ANNUAL REPORT Supporting rural health in New South Wales, Australia 2017 18 W RURAL DOCTORS NETWORK NUAL REPORT 2017 – 2018About this Report This report is for the period 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 and is the 30th full year Annual Report for the NSW Rural Doctors Network and its predecessor organisation. Financial data has been audited by Cutcher and Neale, Chartered Accountants, Newcastle NSW 2300. This report is available to download from our web site at www.nswrdn.com.au To obtain printed copies or to seek further information please contact the NSW Rural Doctors Network on 02 4924 8000 or email publicity@nswrdn.com.au ABN 52 081 388 810 Published by the NSW Rural Doctors Network (2018) ISSN 1441-1830 (print) ISSN 2202-2657 (online) Contents Chair’s Message 2 Chief Executive Officer’s Message 3 Profile of the NSW Rural Doctors Network 4 Organisation Structure 5 Purpose, Goal & Values 6 Board and Executive 8 Workforce Snapshot 2017–18 10 Financial Performance 2017–18 12 Highlights 2017–18 13 Financial Statements & Statutory Reports 2017–18 43 Abbreviations 58 Index 60 Lithgow Blast Furnace, NSWnsw rural doctors network annual report 2017 – 18 2 As the NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) celebrates 30 years of service to the clinicians and communities of rural NSW, we pause to acknowledge the successes of the past and thank both the Commonwealth and NSW governments for their continued support. As we reflect on the past, our focus naturally drifts to the future and how RDN will continue to evolve to meet future needs in an ever-changing landscape while remaining true to its origins and purpose. To this end, the Board has immersed itself in the strategic planning necessary to ensure RDN does not lose relevance, particularly to the communities who are finding novel solutions to the workforce and service provision challenges they face. We remain particularly committed to marginalised communities and the needs of our nation’s First Peoples. In 2017–18, we launched RDN’s Aboriginal Engagement Plan (AEP) to reinforce our guiding belief in equality and equity and set out how RDN will assist in working towards Aboriginal health equity. The Plan builds on our existing commitments and relationships, which we are reaffirming with the resigning of our Memorandum of Understanding with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW at the 2018 Annual General Meeting. I would like to thank RDN’s staff for the dedication and professionalism they have brought to their roles and the enthusiasm with which they have embraced the changes over the past 12 months. The executive, led by Richard Colbran, has continued to provide the stability and leadership necessary for staff to excel. Finally, I am most indebted to the Board members for their support, dedication and hard work over the last year, in particular the Deputy Chair, Dr Ros Bullock. Dr John Curnow Chair Chair’s Message "We remain particularly committed to marginalised communities and the needs of our nation’s First Peoples."3 relationships with the Aboriginal health sector. RDN’s Aboriginal Advisory Group was instrumental in forming the Plan and all staff have completed cultural training modules. We extend our thanks to the Advisory Group members and Western NSW TAFE. I would like to personally thank RDN’s Board and staff for their outstanding efforts this year. Periods of change are not easy, and they have demonstrated understanding and professionalism. I would also like to acknowledge Chair Dr John Curnow; Dr Ros Bullock, who this year stepped down as RDN Chair; and Dr Geoff White, a formidable stalwart of rural health, who left the Board in late 2017. Looking ahead, continuing the realignment of our program activities is important. Our commitment to producing an annual Rural Primary Health Workforce Needs Assessment is pivotal to our design and program methodologies and will ensure resources are invested to the areas of most need. The philosophies and principles of deliberate and integrated team-based care are becoming mainstream thinking, as is the appetite to investigate new care and business models, all of which will only be successful with a ‘one team for community’ mindset. Finally, as this report is prepared, rural NSW faces the prospect of a continuing dry spell, if not full-blown drought. This is a huge concern and we wish our communities well. We also remind all rural health professionals of the importance of self-care in tough times and offer our support whenever it is needed. Richard Colbran Chief Executive Officer As RDN celebrates 30 years, I would like to reaffirm our commitment to supporting the health and wellbeing of NSW’s remote, rural and regional communities. RDN is driven by a fundamental belief that access to quality healthcare is the right of every Australian, no matter where they live. Our contribution is to support the growth of the rural health workforce, the sustainability of services and the capability development of health professionals so they are as effective as possible. This Annual Report offers a summary of our activities and performance over the past year. Complementary to our long-standing programs, we have successfully introduced the Australian Government Department of Health’s new Rural Health Workforce Support Program (RHWSP), and Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP) to NSW. The response across all workforce cohorts has been positive and it is wonderful to see workforce support and development opportunities like this offered. RDN’s relationships with its stakeholder organisations are important and valued and we sincerely thank them for their continued support of, and commitment to, rural health. We appreciate our strong working relationships with both