Agency
Women's and Children's Health Care Network (Women's and Children's Health from 2000)
VA 5016
1995 - 2004
Agency names
Officially known as: Women's and Children's Health Care Network (Women's and Children's Health from 2000)
On 18 July 1995 the Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister for Health, directed that under section 65c of the Health Services Act 1988 the Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) and the Royal Women's Hospital (RWH) be aggregated to form a new hospital known as Women's and Children's Health Care Network ('the Network'). The Network was incorporated under the Health Services Act with effect from 1 August 1995 and the incorporation of the RCH and the RWH cancelled. A new Board of Directors was constituted, consisting of six members including the first Chairperson Lyndsey Cattermole. The aggregation of the two hospitals to form the Network took place under the Kennett Government's strategy for delivering health services in the Melbourne metropolitan area.
The Network recognised that through the RWH and the RCH it served distinct and different groups of society, the RWH focussed on service provision for women and the newborn and the RCH on service provision for children and adolescents. Both organisations continued to operate under their own names, each with their own Executive Director. The newly constituted Board appointed a Chief Executive Officer and implemented a decentralised management structure. One particular focus was the development of links and partnerships with other networks to improve access to care. In 1997 the Network signed agreements with the North Western Health Care Network to supply women's and children's services at the Sunshine Hospital, and also established collaborative arrangements to establish MH-SKY (Mental Health Services for Youth and Kids) - an integrated mental health service for young people.
On 1 July 2000, Women's and Children's Health Care Network was replaced by Women's and Children's Health and a new board appointed under section 181 of the Health Services Act 1988.
The RCH and RWH were disaggregated from Women's and Children's Health and incorporated under the Health Services Act 1988 with new boards of directors on 1 July 2004. Women's and Children's Health continued to exist as a public health service in name, and was exempted from the obligation to publish annual reports by an Order in Council under section 11(1) of the Health Services Act 1988 dated 28 September 2004 (Victoria Government Gazette no. G 40, 30 September 2004).
The incorporation of Women's and Children's Health was finally cancelled by an Order in Council under 248(1)(e) of the Health Services Act 1988 dated 7 June 2005, effective on 9 June 2005, the date of publication in Victoria Government Gazette no. G 23.
The Network recognised that through the RWH and the RCH it served distinct and different groups of society, the RWH focussed on service provision for women and the newborn and the RCH on service provision for children and adolescents. Both organisations continued to operate under their own names, each with their own Executive Director. The newly constituted Board appointed a Chief Executive Officer and implemented a decentralised management structure. One particular focus was the development of links and partnerships with other networks to improve access to care. In 1997 the Network signed agreements with the North Western Health Care Network to supply women's and children's services at the Sunshine Hospital, and also established collaborative arrangements to establish MH-SKY (Mental Health Services for Youth and Kids) - an integrated mental health service for young people.
On 1 July 2000, Women's and Children's Health Care Network was replaced by Women's and Children's Health and a new board appointed under section 181 of the Health Services Act 1988.
The RCH and RWH were disaggregated from Women's and Children's Health and incorporated under the Health Services Act 1988 with new boards of directors on 1 July 2004. Women's and Children's Health continued to exist as a public health service in name, and was exempted from the obligation to publish annual reports by an Order in Council under section 11(1) of the Health Services Act 1988 dated 28 September 2004 (Victoria Government Gazette no. G 40, 30 September 2004).
The incorporation of Women's and Children's Health was finally cancelled by an Order in Council under 248(1)(e) of the Health Services Act 1988 dated 7 June 2005, effective on 9 June 2005, the date of publication in Victoria Government Gazette no. G 23.
Jurisdiction: Victoria
