The past year has been an outstanding success for Northern Health, and the Annual Meeting followed by the Open Board Meeting, was a great opportunity to hear more about the year’s achievements and to discuss strategies for the future.

Board Chair, Jennifer Williams AM, opened the Annual Meeting by commending Northern Health for the continued improvement of quality and access to services during a period of sustained increase in demand.

Our Chief Executive, Siva Sivarajah, highlighted that Northern Health’s services are underpinned by our commitment to patient safety and improving the patient experience. Over the last three years, we have significantly improved access to emergency, elective surgery and outpatient care, with continual growth in the number of patients we serve each year.

Our emergency department at Northern Hospital Epping continues to be the busiest in Victoria, providing care to almost 100,000 patients in the last year.

It was acknowledged that these wonderful achievements wouldn’t be possible without the dedicated efforts and skills of our wonderful staff and volunteers. Northern Health employs over 5,000 staff, 70% of whom live in our catchment area and reflect the rich diversity of our community.

The Open Board Meeting commenced with a discussion about the patient experience, led by Jodie Ashworth – Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer. The approach included challenging us to change our mindset from, “what’s the matter?” to “’what matters to you?”

The meeting was also an opportunity to engage with staff and consumers about our plans for the future, with an initial discussion about our new strategic plan, led by Simon Keating –  Chief Strategy, Business and Development  Officer.

Valuable feedback given at the Open Board Meeting was a great way to understand what really matters to our patients and our community, so we can continue to provide trusted care, now and into the future.