Publication Guide - NSW Ministry of Health
About UsLocation / Postal Address
Organisational Structure
Community Participation
Where We Fit
What kind of Government Information do we have?
The NSW Ministry of Health’s publication guide details who we are, what we do and how members of the public, community organisations, the media and government agencies can interact with us.
It is updated regularly to ensure that it provides an accurate picture of our work delivering public health services in New South Wales.
About Us
On 5 October 2011 the NSW Department of Health became the NSW Ministry of Health in accordance with an order under the Public Sector Employment and Management Act 2002.
The NSW Ministry of Health monitors the performance of the NSW public health system, known as NSW Health, and supports the statutory role of the NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, the Minister for Mental Health and Minister for Healthy Lifestyles to perform their executive and statutory functions. This includes promoting, protecting, developing, maintaining and improving the health and well-being of the people of NSW, while considering the needs of the State and the finances and resources available.
Our vision is for everyone in NSW Health to work together to achieve "Healthy People - now and in the future".
Our goals are to:
- keep people healthy;
- provide the health care that people need;
- deliver high quality services; and
- manage health services well.
We report our performance against these goals in our Annual Report including information on the current structure and functions of the NSW Ministry of Health.
Under section 4 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 the NSW Ministry of Health is a separate agency to each of the 18 Local Health Districts, Ambulance Service of NSW and Justice Health. If you are seeking access to documents held by one or more of these agencies, then you will need to make an application direct to that agency. Click here for contact details
Location / Postal Address
The Head Office of the NSW Ministry of Health is located at:
73 Miller Street,
North Sydney
NSW 2060.
The postal address for Head Office of the NSW Ministry of Health is:
NSW Ministry of Health
Locked Mail Bag 961
NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059
Organisational Structure
The NSW Ministry of Health is led by a Director-General.
The Director-General chairs the NSW Ministry of Health Executive Leadership Team which is the key management meeting and forum for the NSW Ministry of Health. The Executive Leadership Team considers and makes decisions on issues of ministry and health system-wide interest, including the NSW Health budget, development of health policy and monitoring of healthy system performance.
Further information on the Divisions of the NSW Ministry of Health are available at the following link:
http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/structure.asp
The former NSW Department of Health organisational structure as at 30 June 2010 is available on page 28 of the Annual Report.
Community Participation
The NSW Ministry of Health involves the community and others in the development of community based services to meet current and future public health needs. This includes developing effective working relationships with clinicians, consumers and carers to gain their participation in policy development, planning and delivery of patient journeys.
Where We Fit
In addition to the NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Health comprises 18 Local Health Districts, statutory health corporations and affiliated health organisations.
The 18 Local Health Districts commenced operation in NSW on 1 July 2011. Eight Local Health Districts cover the Sydney metropolitan region, and seven cover rural and regional NSW. These 15 geographic Local Health Districts replace the previous 8 Area Health Services across NSW.
In addition, two specialist networks have been established – the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (Randwick and Westmead) focusing on children's and paediatric services and the Forensic Mental Health Specialist Network. A third Network will operate across the public health services provided by three Sydney facilities operated by St Vincent's Health: these include St Vincent's Hospital and the Sacred Heart Hospice at Darlinghurst and St Joseph's at Auburn.
The Local Health Districts are administered by a Chief Executive and Local Health District Boards that include local clinicians, health and health care management experts and community representatives.
Information on Local Health Districts is publicly available on the Ministry's web site at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/initiatives/healthreform/index.asp
The Ambulance Service of NSW is responsible for the delivery of front line pre-hospital care, medical retrieval and health related transport.
Justice Health provides health care in a complex environment to people in the adult correctional system, to those in courts and police cells, to juvenile detainees and to those within the NSW forensic mental health system and in the community.
Under section 4 of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 the NSW Ministry of Health is a separate agency to each of the 18 Local Health Districts, the Ambulance Service of NSW and Justice Health. If you are seeking access to documents held by one or more of the above agencies, then you will need to make an application direct to that agency.
Click here for further information about other NSW Health agencies.
What kind of Government Information do we have?
Publications, reports, fact sheets etc
The NSW Ministry of Health maintains a comprehensive internet site. The website includes a wide range of information on health matters, the health workforce, hospitals and other health services, publications and projects. The address of this website is http://www.health.nsw.gov.au
A list of the Ministry's Policy Directives, guidelines and information bulletins can be accessed through the Ministry's website at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/policies/index.html
Unless otherwise stated, the vast majority of the documents available on the Website can be downloaded free of charge. Alternatively, you may contact us on 9391 9000.
Contracts
The NSW Ministry of Health is required to keep a register of government contracts that record information about each contract that has, or is likely to have a value of $150,000 or more. Details concerning all NSW Health contracts are available at the NSW eTendering website at: https://tenders.nsw.gov.au/
Accessing NSW Ministry of Health Infomation
Access to NSW Ministry of Health information may be considered through either formal or informal applications.
Informal access applications
A request may be made at any time for other information held by the Ministry. While the Ministry reserves the right to require a formal access application to be made, the Ministry will generally provide the following types of information in response to an informal request, without the need to make a formal access application:
- Copies of correspondence, where the person requesting the correspondence was the person who sent it to the Ministry of Health or to the Minister who has forwarded the correspondence to the Ministry for action;
- Documents that contain only personal information about a particular individual, and that is the person who is requesting the information;
- Documents that have already been made public in some other way; and
- Other reasonable requests for information the release of which would not raise any potential concerns in terms of public interests considerations against disclosure.
The Ministry reserves the right impose conditions in relation to the use or disclosure of information that is released in response to an informal request.
There is no requirement to complete a formal access application and there is no application fee. In some situations, charges may be incurred for services such as photocopying.
Formal access applications
An access application may be made for all other information held by the Ministry (other than certain " information not disclosed", set out below).
Applications for access to information under the provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 should be in writing, accompanied by the $30 application fee and certified proof of identification if you are seeking access to personal information. (Formal applications – Right to Information Unit).
Formal and Informal applications should be directed to:
Manager Right to Information
NSW Ministry of Health
Locked Mail Bag 961
NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2059
For general enquiries relating to the NSW Ministry of Health functions, please contact the Right to Information Unit on 9391 9565 or email the Ministry at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/utilities/sitecomments.asp
Information not disclosed
Open access information not released by the NSW Ministry of Health due to an overriding public interest against disclosure.
As the NSW Ministry of Health makes decisions about open access information that may not be disclosed due to an overriding public interest, it will publish this information on this website. This will detail the information requested and the reasons behind the NSW Ministry of Health deciding not to release the information.
Where can I access my medical records?
The NSW Ministry of Health does not hold the personal medical records of patients. Patient medical records are generally held by health facilities.
Medical records can be accessed under the GIPA Act but are generally accessed under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (HRIPA). The Medical Records Department in the relevant hospital can help you apply for your medical record under HRIPA. Please contact the Hospital you attended to arrange access to your Medical Records.
