The Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care defines all of the policies and procedures related to health and aged care facilities in the nation. In this context, it is natural to expect a hierarchical structure that defines who and which organizations are in control of different aspects of health and aged care.

Here is an explanation of the organizational hierarchy which depicts the structure of the Department of Health and Aged Care in Australia.

Healthcare organizational structure

The Ministry of Health assists several different organizational structures and office bearers, including the minister for health, minister for regional health, secretary, minister for mental health, and minister for medical research. State ministries of health support these office bearers to conduct their statutory operations.

For example, the Ministry of Health of New South Wales (NSW) is also the system manager for the state’s public health system and is made up of ministry branches and offices.

Leadership team

The Australian healthcare leadership team consists of the following officers:

Chief Executive Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Chief Medical Officer

Chief Clinical Advisor

Chief Operating Officer

Chief People Officer

Chief Program Officer

Chief Information Officer

Chief Technology Officer

Chief Digital Officer

Executive General Manager – Strategy

Executive General Manager – Mergers & Acquisitions

Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA)

The organizational structure of the PHAA consists of the following:

PHAA Board

The PHAA Board consists of the following:

President

VP Finance

VP Policy

VP Development

VP Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders

Branch Presidents

Special Interest Group Conveners

Editor

CEO

The following teams fall under the CEO’s governance.

Operations, Finance, & Membership Team – It consists of the Operations & Finance Manager, and Membership Officer & Administration Assistant.

Policy Team – It consists of the Policy Manager, Senior Policy & Advocacy Adviser, and Policy Officer

Communications Team – It consists of the Communications Manager and Communications Officer.

Events Team – It consists of the Events Manager and Events Officers.

Secretary

The secretary is assigned the role of managing the healthcare system of the respective state and aligning the strategic direction to ensure that the state continues to provide high-quality healthcare services, education, and research.

The secretary heads key governance and management committees, which include the Health System Strategy, Health System Performance Monitor, Ministry Executive, and Senior Executive Forum. All of these play a vital role in considering health system-wide functions and operations. These functions include healthcare budgeting, developing and implementing healthcare policies, and monitoring healthcare system performance.

Reporting structure

Offices reporting to the secretary follow the below structure:

Office of the Secretary

Internal Audit

Centre for Aboriginal Health

Population and public health

The Population and Public Health Sector handles the strategic direction, planning, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing the performance of public health services across the respective state. It responds to public health-related issues such as disasters and other major circumstances and incidents, reviews the health system, recognizes patterns, and trends within the health system, and assesses the effect of health services within each state.

It works towards enhancing the health system through preventative measures and other mechanisms to prevent diseases and injuries. The ultimate goal of population health services is to create physical and social environments that promote health within each state and encourages people to opt for healthier choices regarding their body and overall health.

Branches and offices in population and public health

Centre for Aboriginal Health

The Centre for Aboriginal Health is focused on working together with all types of healthcare services to develop a culturally responsive health system. It consists of supporting the health system and listening to the healthcare needs of the Aboriginal community.

Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs

The Centre for Alcohol and Other Drugs focuses on developing, managing, and reviewing the state health policy, strategies, and funding of related programs. The center in NSW works in conjunction with Sydney Children’s Hospital Network, Justice Forensic and Mental Health, NSW Health Pillars, and affiliated healthcare networks.

Centre for Epidemiology and Other Services

The Centre for Epidemiology and Other Services focuses on key areas like reviewing and reporting information on the healthcare quality of the population of the respective state and developing and managing key population health infrastructure details.

Centre for Population Health

The Centre for Population Health manages the development, implementation, and assessment of policies and programs that work towards improving the population health of every state. Some of the areas covered here include tobacco control, healthy eating, active living, and sexually transmittable diseases like HIV.

Office of the Chief Health Officer

The Office of the Chief Health Officer supports several crucial roles involved in state health systems, including the Deputy Secretary, Population and Public Health, and Chief Health Officer. Its function is to support Deputy Secretary and Chief Health Officer in relation to their operations.

Health Protection

Health protection services of each state are achieved through a wide range of activities involving different people and agencies. Some of the factors that protect a population’s health are access to clean drinking water, safe disposal of wastage, housing that is not overcrowded, and education about hygiene and sex.

Financial services and asset management

Financial services and asset management focuses on subject areas, including accounting, financial performance, insurance, financial data analysis and reporting, business enhancement, and many more related functions.

The financial leadership division of each state includes leading, governing, and strengthening sustainable resource allocation. It also consists of the lead role in managing and reviewing the financial performance of the healthcare systems of different states.

The following are the branches of financial services and asset management:

Asset management

Activity related management

Financial data analytics, governance, and reporting

Financial accounting, insurance, policy, and revenue

System financial performance – Deputy Chief Financial Officer

Strategic procurement – Chief Procurement Officer

Corporate services and business improvement

People Culture and governance

The people, culture, and governance section provides strategic decision-making and leadership functions to a wide range of professional advisory services to support the achievement of the objectives of the health system.

The following are the branches of people, culture, and governance:

Legal and regulatory services – General Counsel

Executive and ministerial services

Workplace relations

Strategic communications and engagement

Nursing and Midwifery – Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer

Workforce planning and talent development

Health system strategy and patient experience

The branches of health system strategy and patient experience consist of the following:

Health and social policy

Government Relations

Mental health

Patient experience

Strategic reform and planning

System sustainability and performance

System sustainability and performance sector reviews and manages the performance of the overall health system and coordinates purchasing functions with the state public health services. System sustainability and performance division consists of the following sectors:

System management

System information and analytics

System Purchasing

System performance management

Regional Health

The regional health division of each state supports the state government’s dedication to enhancing access to healthcare services and resulting health outcomes. It aims to empower and promote regional and patient-centered approaches to health services delivery.

Clinical Innovation and Research

The clinical innovation and research sector provides a coordination point to drive health system research and innovation priorities.

Office for Health and medical research

Agency for clinical innovation

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