QUARTERLY REPORT - Services for Australian Rural and Remote

Transcription

QUARTERLY REPORT - ENDING 31 MARCH 2015
Objectives & Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Stakeholders
Members
1.
SARRAH increases the number of members as well as
those that actively participate in the organisation.
KPI’s


Increase the number of full members – 10% per annum
Convert non-SARRAH members completing scholars per
funding round to SARRAH members – 20% per annum
Achievements
Membership
SARRAH had 127 full members, 109 student members and 3 corporate
members (2 are Tier 1 members and 1 is Tier 2) as at 31/03/15 compared
to 139 full members 101 student members and 1 corporate member as at
31/12/14.
SARRAH converted 14 scholars and 0 Assessors/Supervisors to become
SARRAH members during the quarter.
E-Newsletters

Produce and distribute monthly e-Newsletters – 10 per annum

Increase annual member participation in:
Facebook Group numbers, posted views and responses
SARRAH distributed 3 monthly e-Bulletins during the period. In addition, 1
post Board meeting Communiqué was distributed.
Facebook
The number of Facebook likes increased over the quarter, from 1118 at the
end of 2014 to 1,204 as at 31 March 2015. Most popular posts were:




16/01/15 “Hayley Willis is fully occupied. An Occupational Therapist
and mother of a young baby. . . . ”(photo) – 678 reached
26/02/15 “Are you a rural or remote based allied health provider? Do
you deliver services to children.... ” (status) – 599 reached
04/03/15 “The CEO of SARRAH, Rod Wellington, today met with and
presented to the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Rural and Remote
Allied Health at Parliament House.“ (photo) - 2,346 reached
23/03/15 “Thinking of attending a conference, short course or other
eligible CPD activity?” (photo) – 1,067 reached
G:\Meetings & Conferences\SARRAH Committee Meetings\Board\14-15\09 - 28.4.15\Item 9 - Quarterly Report to March 15.docx
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Stakeholders
(cont’d)
Members
2.
SARRAH increases the number of members as well as
those that actively participate in the organisation.
Achievements
Twitter

KPI’s

Increase annual member participation in:
-
Twitter activity - tweets and retweets
-
Working groups, external and internal (excluding Board,
SAC & Audit) committees
-
SARRAH Conferences/Summits
-
SARRAH Surveys
Twitter supported SARRAH’s main advocacy activity during the
quarter. 2 Tweets were published by SARRAH and they were:
“Rod Wellington SARRAH CEO at Rural & Remote Parliamentary
Friendship Group on the lack of AHP in remote Oz (report 1)”
04.03.15 (One retweet)
“Rod Wellington SARRAH CEO at Rural & Remote Parliamentary
Friendship Group on the lack of AHP in remote Oz (report 2).
04.03.15 (Three retweets and one favourite)
Working Groups

Three internal working groups including: Membership Recruitment and
Marketing, Member Engagement, Financial Diversification did not
convene during the quarter.

A Working Group established to respond to the NDIS Quality and
Safeguarding Framework met during the quarter.

SARRAH publicly released 2 research project reports at a meeting of
the Parliamentary Friendship Group for Rural and Remote Allied
Health on 4/3/15. The reports were developed under the Australian
National University Internship Program (ANUIP). Details of the
reports follow:
- Investigating the Efficacy of Allied Health: Reducing and
Improving Outcomes in the Treatment of Diabetes, Osteoarthritis
and Stroke; and
- Mapping Rural and Remote Early Childhood Intervention Therapy
Services.
SARRAH Conference/Summit

SARRAH commenced approaching a number of organisations
seeking sponsorship for the 2015 Summit.
SARRAH Surveys

No surveys were conducted by SARRAH during the quater.
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Stakeholders
(cont’d)
Achievements
Health Reforms
3.
SARRAH continues as a leader to advocate at all levels
of Government and with other key stakeholders for
reforms of health services to improve health outcomes in
rural and remote Australia.
Ministerial, Departmental and Parliamentary meetings
KPIs








Attend meetings with the Minister for Health and/or Office
Advisors - 2 per annum
Attend meetings with the key Department of Health staff - 4
per annum
Contact Members of Parliament responsible for health
portfolios - 8 per annum
Provide submissions to relevant health related federal
government enquiries - 80% per annum
Report on number and type of industry stakeholder group
meetings attended including AAHF and NRHA – 20 per annum
Report on number of policy/position papers developed
including federal/state election platforms – 5 per annum
Report on number of media campaigns including media
releases developed in response to government policy and
programs.
SARRAH has been active in this areas with a range of meetings:


