Read the CEIH Annual Report (8 MB, PDF)
To:
Hon Chris Picton MP
Minister for Health and Wellbeing
This annual report will be presented to Parliament to meet the statutory reporting requirements of the Public Sector Act 2009, Public Sector Regulations 2010, Public Finance and Audit Act 1987 and the requirements of Premier and Cabinet Circular PC013 Annual Reporting.
This report is verified to be accurate for the purposes of annual reporting to the Parliament of South Australia.
Submitted on behalf of the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health by:
Dr Michael Cusack
Interim Commissioner
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health
Signed: 29 September 2023
From the Commissioner
Through our Networks, Partnerships, Communities of Practice and data driven approach, the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health (the CEIH) has continued to strive to create and deliver better healthcare for South Australians.
People are at the centre of everything the CEIH does, and this is reflected in our work that brings together groups of health professionals, health service organisations, consumers and carers to work collaboratively through our Statewide Clinical Networks (SCNs) and other partnerships to achieve high quality care.
In addition to building strong clinical communities, the CEIH also supported the development and delivery of key initiatives in partnership with the SCNs. In 2022-23, some examples of this work included a pilot project for improving the patient and clinician experience during complex and difficult conversations relating to consent for genetic testing and a report delivering preliminary findings on the relationship between emergency and elective surgery which we are pleased is being further explored.
A key highlight for the team is the Patient Reported Measures (PRMs) program. This will enable the health system to truly understand the patient experience and perspective at scale. It continues to make good progress with key implementation activities planned for 2023-24. We are also excited about several projects in train that use data-driven innovation approaches (e.g. machine learning) to augment decision making and empower clinicians, and the potential for these data science methods to be further scaled. An essential component to this work has been the development of a framework that considers ethical, safe, responsible, and effective use of such technologies in a healthcare setting.
The CEIH has partnered widely within the health sector and beyond this year. I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all those who have supported, either directly or indirectly, achievement of our shared projects and goals. Our partners have ranged from other government agencies, industry, institutes, research and academia, private sector and our colleagues in SA Health and Wellbeing SA. We’d especially like to recognise and thank our Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC), which has diverse expertise both within and outside of health, for their sound advice and guidance.
In 2022-23 we were excited to establish our Youth Advisory Group supporting the work of the Adolescent Transition Care Statewide Clinical Network. We also co-designed an Innovation Collaborative in an effort to break down silos, reduce duplication, and strengthen connections across the health sector. The Innovation Collaborative aims to identify common challenges and opportunities that can be resolved together to enable rapid translation from problem, to idea, to solution, and evaluation.
In this same spirit of collaboration, we have continued to share content we have researched or developed that we think will be of benefit to the broader health sector. One example of this is a discussion paper and guide to strengthening workforce wellbeing culture in the health care setting which has been well received both in South Australia and nationally.
There are two people that must be noted, not just for their contribution to the CEIH but for their tireless efforts in innovation and excellence in South Australia:
Professor Derek Chew was appointed Commissioner of the CEIH in March 2021. During his time as Commissioner, he continued to work as an Interventional Cardiologist at Flinders Medical Centre and a Principal Investigator on multiple research projects through Flinders University and SAHMRI. Professor Chew took up a new role as the Service Director at the Victorian Health Institute and Monash Health, and Director of Health Informatics Research at the Monash Victorian Heart Institute late in 2022.
The late Professor Phil Tidemann AM was the previous Clinical Lead of the Cardiac Care Statewide Clinical Network and continued to have significant involvement and commitment to Cardiology until very recently. Due to illness Professor Tidemann was unable to continue as Lead of the Network. However, his leadership, support, and contribution to the improvement of cardiac care to patients across South Australia continued with iCCNet and other activities. His work has greatly improved outcomes for patients in regional and remote areas and is now the model of care nationally. Professor Tidemann dedicated his professional life to improving cardiac care and equitable access to healthcare. He has been a mentor, supporter, and leader to many people across the state and leaves behind a great legacy.
Finally, I would like to reflect that I have been incredibly impressed at the dedication, passion, and resilience of the CEIH team who demonstrate what can be achieved through collaboration, partnership, a data driven approach and an innovation mindset. I would like to extend my thanks to all those staff, current and otherwise, for their commitment to our vision and dedication to improving healthcare for South Australians. I also would like to wish the incoming Commissioner Professor Keith McNeil every success in the role.
Dr Michael Cusack
Interim Commissioner
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health
Download Annual Report (8 MB, PDF)