Health Services Act 2016 (WA)

Western Australia

Western Australia

Health Services Act 2016

An Act to —

provide for health services in Western Australia;

make consequential amendments to the Hospitals and Health Services Act 1927 and other Acts;

repeal various enactments.

This is the Health Services Act 2016.

This Act comes into operation as follows —

• (a)

  sections 1 and 2 — on the day on which this Act receives the Royal Assent;

• (b)

  the rest of the Act — on a day fixed by proclamation, and different days may be fixed for different provisions.

This Act binds the State and, so far as the legislative power of the State permits, the Crown in all its other capacities.

The objects of this Act are as follows —

• (a)

  to promote and protect the health status of Western Australians;

• (b)

  to identify and respond to opportunities to reduce inequities in health status in the Western Australian community;

• (c)

  to provide access to safe, high quality, evidence‑based health services;

• (d)

  to promote a patient‑centred continuum of care, including patient engagement, in the provision of health services;

• (e)

  to coordinate the provision of an integrated system of health services and health policies in the WA health system;

• (f)

  to promote effectiveness, efficiency and innovation in the provision of health services and teaching, training, research and other services within the available financial and other resources;

• (g)

  to engage and support the health workforce in the planning and provision of health services and teaching, training, research and other services.

The provision of health services through the public hospital system of the State is based on the Medicare principles set out in the National Health Agreement.

In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears —

accountable authority, of a health service provider, means the accountable authority of the health service provider under the Financial Management Act 2006 section 55;

administrator means an administrator appointed under section 99;

assets —

• (a)

  means any legal or equitable estates or interests (whether present or future, whether vested or contingent and whether personal or assignable) in property; and

• (b)

  includes money, securities, choses in action and documents;

board means a board constituted under section 71;

board governed provider means a health service provider specified under section 32(1)(d) to be a board governed provider;

breach of discipline means a breach of discipline referred to in section 161;

chief executive, in relation to a health service provider, means the person appointed as chief executive of the health service provider under section 108(1);

chief executive governed provider means a health service provider specified under section 32(1)(d) to be a chief executive governed provider;

clinical commissioning, of a facility, means doing anything necessary or desirable to prepare the facility to provide public health services;

Commission…