A meeting was convened with Minister Ley’s Senior Advisor and a
separate meeting with Minister Nash’s Advisor (2 YTD).
A workshop on allied health priorities and a separate presentation by
the Chief Allied Health Officer (3 YTD).
A meeting was held with Minister Morrison’s Advisor and a separate
meeting with Senator Di Natale (6 YTD).
Submissions
Submissions were made to the following:





The Treasurer on the Federal Budget 2015-16.
APHCRI on the Future Directions Discussion Paper.
The Department of Health on the National Framework for Health
Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and
Families.
The Department of Health South Australia on the Transforming Health
Proposals Paper.
All are published on the SARRAH website.
Industry Meetings

A complete list of meetings attended is at attachment A.
Policy/Position papers


No papers were developed during the reporting period.
SARRAH was not able to prepare election platforms for the
Queensland and NSW State elections due to capacity constraints.
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Objectives& Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Health Reforms
Stakeholders
Achievements
Media Campaigns

(cont’d)





A successful media campaign was conducted around the launch of
the two reports at the Parliamentary Friends of Rural and Remote
Allied Health meeting.
Two media releases (7 YTD) were issued:
- Report reveals rural children miss out on early intervention 4.3.15,
- Forgotten health providers are key to healing patients and
budgets 4.3.15
A Press Conference was held at Parliament House.
Articles in Tasmania Times, Medical Observer, Pharmacy Daily, and
PHCRIS were generated on the ANUIP reports.
Further articles and interviews have been generated related to the
NAHSSS with: ABC Country Hour, ABC Orange, Kalgoorlie Miner,
Sunday Telegraph, Ballina Shire Advocate
In total 9 articles including 5 interviews were generated during the
quarter (11 YTD incl 6 interviews).
Workforce
4.
SARRAH supports a workforce which is essential to
addressing health inequality for residents of rural and
remote communities.
KPIs




Participate in National Rural Health Student Network (NRHSN)
and other forums – 3 per annum.
Attend Australian Allied Health Forum meetings - 3 per annum
Participate in Medicare Local Stakeholder Forums - 5 per
annum
Report on number of project steering committee/advisory
group meetings attended annually.

A complete list of meetings attended is at attachment A


1 meeting was held during the period (3 YTD)
No meetings were attended during the period (5 YTD)

A complete list of meetings attended is at attachment A.
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Objectives& Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Internal
Business
Processes
Corporate Governance
5.
SARRAH maintains mechanisms to support accountable
and transparent governance procedures including
planning, financial management and reporting.
KPI’s


-
Strategic , Annual Operational and Risk Management
Plans
-
Board meetings at least 4 per year including 1 face to
face meeting
-
Advisory Committee meetings at least 4 per year
-
Audit Committee meetings at least 10 per year
-
Secretariat staff meetings at least 10 per year
-
Performance monitoring.
KPI’s


Corporate Governance Charter
The annual review of the Corporate Governance Charter was completed in
September 2014. Regular activities are conducted in accordance with the
charter.

Review SARRAH’s Corporate Governance Charter annually
Report on implementation of the Corporate Governance
Charter including, but not restricted to:
Projects and Programs
6.
SARRAH maintains efficient administrative systems to
effectively manage projects and programs.

Achievements


The Risk Management plan is monitored regularly by the Audit
Committee.
1 Board meeting was held during the period (5 YTD).
1 Advisory Committee meeting was held during the period (3 YTD)

3 Audit Committee meetings were held during the period (5 YTD)

2 staff meetings were held during the period (7 YTD)

Performance monitoring occurred regularly through the completion
and submission of reports against key performance indicators.
Projects and Programs


Implement funded projects in accordance with individual
funding agreements including reporting requirements
Review and implement annual project plans
Review SAPS and MYOB systems annually to maintain data
accuracy.

