Annual Report 2001–2002

Annual Report 2001–2002 Department of Human Services Contents Our Mission To enhance and protect the health and wellbeing of all Department of Human Services Profile 1 Victorians, emphasising vulnerable groups and those most in need. Secretary’s Foreword 2 Growing Victoria Together 4 Our Objectives 2001–02 Highlights 5 • Achieving benchmark waiting times. Corporate Governance 6 • Improving service quality. Organisational Structure 7 • Building sustainable, well managed and efficient Financial Summaries 8 services. Budget Portfolio Outcomes 10 • Building strong communities and primary services. Divisional Reports 15 • Increasing the proportion of family or community Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services 16 based service responses. Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services 34 • Reducing inequalities in health and wellbeing and Office of Housing 50 improving access to services. Disability Services 62 Community Care 74 Policy and Strategic Projects 84 Operations 92 Financial and Corporate Services 102 Highlighting Rural and Regional Victoria 106 Responding to Cultural Diversity 110 Department Executive 112 Financial Report 116 Appendices 147 The Hon John Thwaites MP Minister for Health The Hon Bronwyn Pike MP Minister for Community Services and Housing The Hon Christine Campbell MP Minister for Senior Victorians Dear Ministers, In accordance with the Financial Management Act 1984,I am pleased to submit to you the Department of Human Services Annual Report for the year ending 30 June 2002. Yours sincerely Patricia Faulkner Secretary Department of Human Services Profile The Department of Human Services covers the The Department’s Values responsibilities of the Ministers for Health, Housing, Senior Victorians, Community Services and Disability In August 2001, the Department formally adopted a Services. set of five core organisational values with the aim of enhancing people management. The Department of Human Services is the State’s largest Government Department and employs around These values are: 11,900 people directly and more than 80,000 people Client Focus indirectly through organisations such as hospitals • We work towards improving the health and and aged care facilities, ambulance services and wellbeing of our clients and community. community service agencies. In 2001–02, the Department had an output budget in excess of Professional Integrity $7.9 billion, which is approximately 39 per cent of • We treat all people with dignity and respect. the State Government’s total expenditure on public services. Quality • We always strive to do our best and improve the The principal responsibilities of the Department things we do. include funding or delivering: • High quality and efficient health care services Collaborative Relationships through the public hospital system, community • We work together to achieve better results. health centres and ambulance services. Responsibility • Residential and rehabilitation care for older persons and support and assistance to enable them • We commit to the action we take to achieve to continue to live at home for as long as possible. the best possible outcomes for our clients and community. •Promotion of positive community perceptions of ageing and positive attitudes to older people through the Office of Senior Victorians. •A range of accommodation and support services aimed at enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities. • Accommodation and assistance support for homeless people. •A wide range of health and community services for Victorian families, such as preschool, early intervention and family support services. • Health promotion and protection through emergency management, public health, preventative services, education and regulation. •A range of alcohol and drug prevention and treatment services. • The State’s statutory responsibilities for vulnerable children and young people in relation to child protection and juvenile justice. • Secure, affordable and appropriate housing to low *Includes individuals, families, populations, service providers income Victorians. and staff. • Government concessions to low income groups to improve the affordability of essential services. Department of Human Services Annual Report 2001–02 1 Secretary’s Foreword The changing role of women in society, resulting in Three new Divisions were created: fewer unpaid carers at home, also presents a challenge • Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services as we search for new, more flexible and affordable Division and Rural and Regional Health and Aged service models and tackle a range of workforce issues. Care Services Division focus on the distinct needs of metropolitan and rural communities and services To address these challenges, we need to find and harmonise relationships with agencies across solutions that strengthen the capacity of individuals, programs. families and communities, focus on prevention and early intervention, and promote least intrusive service • Operations Division manages direct service delivery, options such as caring for the frail aged and disabled bringing a whole-of-Department perspective to within the community. Departmental operations. Flagship Projects I am very pleased to present the Department 2001–02 was a year of considerable endeavour of Human Services 2001–02 Annual Report. and achievement for the Department and was Last year I announced the establishment of three characterised by leadership in strategic policy flagship projects designed to address strategic issues The Department of Human Services is a large and development and strengthened collaboration facing the Department over 12–18 months. Flagship complex organisation encompassing the key portfolio with service sectors across the portfolio. projects involve significant corporate focus, areas of health, housing, senior Victorians, community cross-Divisional coordination and strong and active services and disability services. The Department of This report sets out the Department’s many partnerships within the Department and between the Human Services leads the delivery of the achievements in 2001–02 against our six key Department and external agencies. I am pleased to Government’s goal of high quality, accessible health objectives. As well as the key results outlined in the report that considerable progress has been achieved and community services, and contributes to the following Divisional and regional reports, I would like in each of the initial flagship projects. to highlight two areas where the Department has building of cohesive communities and reducing • The Hospital Demand Management Strategy focused its efforts to achieve improved service inequalities across Victoria. implemented initiatives designed to progressively outcomes. reduce demand on Victoria’s hospitals. Through the The Department operates in an environment Organisational Values and Realignment strategy, efforts to improve emergency access characterised by a range of challenges. Perhaps the resulted in a reduction in ambulance bypass It is essential that the Department is underpinned by most significant challenge is the continuing increase incidence by more than half during 2001–02 and strong organisational values and is structurally aligned in demand for human services. Demand is growing achievement of key benchmarks to improve waiting to carry out the Government’s policy priorities. across the spectrum of human services, including times. Projects have been funded to increase health, aged care, public housing, disability and capacity, change patient care practices, develop Over the past two years, the Department undertook community care services. alternate care options, trial new models of care and an extensive consultative process to determine its prevent avoidable admissions. Significant work has organisational values. The five core values – Client The increasing complexity of need among the clients been undertaken on system interfaces, including Focus, Professional Integrity, Quality, Collaborative we serve presents another major challenge. For acute, sub-acute, aged and primary care. The Relationships and Responsibility – were officially example, recent analysis of parental characteristics in strategy has been supported by strong partnerships launched in August 2001. There has been a concerted the child protection system show that about one third between the Department and the hospital sector, effort to ensure that these values and corresponding of parents have problems with alcohol abuse, one with clinician engagement a key component in its behaviours are embedded in the Department’s third have substance abuse problems, a fifth have success. a psychiatric disability and more than half have approach to its day-to-daybusiness, from staff experienced family violence. Increasing complexity recruitment and training to policy and program • Best Start, developed in 2001–02 as a joint of need is an issue in community services broadly, development and service delivery. initiative of the Department of Human Services including housing and disability services. and the Department of Education and Training, aims Later in 2001, a new Department structure was put to improve the health, development, education and The Department also faces changing patterns of in place to improve delivery on Government policy wellbeing of all Victorian children from pregnancy health and inequalities in the health of Victorians. It is priorities. to eight years of age. Ten Best Start projects will predicted that Victoria’s pattern of disease will change be established

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