Annual Report - Preliminaries

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Part 3: Management Arrangements

Part 4: Accountability Reporting

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Department of Health and Ageing

Better Health | Better Care | Better Life

The Department of Health and Ageing is a Department of State. We operate under the Public Service Act 1999 and the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.

Our Vision

Better health and active ageing for all Australians.

Our Role

The Department’s role is to achieve the Australian Government’s priorities (outcomes) for health and ageing. We do this by developing evidence-based policies, managing programs and undertaking research and regulation activities. We also lead and work closely with other agencies to achieve results for the Australian Government and the community, and engage in open and constructive consultation with professionals, providers, industry and community groups.

Our People

As at 30 June 2009, the Department had 4,444 ongoing and 482 non-ongoing staff (see page 250 for further details).

Our Outcomes, Our Performance Reporting

The Department receives Government funding and manages its performance through a 15 outcome structure (see 2.2 Portfolio Outcomes, Departmental Outputs and Performance Reporting for full details).

The Department measures its success in achieving its outcomes by setting performance directions and targets in its Portfolio Budget and Additional Estimates Statements. Part 2.2 reports on the key strategic directions and performance indicators published in the 2008–09 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements and the 2008–09 Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements. Highlights are noted below.

Our Expenditure

The Department administered a budget of $49.2 billion in 2008–09 – 15.2 per cent of the entire Federal Budget. This was a 7.5 per cent nominal increase over 2007–08 expenditure.
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Our Highlights for 2008–09

In working to achieve better health and active ageing for all Australians, the Department:

addressed obesity, tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption as risk factors for chronic conditions through the development of the National Partnership Agreement on Preventive Health (see Outcome 1 – Population Health, page 39);
improved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s access to and quality use of Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme medicines through a collaborative pilot program with the Pharmacy Guild of Australia and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (see Outcome 2 – Access to Pharmaceutical Services, page 61);
introduced the Medicare Teen Dental Plan voucher system to allow the payment of benefits for preventative dental checks for eligible teenagers (see Outcome 3 – Access to Medical Services, page 73);
implemented fairer and simpler fee arrangements for residential aged care, treating pensioners and self-funded retirees the same (see Outcome 4 – Aged Care and Population Ageing, page 87);
awarded funding for 19 GP Super Clinics nationwide so that building could commence on facilities that will deliver integrated multidisciplinary primary centred care that is responsive to the needs of local communities (see Outcome 5 – Primary Care, page 105);
helped improve health infrastructure in rural and remote communities by funding 97 projects for capital works and equipment (see Outcome 6 – Rural Health, page 119);
improved the range of hearing aid features available under the Hearing Services Program free-to-client arrangements (see Outcome 7 – Hearing Services, page 129);
increased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s access to maternal child health care and chronic disease management services across Australia (see Outcome 8 – Indigenous Health, page 137);
worked closely with private health insurers in assessing applications for premium increases helping to ensure the affordability and value of private health insurance as a product for the Australian community (see Outcome 9 – Private Health, page 149);
supported women with breast cancer and their families, to access information, care and support by employing more than 30 breast care nurses nationally through the McGrath Foundation (see Outcome 10 – Health System Capacity and Quality, page 157);
improved access to primary mental health care by supporting psychiatrists, general practitioners and allied mental health professionals; and developed new, flexible and innovative service models to improve access to mental health care for people living in rural and remote areas (see Outcome 11 – Mental Health, page 175);
helped develop initiatives through the Council of Australian Governments’ National Partnership Agreement to increase the health workforce (see Outcome 12 – Health Workforce Capacity, page 189);
implemented stage one of the Elective Surgery Waiting List Reduction Plan which benefited 41,584 patients (see Outcome 13 – Acute Care, page 201);
reduced the threat of the misuse of security sensitive biological agents, by introducing a new regulatory scheme to track and control their use (see Outcome 14 – Biosecurity and Emergency Response, page 215); and
supported community groups and organisations to increase Indigenous Australians’ participation in sport (see Outcome 15 – Development of a Stronger and Internationally Competitive Sports Sector and Encouragement of Greater Participation in Sport by All Australians, page 229).

Our Way Forward

Over the coming year, the Department will:

deliver major reform through the National Healthcare Agreement, to fund public hospitals, train doctors and nurses, and tackle key pressure points in the public health system. Focus will be on prevention, primary and community health, hospital and related care, and aged care;
build on the national health effort to close the gap in life expectancy rates for Indigenous Australians, by addressing eye and ear health and dental care;
fund new health and hospital infrastructure to deliver world-class cancer care, and medical and health research facilities;
support the training of more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals by funding additional general practice training places and establishing a National Workforce Agency;
help improve choice and access to maternity services by enabling qualified nurses working as part of a care team to access the Medicare Benefits Schedule and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme;
increase subsidies to help residential aged care services to operate viably in regional, rural and remote areas, and ensure that the needs of older people are properly assessed when they enter aged care; and
extend the Medicare safety net to help ensure access for people with prolonged health care needs, and to provide financial assistance to those with one-off high health care costs.

