Australian Government’s takeover of the Mersey Community Hospital.

All of the major reforms announced in Tasmania’s Health Plan remain intact and implementation is proceeding as planned.

The Clinical Services Plan is a living, long-term plan and the updated Plan makes allowance for some adjustments as a result of the changed ownership and operating arrangements at Mersey.

A significant part of the 2007 Clinical Services Plan focuses on a new role for the Mersey campus of the North West Regional Hospital (as it was then called), and when the Australian Government took ownership of the hospital in November 2007 it became necessary to adapt the Plan to accommodate this development.

The updated plan makes clear the Tasmanian Government’s preference for the service arrangements at the Mersey Community Hospital to be in line with the principles of the 2007 Clinical Services Plan.

The Tasmanian Government’s preferred model for the future is reflected in this update and provides for a high dependency unit, low risk inpatient pediatrics and low complexity inpatient acute medical services – providing these services are sustainable.

The Clinical Services Plan update also:

  • reviews progress since the Clinical Services Plan was published in May 2007

  • incorporates the latest statistics on regional population and hospital use, and predicts community need for health services to 2016

  • addresses the impact of a number of Australian and State Government initiatives, including Commonwealth funding commitments

  • includes 26 ‘implementation commitments’ against which progress can be tracked, including clear timeframes for some key projects

  • commits the Department of Health and Human Services to monitoring and regularly reporting statistics relating to hospital use

  • confirms the roles of the three major state-owned hospitals, and endorses and clarifies the principles for regional referral and statewide services that are outlined in the 2007 Clinical Services Plan

  • endorses the principles of access, quality, safety and sustainability that underpin the 2007 Clinical Services Plan