Projects and Programs are monitored regularly to ensure they are
managed in accordance with funding agreements and project plans.
A report on 2 funded projects NAHSSS and NRRSS is at attachment
B
The financial management of projects and programs is maintained
through the SARRAH financial management processes.
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People,
Learning and
Development
Human Resources
7.
SARRAH recruits, fosters and values highly trained staff.
Achievements
Human Resources

KPI’s

Review SARRAH Human Resource Policy annually and inform
staff of results

The annual review of the HR Policy was completed in the December
quarter. All staff were required to complete and sign a checklist to
verify that they have read SARRAH’s current corporate documents
including its HR policies.
2014-15 performance appraisals for employees other than the CEO
will occur during May/June 2015
Training

Complete performance management reviews for all staff
annually

Implement a minimum of 1 activity in every staff learning
agreement per annum

The following training was completed by SARRAH staff during the
quarter:
-

Evaluating the Board, training course conducted by AICD (CEO)
2 staff completed membership database and Website administration
training conducted by Agileware (SARRAH’s IT provider)
3 staff completed a one day training course on Emotional Intelligence at
Work conducted by Learn4Results.
Maintain a staff retention rate - 75% per annum.
Staff Movements

The staff retention rate for the quarter was 71% which was due to the
departure of 4 staff during the period, three who resigned and one
who retired:
- Louise Pemble, Communications Officer, accepted a position in the
-
-

public service and resigned on 1 January 2015. This position has not
been filled.
Cecilia Moar, the NRRSS Project Manager resigned on 9 January 2015
and Terence Jansen, the NRRSS Project Assistant took on this role.
Cate Patrick, Administrative Assistance, accepted a position in the public
service and resigned on 12 March 2015. Holly Coates was recruited to
this position and commenced on 25 March 2015.
Ruth Hawkings the Business Manager retired. A Deputy CEO position
was created and Anne Buck recruited to this position. She commenced
on 23 March 2015.
Also during the quarter, a temporary employee was recruited to assist
with the NRRSS project on a 5 week contract.
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People,
Learning and
Development
(cont’d)
Achievements
Information and Knowledge Management
8.
SARRAH maintains effective information technology and
knowledge management systems to improve
performance, retain corporate knowledge, and provide a
resource for all stakeholders.
KPI’s



Maintain IT operating network using the latest version of
software
Review and maintain all Procedural Manuals annually
Ensure all staff are able to access corporate information.



All IT system software is upgraded as new versions become available
Procedural Manuals are updated when and if changes occur during
the year
SARRAH’s corporate information is accessible by all staff through the
common G-drive and hardcopy.
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Current Business Issues
Stakeholders
Internal
Business
Processes
People,
Learning and
Development
Future Milestones
1. Increase SARRAH’s Individual and Corporate Membership base
2. Continue to use the functionality of the Membership database to
improve membership services.
3. Continue to identify private sector funding sources to support
SARRAH activities.
1. Monitor the introduction of the Primary Health Networks
2. Monitor outcomes from the 2015 Federal Budget
3. Continue to assist States and the NT to coordinate meetings and other
activities.
4. Continue discussions with the Department to maintain
SARRAH’s current administration arrangements of the NAHSSS
5. Identify alternate funding sources to support the continuation of
the NRRSS
6. Develop strategies to promote and receive funds as an
Australian Taxation Office Deductable Gift Recipient
7. Continue to enhance SARRAH’s financial reporting systems
8. Continue reviewing SARRAH’s Human Resources Policies.
4. Commence planning for the 2015 SARRAH Summit
5. Provide input and support, where possible, to SARRAH’s Working
Groups
6. Continue reviewing the SAPS (IT) functionality particularly the:
- reporting capabilities used to support the administration of the
NAHSSS
- commissioning of an Electronic Records Management System.
9. Regularly update staff on any developments in the NAHSSS
funding agreement and the impact on their employment
arrangements.
7. Continue to review SARRAH’s human resource policies ensuring
alignment with the NES and private sector local labour market
conditions
8. Implement the 2014-15 Staff Training and Development calendar.
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Attachment A – Forums Attended

13 January - SARRAH Conference Organising Committee Handover Meeting via teleconference

23 January - SARRAH Audit Committee Meeting via teleconference

3 February - Minister Morrison's Senior Advisor Meeting in Canberra

9 February - SARRAH Managers Meeting in Canberra

10 February - SARRAH Staff Meeting in Canberra

11 February - Climate and Health Alliance Meeting via teleconference

13 February - SARRAH Audit Committee Meeting via teleconference

17 February - Medicare Australia Stakeholder Consultative Group Meeting in Canberra

23 February - National Rural Health Alliance Council Meeting via teleconference

24 February - Remote Area Health Corp Function in Canberra

24 February - SARRAH Board Meeting via teleconference

25 February - General Practice NSW Primary Health Care Leaders Forum in Sydney

27 February - SARRAH Northern Territory Members' Meeting via teleconference

3 March - Royal Far West Meeting in Canberra

4 March - Senator Richard Di Natale Meeting in Canberra

4 March - Parliamentary Friendship Group for Rural & Remote Allied Health presentation in Canberra

4 March - GP NSW delegation with Federal Parliamentarians in Canberra

5 March - Lowitja Institute launch at Parliament House in Canberra

5 March - Royal Flying Doctor Service function in Canberra

11 March - SARRAH Conference Organising Committee meeting via teleconference
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
12 March - Bush Service Support External Roundtable Meeting via teleconference

