> About us > Annual Report 2007 > Governance

OPERATE THE ORGANISATION TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS OF GOVERNANCE

Meet contractual obligations

All contractual obligations for reporting were met in 2007. PHC RIS' 2006 Business Plan Report with financial report was submitted on 15 February and formally accepted by the Department in March. The six month progress report was presented by teleconference on 30 July. The annual report was published on the website on 30 March, with a small number of printed copies made available.

Recruit, develop and retain suitably qualified staff

PHC RIS depends on skilled and expert staff. In 2007 all of our 16 suitably qualified staff remained with PHC RIS throughout the year. This low level of staff turnover ensured PHC RIS maintained its productivity, corporate knowledge, skills and competencies. PHC RIS also encouraged staff development which allowed staff to take advantage of 43 Flinders University staff development activities including seminars, workshops and lectures and 10 external development activities.

Best practice systems are adhered to

PHC RIS' strategic advisory group is an important component of the organisation's strategy to ensure best practice systems are adhered to in the management of PHC RIS, so that PHC RIS is governed and managed effectively. In 2007 PHC RIS' Strategic Advisory Group met twice by telephone. A major agenda item was actual and potential roles of PHC RIS to inform PHC RIS' future.

Members of the Strategic Advisory Group (at Dec 2007) were:

• Mr Kevin Broadribb, Director, Sucellus
• Professor Roy Goldie, Head, Faculty of Health Sciences, Flinders University
• Ms Kate Carnell, Chief Executive Officer, Australian General Practice Network
• Professor Jon Emery, Head, Department of General Practice, University of Western Australia
• Mr Robert Wells, Co-Director of the Menzies Centre for Health Policy and the Executive Director of the ANU College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Ex officio members and/or observers were representatives from PHC RIS and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.

In addition to the support of the Strategic Advisory Group, PHC RIS' systems for effective governance include a comprehensive business plan negotiated with DoHA, monthly team meetings (which allow staff to implement and evaluate the various activities as they relate to the business plan goals and strategies), providing up to date financial reports at twice yearly meetings with DoHA, and regular teleconferences with the Divisions information management and the Divisions Reporting and Policy Sections of DoHA. All of which allow us to ensure best practice systems are adhered to.

Work collaboratively to establish and maintain productive relationships

PHC RIS maintains its prominent position in Australian Primary Health Care through collaborations and partnership with many individuals and organisations. In 2007 these included working closely with AAAGP and APHCRI to convene the 2007 GP & PHC Research Conference, APGN, SBOs and Divisions of General practice to provide effective data solutions to the Divisions Network, and with the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing where the effectiveness of this close collaboration is visible in the success of PHC RIS' projects in 2007.

Ensure PHC RIS is prominent and visible

Unless PHC RIS is known its services can not be used or useful. Marketing and promotion are as vital to PHC RIS as they are to any organisation. To market the value of PHC RIS' resources and services in 2007 we used local and national media, promotional items, orientation packages, email announcements, journal articles and promotional brochures.

Establish effective communication approaches

PHC RIS has developed effective and efficient communication systems through our experience since 2001, so that we can communicate quickly and effectively with specific stakeholders, by phone, email or post. Our contact database contains the details for 4933 individuals organised in 36 groups and 169 sub-groups, with information about individual subscriptions and preferences. These individuals recorded in our databases are representative of wide spectrum of the primary health care sector, beyond our principal stakeholders groups and covers individuals working in primary health care in Australia at regional, state and national levels.

PHC RIS staff members use this database for mailing out publications such as PHC RIS infonet and the report of the Annual Survey of Divisions, for sending out mass emails such as PHC RIS eBulletin to subscribers and for phone contact with individuals. The database also allows PHC RIS to identify samples of stakeholders for telephone surveys about their awareness of and satisfaction with PHC RIS. These user satisfaction surveys indicate a high degree of satisfaction with our services. Face-to-face meetings, telephone communications and email interactions have only served to reinforce this positive response from our stakeholders.

I think PHC RIS is an excellent service, which continuously updates their content and is very useful and valid for a range of PHC research and service provision needs. Information is always of a high standard and very dependable. I adore the eBulletin and find the "articles of interest" and updates of government reports very useful.
- Researcher, May 2007

PHC RIS is a fantastic resource, completely invaluable. There is a need for a central group.
- Researcher, Jan 2007