Helen Milne

Helen has 35 years experience in the health care sector across public, private and not-for-profit services. From a clinical background in nursing, Helen is highly skilled in policy development, planning, implementation and evaluation. She is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Hunter Uni-clinics which governs an innovative, multi-professional primary care service. Her principal interests lie in developing, redesigning and implementing integrated services and leading major change initiatives.

Qualifications:

Masters in Health Services Management, Charles Sturt University, Australia

Graduate Certificate in Change Management, Australian Graduate School of Management, University of New South Wales, Australia

General and Midwifery Nursing, Australia

Professional attributes:

Fellow, Australian College of Health Service Executives (FACHSE)
Graduate, Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD)
Surveyor, Australian Council of Healthcare Standards

Helen has worked in the health sector for over 35 years and holds an extensive international and national professional network.

From a clinical background in nursing, Helen now holds significant expertise in implementing and evaluating major change, strategic policy development, service planning and integration, program and project development, implementation and management across clinical and non-clinical care environments, and using highly inclusive processes drawing on inputs from a wide range of key stakeholders.

Helen is an experienced consultant. Some recent examples include extensive review preceding advice on the design and development of integrated mental health services, the development of national integrated primary care services and training, and advising on research and evaluation of health and community care service.

Helen’s other experience involves working as the Director of Innovation and Reform for the Hunter New England Area Health Service (NSW) where she led a national and internationally regarded major change program. Key achievements included a refreshed program following implementation of key areas for improvement, identified in a program evaluation undertaken in 2006.

Also, as a foundation director, and Deputy Chair of the Board of Hunter Uni-Clinic, Helen established the innovative, multi-professional model of care of which the key planks are integration across Commonwealth and State services, a not-for-profit, fully bulk-billing financial model and a multi-professional training and research hub for all types of health students. The model has enjoyed enormous support from the public and has been informed the GP SuperClinic program presently being implemented by the Australian Government. Helen is the Chair of Community Healthcare, the trust managing the ongoing development of similar models.

Other major achievements:

Director of Integrated Care for the Hunter New England Area Health Service, Newcastle, NSW. A key outcome was the establishment of the Hunter New England General Practice Advisory Council as the engagement mechanism with general practice, the community and other stakeholders. Associated outcomes focussed on general practice/primary care issues of strategic importance, for example, matters of workforce and development of innovative health care models.

Senior policy role with ACT Health, Canberra, ACT. Key outcomes included the development and implementation of integrated models of care for people with diabetes and cancer, the development of a workforce recruitment and retention strategy, including the developing and implementing the ACT Nursing Scholarship Program, contributing to all stages of the negotiation of the Australian Healthcare Agreement for the ACT in 2002, including winning support for the development of an after-hours primary care model for the ACT, and establishing the inaugural Memorandum of Understanding between ACT Health and the ACT Division of General Practice.

Co-ordination Manager with the ACT Division of General Practice (ACTDGP), Canberra, ACT. A key outcome was the negotiation of a tripartite agreement between the Commonwealth, ACT Health and the ACTDGP which involved financing, working arrangements, evaluation protocols, and local and national reporting requirements. Appointed as a director of Care Plus, the company established to govern the the co-ordinated care trial.

National Policy Advisor with Catholic Healthcare Australia, Canberra. Key outcomes involved liaison across the federal and state governments, public and private hospitals and aged care settings to improve services and patient care.

National Health Information and National Health Labourforce Units of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Canberra. Key outcomes included support to the development and implementation of the first national health information agreement for Australia, and with the National Labour Force Unit and establishment of the first national nursing and medical workforce statistical collections. The collections resulted in the capacity to define and more accurately describe and plan these workforces.
​
Co-ordinator of Community Health Services, Inverell and District Health Service, NSW. A key outcome was the review and re-design of Aboriginal health services resulting in the first multidisciplinary, integrated health care centre for Aboriginal people in Toomelah, NSW.