Return of JeHDI makes Defence Australia’s eHealth leader

Costs double but project clears delivery room.

22 September, 2014

Shout out to diggers through fortified alcohol management app

A free smartphone app designed to help current and ex-Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel and veterans manage their drinking has been updated with new features, including being able to email an individual’s drinking history to a doctor or to themselves. ON TRACK with The Right Mix, (iTunes download ; Android download) which was originally launched […]

31 July, 2014

WA public hospitals hit by rolling strikes

Pay row escalates to industrial action.

16 July, 2014

VIC councils to develop state child health IT system

Victoria’s peak body for local government has been picked as the developer for a new state-wide project to unify data systems about families.

10 July, 2014

Jane Halton leaves Health for Finance, Treasury still open

More announcements pending in latest round of APS musical chairs

26 June, 2014

CPSU cold on voluntary demotion offer to avoid retrenchments

By Julian Bajkowski The conspicuous collapse of the Coalition’s promise to slash 12,000 federal public service jobs through natural attrition has been quickly followed by revelations that parts of the bureaucracy are looking at radically redefining job structures and pay grades in an apparent bid to limit forced retrenchments. The Community and Public Sector Union […]

22 November, 2013

Victoria hits hiring accelerator on Digital Government

By Julian Bajkowski The Victorian government is conspicuously muscling up on its technology leadership smarts after the state revealed it is on the hunt for no fewer than five top flight public sector executives to lead its recently released ICT strategy. The state has created the new roles within the Department of State Development, Business […]

19 November, 2013

Doctors ready to pull plug on eHealth

By Julian Bajkowski Australia’s long and troubled efforts to create a functioning national system of electronic health and medical records system is once more close to collapse. The Australian Medical Association has expressed serious concerns over clinician input into the project following the shock resignation of highly respected clinical representative Dr Mukesh Haikerwal from the […]

16 August, 2013

Healthcare location trackers keep tabs on young and old

By Julian Bajkowski Healthcare providers in the public and private sectors are increasingly looking to fit controversial tracking devices to people as well as equipment in an effort to improve patient and public safety while also boosting the productivity and availability of costly hospital assets. According to the country manager for Allied Telesis Australia, Scott […]

29 April, 2013

NSW phone health advice will go mobile

By Paul Hemsley Individuals with chronic illnesses calling the NSW Department of Health’s telephone coaching service will be able to access the program online and via mobile applications. Executive in charge of the project, Dr Bev Lloyd and project manager, Dr Debbie Banovic each gave a talk at the Health and Productivity Management Congress 2012 […]

14 August, 2012

Management of purchasing still weak in WA Health

Auditor General Colin Murphy has tabled a report in parliament which assessed six hospitals’ implementation of key controls to ensure compliance with government purchasing policies and to reduce the risk of unauthorised access and use of pharmaceuticals.   Mr Murphy said the Department’s pharmaceutical procurement process and practice had a number of weaknesses relating to […]

13 June, 2012

Victoria to stop HealthSmart funds

By Lilia Guan   The Victorian Minister for Health and Ageing’s office has confirmed with Government News that it will no longer fund the previous government’s HealthSmart program. HealthSmart was a state initiative to implement a strategy to modernise and replace ICT systems throughout the Victorian public healthcare sector, at the cost of about $360 […]

22 May, 2012

NSW Health and Police need to manage IT contracts better

The Audit Office of New South Wales has found the Ministry of Health and the NSW Police Force could not demonstrate continued value for money in the long term IT services contracts reviewed.   Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat said he examined the ongoing management and renewal of three IT services contracts—two at the Ministry of Health […]

23 March, 2012

Research hospital planned for Geelong

The Victorian Government has streamlined the planning process for the $447 million teaching and research hospital in the growth corridor of Warn Ponds adjacent to Deakin University. Included in the planning proposal is a six storey building with the first stage comprising 160 in-patient beds, nine operating theatres, a cardiac catheter laboratory, emergency department and […]

27 January, 2012