17 March - Australian National University Internship Program 21st Anniversary Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra

18-19 March - SARRAH Board Interviews via teleconference

20 March - SARRAH Audit Committee Meeting via teleconference

25 March - Australian Allied Health Forum Meeting via teleconference

25 March - Department of Health Workshop - Allied Health Priorities in Canberra

26 March - National Allied Health Advisory Committee Meeting with Chief Allied Health Officer in Canberra

27 March - NRRSS Expert Reference Group Meeting via teleconference
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Attachment B – Funded Projects
Project 1 - Nursing and Allied Health Scholarship and Support Scheme (NAHSSS)
Background
The NAHSSS was established as a measure under the 2009-10 Federal Budget which consolidated a range of existing programs promoting access to
tertiary education, professional development support and clinical placements for nurses and allied health students and profes sionals. The Australian
Government aims to build on workforce programs to ensure they better align with, and are able to respond to, the needs of health professionals to train
and practise, particularly in clinical areas and locations of particular need.
The allied health component of the NAHSSS is administered by SARRAH on behalf of the Commonwealth Department of Health (the Department).
SARRAH has a Funding Agreement to administer the allied health component of the NAHSSS until the end of June 2015.
From 2013 additional scholarships were made available and awarded under the Tasmania allied scholarship initiative. These scholarships are
specifically for Tasmanian-based applicants to undertake study or activities and applicants from across Australia to undertake a Clinical Placements
within Tasmania, There is no funding for new Tasmanian specific scholarships after 30 June 2015.
For 2014-15, SARRAH is administering an additional 92 scholarships announced in the 2014 -15 Budget targeting people who are from a rural or remote
area or who work in an identified area of clinical need including primary care, aged care, mental health as well as Indigenous health services.
Within the allied health component of NAHSSS there are five scholarship programs and they include Clinical Placement, Clinica l Psychology, Continuing
Professional Development, Postgraduate and Undergraduate Entry-Level.
Eligible Health Professions
The current eligible allied health professions include
Aboriginal Health Worker (Cert IV and above only),
Audiology,
Chinese Medicine;
Chiropractic;
Dental & Oral Health;
Dietetics & Nutrition;
Exercise Physiology (ESSA approved only);
Genetic Counselling (Postgraduate study only);
Medical Radiation Science including medical imaging, nuclear medicine technology and radiation therapy;
Occupational Therapy;
Optometry;
Orthoptics;
Osteopathy;
Paramedic;
Pharmacy (Postgraduate only);
Page 11 of 15
Physiotherapy;
Podiatry;
Prosthetics and Orthotics;
Psychology;
Social Work (Australian Association of Social Workers approved courses only);
Speech Pathology and
Sonography.
Budget
In 2014-15 the Scholarships Program budget is:
- Administration - $1,295,113 (GST exclusive). SARRAH employs three full-time Scholarship Managers, two full-time Scholarship Assistants and two part-time
Scholarship Assistants to administer the five scholarship streams.
- Scholarships - $11,004,274.44 (GST exclusive). Actual scholarship funds allocated is $11,768,000 which includes accrued interest and uncommitted funds
from earlier rounds.
As at 30 June 2014 SARRAH held $16.3 million in committed funds for ongoing scholar payments from 1 July 2014 until 31 December Postgraduate till 2020 and
Undergraduate till 2022.
Achievements
As at 31 March 2015 the five scholarships streams had 834 ongoing scholars.
Four of the scholarship streams open once a year (August/September) for scholarships to commence in the following calendar year. The Continuing
Professional Development (CPD) stream opens twice per year (in August for activities commencing in the first half of the next calendar year; and in April
for activities commencing in the last half of the calendar year).
The applications for 2015 scholarship streams closed during October 2014.
Scholarship Streams
Eligible Applications received
Expected number to be awarded from the 2015 opening round
Clinical Placements
1454
221
Clinical Psychology
271
75
CPD
278 (1st round only)
59 (1st round only)
Postgraduate
402
203
Undergraduate Entry-level
665
167
Total
3,070
725
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SARRAH received additional funding in 2014-15 to administer 92 scholarships for scholars from rural and remote Australia or in identified areas of need
including primary care, aged care, mental health and Indigenous Health Service.
The following tables indicate how this scholarship funding was distributed.
Original Allocation
Scholarships Accepted
Clinical Placement
10
10
Postgraduate
28
51
36 (18 per round in 2015)
18 (1st round only)
18
22
92
101
CPD
Undergraduate
Total
Page 13 of 15
Project 2 - National Rural and Remote Support Services (NRRSS)
Background
The NRRSS has been funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS) under the Early Intervention Services for Children with a Disability Program with the
purpose of supporting the delivery of the Better Start for Children with Disability (Better Start) initiative and the Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) programs.
Families with children under the age of seven years who have a disability or developmental delay can receive funding under either the Better Start initiative or
HCWA package. Allied Health Professionals registered with the DSS deliver Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) to improve cognitive, emotional and social
development before a child starts school.
SARRAH assists allied health providers to manage the challenges inherent in delivering services in rural settings. Rural ECI therapists experience professional
and social isolation, few continuing professional development opportunities and a lack of sustainable service delivery models. As part of the Operational
Guidelines of the funding agreement with the DSS, SARRAH:
 Provides mentoring and supervision to providers in rural and remote areas;
 Conducts research on models of service delivery that are effective in rural and remote locations;
 Works collaboratively with Carers Australia and Autism Associations to map service coverage and identify service coverage gaps;
 Develops and promote strategies to address service coverage gaps such as improved recruitment methodologies and exploring the use of technology; and
 Supports rural and remote early intervention professionals to apply to register with the DSS Early Intervention Service Provider Panel.
Eligible Health Professions
The DSS funds the following registered members of the ECI Panel: physiotherapist, psychologist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, audiologist,
optometrist, orthoptist, dietician or teacher of the deaf. Other eligible ECI specialists include: orientation and mobility instructor, teacher of the vision impaired,
special education teacher, orthotist, conductor (conductive education) and social worker when working as part of a multidisciplinary practice. ECI specialists are
trained and experienced in working with children with one or more of the disabilities listed under the Better Start and HCWA programs. They have the knowledge
and skills required for special needs. ECI specialists are practitioners registered with their relevant professional organisation.
Project Budget
The project budget is $450,000 over two years, commencing in June 2013. The current funding for the NRRSS ceases at 30 June 2015 and SARRAH has been
advised by DSS that funding will not be renewed for the program.
Project Outcomes
For the period 1 January to 31 March 2015 the NRRSS has achieved the following:


