AGY-2718 | Eastern Sydney Area Health Service

Full description

The Pre 1986 Health System
In 1929 the control and supervision of public hospitals by the Hospitals Commission, was established by s. 11 and 12 of the Public Hospitals Act 1929 (Act No.8, 1929). The Public Hospitals Act also defined Hospitals as either Second Schedule, or Third Schedule. Second Schedule Hospitals were public, incorporated, and governed by their own boards. Third Schedule Hospitals were administered by charitable institutions or religious bodies that appointed their own governing bodies, and received extensive subsidies from the New South Wales Government. (1)

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Hospitals Commission created rural and metropolitan hospital regions, in order to promote better information flow between the Hospitals and the Commission. (2)

In 1970, the Public Hospitals Act 1929 (Act No.8, 1929) was amended to include Fourth Schedule Associated Organisations, such as the Red Cross. (3) In April 1973 the Hospitals Commission and the Board of Health were dissolved, and the Department of Public Health abolished by the Health Commission Act 1972 (Act No.63, 1972). (4) This Act also established the Health Commission, (5) and added a Fifth Schedule to the Public Hospitals Act. (6) Fifth Schedule Hospitals were largely psychiatric hospitals. In 1986, the Department of Health decided to create Metropolitan Area Health Services. The creation of Area Health Services effectively abolished the individual boards of hospitals located in the newly created Area Health Services and replaced them with an individual Area Health Service Board. (7)

Area Health Services
The Area Health Services were established as statutory bodies under the Area Health Services Act 1986 (Act No.50, 1986). The act was assented to 14 May 1986, and was proclaimed to commence on 1 July 1986. (8)

In 1988, the initial 23 Area Health Services created under the Act were amalgamated into ten. The rationalisation was caused by a need to promote a greater degree of autonomy and authority to the local administration. (9) The amalgamations were proclaimed in the NSW Government Gazette to commence on 1 August 1988, under s. 9 of the Area Health Services Act (Act No.50, 1986). This section allowed for the amalgamation, renaming or dissolving of an Area Health Service. As a result of the amalgamations the Eastern Health Service, and Sydney Health Service, were combined to form the Eastern Sydney Area Health Service. (10)

The Area of Eastern Sydney Area Health Service comprised the following local Government Areas: Sydney City (The Eastern Sector); Randwick, Botany, Waverley and Woollahra Municipalities. (11)

Hospitals in the each Area Health Service were classed either as A Hospitals and Nursing Homes, funded and administered by the Area Health Services or B Hospitals and Nursing Homes funded by Area Health Services but administered by religious and other organisations. Area Health Services also administered a variety of centres related to health including: Community Health, Early Childhood, Day and Living Skills Centres, Dental Clinics, Rehabilitation workshops and Mental Health 24 hr Crisis teams. (12)

Key Hospitals and health services in the Eastern Sydney area were as follows:

(A) Hospitals
Prince Henry, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales Children's, Royal Hospital for Women, Royal South Sydney Hospital, Sydney Hospital, Sydney Eye Hospital, and the Langton Centre.

(B) Hospitals
Karitane Mothercraft Society, Sacred Heart Hospice, Scraba Family Centre, St Vincent's, and War Memorial, Waverley. (13)

The Eastern Sydney Area Health Service was governed by an Area Health Services Board as established by s. 12 of the Area Health Services Act. S. 15 of the Act specified that the Board was to consist of Chief Executive Officer and eight to 11 persons appointed by the Minister. The Board was responsible for managing health care facilities in the area.

The main functions of Area Health Services under s. 20 (1) of the Act were:
(a) To promote, maintain and protect public health for residents in the area
(b) To manage the health services in the area
(c) To consult and co-operate with individuals with organizations and individuals involved in promoting health care
(d) To investigate and assess health care needs of residents
(e) To plan and develop Health Services accordingly
(f) To set aims and objectives
(g) To provide training and education of health services personnel
(h) To give residents outside health services area access to services, if need be
(i) To make publications about public heath issues available.

The proclamation of an amalgamation under Section 9 of the Area Health Services Act 1986 (Act No.50, 1986) was published in the NSW Government Gazette, with effect 1 August 1995. The amalgamation of Eastern Sydney Area Health Service and Southern Sydney Area Health Service abolished both areas, and resulted in the creation of the South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service. (14)

Endnotes
(1) NSW Government Directory 1999, p.189.
(2) Report of the Hospitals Commission of New South Wales for the Year ended 30 June 1968, pp.6-7 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1968-1969, Vol. 3, pp.516-517; Report of the Health Commission of New South Wales for year ended 30 June 1973, p. 8 in NSW Parliamentary Papers, 1973-1974, Vol. 2, p.70.
(3) Public Hospitals (Amendment) Act 1970 (Act No.73, 1970) s. 2 subsection 1 (a) 1 and 11; s. 2 (j) – Amending s 1 (2) (Division of Act) of the Principal Act.; A new Fourth Schedule of the Principal Act.
(4) Health Commission Act 1972 s. 16 (2).
(5) Ibid., s. 4 (1).
(6) Ibid. Schedule, Amendment of Acts – Amending s. 1 (2) (Division of Act) of the Public Hospitals Act 1929 (Act No.8, 1929); a new Fifth Schedule of the Principal Act.
(7) 'History of the Health Department' in NSW Department of Health, Annual Report 1999-2000, p.15.
(8) NSW Government Gazette, 27 June 1986, p.2946.
(9) NSW Department of Health, Annual Report, 1999-2000, p.15.
(10) NSW Government Gazette, 29 July 1988, p.3999.
(11) Ibid., p.4000.
(12) Department of Health, Annual Report, 1992-1993, Appendix 2, Profiles of Area Health Services and Country Health Regions, p.67.
(13) Loc. cit.
(14) NSW Government Gazette, 28 July 1995, pp.3898-3900.