For further information about the Department’s actions in 2009–10, please refer to the 2009–10 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements, available at www.health.gov.au.
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Our Values

What is important to us.

We value:

the commitment, achievements and development of all staff;
accountability to our Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary, Parliament and the public;
working with other agencies to achieve results for the Australian Government and community;
open and constructive consultation with professionals, providers, industry and community groups;
diversity, which is reflected in the management of our business and in the delivery of our programs;
developing, delivering and evaluating programs effectively;
being aware of our responsibilities and managing our own performance;
using resources efficiently;
working in an apolitical, fair, professional and ethical manner;
commitment to quality, professionalism, innovation and flexibility; and
our ability to apply our skills and training to the delivery of better health and ageing outcomes.

Department of Health and Ageing Corporate Plan 2006–09

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Preface

About this Report

This report is prepared in accordance with the Requirements for Annual Reports, as issued by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and approved by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit under Subsections 63(2) and 70(2) of the Public Service Act 1999.

A core value of the Department of Health and Ageing is accountability, and to achieve this, we report on our planned and actual activities to our Ministers and Parliamentary Secretary, Parliament and the public.¹ The primary purpose of this report is to describe the Department’s activities during 2008–09, reporting on the performance and financial information presented in the 2008–09 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements, and the 2008–09 Health and Ageing Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements. Our aim is to provide readers with a useful and informative picture of the Department’s performance over the past twelve months.

Structure of the Report

The report starts with a letter from the Department’s Secretary, Ms Jane Halton PSM, to the Minister for Health and Ageing, The Hon Nicola Roxon MP requesting that the Minister present the Annual Report to Parliament; and contents pages.

2008–09 Overview

The Overview explains the Department’s activities, broad strategic directions and priorities for the year. It sets out the Secretary and Chief Medical Officer’s views on key issues and achievements.

Part 1: Departmental Overview

Part 1 reports on the Department’s role and its management arrangements.
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Part 2: Performance Reporting

Part 2 discusses the Department’s Outcomes and Outputs framework, and the Departments main activities through its 15 outcomes; reporting on the Department’s performance against the key strategic directions and targets detailed in the 2008–09 Health and Ageing Portfolio Budget Statements and the 2008–09 Health and Ageing Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements. This section also includes financial reporting on Budget estimates and actual expenses for 2008–09.

Part 3: Management Arrangements

Part 3 details the Department’s governance arrangements, including: people and financial management; information on internal and external scrutiny activities; and ministerial responsibilities.

Part 4: Accountability Reporting

Part 4 provides an account of the Department’s activities in a range of areas, including payments for advertising and marketing research and consultancies, and our performance in meeting Commonwealth Disability Strategy, Ecologically Sustainable Development and Occupational Health and Safety objectives. Information on grants and Freedom of Information arrangements is also included.

Part 5: Financial Statements

Part 5 contains the complete set of financial statements for the Department of Health and Ageing and the Therapeutic Goods Administration Trust Account.

Part 6: Contact Details

Part 6 contains contact details for the Department’s Central and State and Territory offices. Contact details for portfolio agencies are also provided.

The report also includes a list of acronyms, glossary, index and a postscript.
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Letter of Transmittal

SECRETARY

The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
Minister for Health and Ageing
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Dear Minister

As required under Section 63(1) of the Public Service Act 1999, I provide you with the 2008-09 Department of Health and Ageing Annual Report, for your presentation to the Parliament.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the Requirements for Annual Reports, approved on behalf of the Parliament by the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit, as required under Section 63 of the Public Service Act 1999.

I am satisfied that the Department of Health and Ageing has prepared fraud risk assessments and fraud control plans, and has in place appropriate fraud prevention, detection, investigation, reporting and data collection procedures and practices that meet the specific needs of the Department and comply with the Commonwealth Fraud Control Guidelines.

Yours sincerely

Jane Halton PSM
Secretary
7 October 2009

MDP 84
GPO Box 9848
Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone: (02) 6289 8400
Facsimile: (02) 6285 1994

1 For further discussion of the Department’s values, please see the Department of Health and Ageing Corporate Plan 2006–09, available at www.health.gov.au.

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