My Outreach Ally was launched on 13 March 2015 and is intended to display both the practice and outreach locations of allied health professionals who are a
member of the NRRSS. The service currently has 163 locations listed. In April another 157 outreach locations and 134 practice locations will be loaded onto
the system. It is hoped that My Outreach Ally will form the basis of a future program focused on identifying and coordinating demand for allied health services in
rural and remote Australia.
The NRRSS project team contacted approximately 309 members of the NRRSS through a one to one communication campaign that ran for four weeks between
February and March 2015. As a result of this campaign 12 NRRSS members were identified as seeking support for registration with DSS, outreach locations
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

were added for 88 members and contact information updated for 134 members.
The NRRSS project team convened a final meeting of the Expert Reference Group on 27 March 2015. Topics discussed at the meeting included: conclusion of
the NRRSS, My Outreach Ally interactive maps and suggestions for a future program based on the NRRSS.
Support documents to assist members with registering as an Early Intervention Service Provider with the DSS have been developed and provided to members
on request. The support documents provide NRRSS members with step by step guidance for completing the application form and preparing procedures for the
business that support their application.
Project Concluding Activities
On 30 June 2015 the NRRSS program will conclude. The following program activities will contribute to the conclusion of the NRRSS:
 Continue providing support to register with the DSS Early Intervention Service Provider Panel until the end of May 2015;
 Identify alternate sources of funding that may be able to facilitate the continuation of the core activities of the NRRSS;
 Prepare final program report for NRRSS including circulation of draft report to the Deputy CEO and CEO for review; and
 Organise an audit of the NRRSS and prepare final acquittal report for the program.
Page 15 of 15

QUARTERLY REPORT - Services for Australian Rural and Remote

Transcription

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