Professional Services Review Annual Report 2004–05

• Contents
• Letter of Transmittal
• Director’s report
• 2004–05 Key events at a glance
• 1. Agency overview
• 2. Report on performance
• 3. Management and accountability
  • Structure and organisation chart
  • Audit Committee
  • Management Committee
  • Risk management
  • External scrutiny
  • Management of human resources
  • Training and development
  • Ethical standards
  • Certified Agreement and Australian Workplace Agreements
  • Performance pay
  • Occupational health and safety
  • Workplace diversity
  • Industrial democracy
  • Commonwealth Disability Strategy
  • Finance
  • Purchasing
  • Asset management
  • Consultants and competitive tendering and contracting
  • Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance
  • Information technology
  • Publications
• Appendixes
• Glossary

3. Management and accountability

Training and development

Staff training needs were identified through PSR’s performance development scheme, which allowed the Human Resources Manager to develop a training schedule of external and internal courses. The training schedule developed included courses in:

• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Writing skills
• Planning IT architecture
• Occupational health and safety.

Two staff members are currently studying for formal qualifications under the Studybank scheme and two other staff members were helped with studies during the year.

The expenditure devoted to training in 2004–05 was 3.2 per cent. This figure does not include training provided to staff through the memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health and Ageing.

There is strong management commitment to developing staff and committee members so they are better able to perform their duties.

Deputy Directors’ conference

A two-day conference for Deputy Directors (committee chairpersons) was held in Canberra on 9–11 March 2005. The 17 Deputy Directors attending reviewed the past year’s activities and were:

• informed about the status of completed and current PSR Tribunal and Federal Court cases, including the constitutional challenges
• addressed by the Hon. Mr Alan Neaves, President of the PSR Tribunal on experiences over the last two years
• addressed by Dr Andrew Pesce and Ms Pam Burton from the AMA on the current situation for medical indemnity insurance and how it affects the PSR process
• informed about the approach the Determining Authority takes in setting sanctions following a committee report of inappropriate practice
• addressed by Ms Jane Halton, Secretary of the Department of Health and Ageing on Australian Health into the Future.

Training workshop for PSR panel members

A training workshop was held for 12 panel (committee) members at Werribee Park in Victoria on 1–3 April 2005. The theme of the training was to give Panel members ideas and techniques to cope with the demands of hearings and report preparation.

Staff team building and planning day

PSR staff attended a team building and planning workshop at Bowral on 20–21 June 2005. The organisation, under the new Director, set out its plan for the future with the support and commitment of all staff.

External conferences attended by PSR staff

During 2004–05 PSR staff attended:

• the 2nd Australasian Conference on Safety and Quality in Health Care in Canberra on 9–11 August 2004
• the Australian and New Zealand Medical Boards and Councils Combined Annual Conference, ‘Towards 2010: Doctors and the Community’, in Melbourne on 14–16 October 2004
• the 8th Annual Australian Institute of Judicial Administration Tribunals Conference, ‘The Rise and Rise of Tribunals’, in Sydney on 9–10 June 2005
• the Planning and Implementing Service-Oriented Architecture Conference in Sydney on 15–17 March 2005
• the Comcare, ‘Towards Australia’s Safest Workplaces III’, conference held in Canberra on 23–24 March 2005.