the Australian Government Department of Health and the NSW Ministry of Health, and in the coming year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our partnership with the Country Women’s Association of NSW; and the 10th anniversary of our Memorandum of Understanding with the Aboriginal Health and Medical Research Council of NSW. These relationships have been fundamental to RDN’s operations and community engagement over the past decades. This year we launched RDN’s Aboriginal Engagement Plan (AEP), reaffirming our commitment to the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people and our strong working Chief Executive Officer’s Message "RDN is driven by a fundamental belief that access to quality healthcare is the right of every Australian, no matter where they live."nsw rural doctors network annual report 2017 – 18 4 Profile of the nsw rural doctors network The NSW Rural Doctors Network (RDN) is a not-for-profit and non- government organisation and is designated by the Australian Government as the Rural Workforce Agency (RWA) for health in New South Wales (NSW). RDN aims to ensure that the highest possible standard of healthcare is provided to remote and rural communities through the provision of a highly skilled health workforce. In NSW, RDN administers on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Health, the Rural Health Workforce Support Program (RHWSP); Health Workforce Scholarship Program (HWSP); National Rural Health Student Network (NRHSN); the John Flynn Placement Program (JFPP); and the Outreach Program, comprising the Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF), Medical Outreach Indigenous Chronic Disease Program (MOICDP), Healthy Ears, Better Hearing, Better Listening (HEBHBL), Visiting Optometrists Scheme (VOS), Aboriginal Eye Health Coordination (AEHC), Ear and Eye Surgical Support Services (EESSS), and the Chronic Disease Management and Prevention Program (CDMPP). Our NSW Ministry of Health activities include the NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship Program; NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship Program for Indigenous Students; the NSW Medical Undergraduate Program; and medical education conferences for current and future remote, rural and regional health professionals. RDN separately administers the Bush Bursaries and Country Women’s Association scholarships. PROGRAMS AND SERVICES RDN offers a range of services, programs and activities across NSW that: • help remote, rural and regional communities, general practices and health services to find suitably skilled and qualified General Practitioners (GPs), nurses and allied health professionals to work in their towns • assist suitably skilled and qualified GPs, nurses and allied health professionals to pursue careers in remote, rural and regional NSW (this includes both Australian and International Medical Graduates/ Overseas Trained Doctors) • support existing remote, rural and regional doctors, nurses and allied health professionals through the provision of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) activities and succession planning • provide financial support for further study, training and short courses • assist in finding locum support for remote, rural and regional GPs, including through our unique and free RDN Locum Match service • deliver a wide range of health outreach services to rural towns • support remote, rural and regional medical partners and families • provide a range of scholarships, support and information for students studying medicine or health-related degrees in NSW. RDN also works with: • Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services to support health services for Aboriginal peoples • rural NSW Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to support remote, rural and regional GPs and the health workforce • local communities, governments and rural Local Health Districts (LHDs) on workforce matters • university medical faculties to promote rural medicine.5 ORGANISATION STRUCTURE RDN’s organisation structure is aligned to its key corporate functions and program areas, with five service pillars. INFORMATION AND TRANSLATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING RDN SERVICE PILLARS HEALTH WORKFORCE Data services Knowledge translation Business intelligence Application development ICT administration Conferences and events Scholarships Future workforce Attraction, retention, planning and assessment Recruitment and workforce development Town-based planning and community engagement OUTREACH SERVICES Specialised and multidisciplinary health services Health practitioner upskilling Service planning and coordination Rural and Aboriginal health Chronic disease Eye health Hearing health STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder engagement Strategic communications Public relations Professional networkOUR PURPOSE, GOAL & valuesVALUES Underpinning our approach to our work are our values, which we embed in our daily operations: ACCOUNTABILITY We commit to being responsible for our actions. ADAPTABILITY We are agile and responsive to changing needs in order to create solutions and make a positive difference for our stakeholders. COLLABORATION We share and contribute to collective processes to create more effective practice and achieve specific goals and outcomes. EXCELLENCE We strive to achieve and maintain high quality standards in our relationships and services. INTEGRITY We live and work by a set of ethical standards and behaviours. PURPOSE To improve access to quality healthcare for people in remote, rural and regional New South Wales. GOAL To support the provision and retention of adequate numbers of high-quality health professionals in remote, rural and regional New South Wales. Next >