Agency to crack down on hospital 'office bureaucracy'

VICTORIAN HOSPITALS REPORT OVERVIEW * A landmark report has found Victorian hospitals should be overhauled but they will not be forced to amalgamate, despite calls to do so * Its 27 recommendations include grouping the state's 76 separate public health services into 11 local networks based on geography * The report found workforce shortages were amplified by competition between services in the same region, and poor co-ordination between them led to patient delays * All but one of the 27 recommendations have been accepted by the state government, which stopped short of forcing services to amalgamate WHAT WILL RESULT FROM THE REPORT? * The re-grouped health services would consolidate to a single entity and have a single board and chief executive representing the local service network * Small hospitals will retain independent boards and branding but have formal links to a major and specialised hospital to share staff and research * The 11 new local networks will have shared payroll, IT and electronic medical records to replace any paper systems * Hospitals will receive a $1.5 billion funding injection to meet record demand * Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan denied backlash from hospitals being told to tighten their belts had forced the government to up its budget WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS? * Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said there would be no reduction in frontline services, or frontline job losses * The premier added there would be no changes to hospital leadership, with some 700 board members staying employed by the 76 distinct services * Hospitals Victoria, a new agency, will crack down on what the premier called "back office bureaucracy", such as distinct IT, payroll and training systems HOW WILL VICTORIA'S HOSPITALS BE GROUPED? * Melbourne will be split into six regions: West Metro, Parkville, North Metro, East Metro, South Metro and Bayside * Regional Victoria will have five networks: Barwon South West, the Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Hume and Gippsland * The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Royal Women's Hospital will all be within the one network