Medical Director role outline tool
Victorian rural and regional health services’ medical director role

What is the Medical Director role outline tool?

The Medical Director role outline tool is an electronic tool designed to assist Victoria’s rural and regional health services identify the roles and responsibilities, personal skills and qualities, qualifications, resources and conditions for the positions of medical director and deputy medical director. The tool includes options to choose from a range of recommended engagement models, roles and responsibilities which sector consultation identified as being suited to the Victorian health service system and our different types of rural and regional health services.

The tool should be used alongside the Engagement model guide <https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/about/publications/policiesandguidelines/rural-medical-director-engagement-model-guide> which provides background information on engagement models in relation to health service type and the Victorian human resources, regulatory and industrial relations landscape.

Why you should use this tool

In 2019, Victoria’s rural and regional health services, key stakeholders, consumers and carers and the Department of Health and Human Services collaborated to research what the content of a medical director role outline should include in a Victorian rural and regional health service. The aim of the collaboration was to develop an electronic tool for health service chief executive officers and boards to aid them in building an evidence based role outline for the medical director or deputy medical director role at their type of health service. The tool is designed to be used within the Victorian public hospital system and acknowledges the variation within the roles at Multipurpose, Small rural, Local, Sub-regional and Regional health services.

How to use this tool

Use the Medical director role outline tool to populate a recommended role outline for the medical director or deputy medical director role for your health service(s). Using the tool provides you with the opportunity to consider the model that best aligns with your medical workforce and/or visiting medical officer workforce; multidisciplinary workforce; executive officer team; health service’s scope of practice; your community’s health status and health care access; rural and regional health partnership participation; and your performance, quality and safety regulatory and policy commitments. Importantly, it is a tool which your health service can modify and adapt to suit your needs and is based on the evidence for this role both nationally and internationally.

You should use the tool in conjunction with the Engagement model guide <https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/about/publications/policiesandguidelines/rural-medical-director-engagement-model-guide> as it maps the option pathway for the engagement model best suited to your type of Victorian rural or regional health service. The descriptions in the tool identify what is important to consider when making your choices at each section with a range of options aligning to Victoria’s different rural and regional health services.

When you have finished using the tool

Please delete this cover sheet, publication accessibility closing page and all blue guiding text when you have finished designing the role outline for your medical director or deputy medical director role.

Choose an item. Director, Click or tap here to enter text.

The Choose an item. Director is a member of Click or tap here to enter text. executive management leadership team. It has a key role in leading medical and organisational cultural leadership; executive and board reporting on medical and clinical matters; medical workforce performance and development; education and training for medical practitioners, post graduates and students; clinical service delivery; and medico-legal advice and support. As a valued member of our multi-disciplinary executive leadership team the Choose an item. Director contributes to consumer, carer and community relationships and partnerships; supporting and advising other health professionals and members of the executive team; and strategic health service system partnership activities.

Title:	Choose an item. Director, Click or tap here to enter text.
Engagement model: Use the Engagement model guide (linked above) to choose an engagement model with the combination of options to suit your Multipurpose, Small rural, Local, Sub-regional, or Regional health service(s).	This is a(n) Choose an item. engagement model with Click or tap here to enter text. A(n) Choose an item. based on Choose an item. with conditions as negotiated under Choose an item. will be entered into between the successful applicant and Click or tap here to enter text. . Choose an item. will be Choose an item. If specifying hours within or above the recommended range or days delete last option box and enter text. The following conditions should be added where the role is to be provided from a Small rural and Multipurpose services: A minimum of 50 per cent of the agreed hours will be provided on-site at the below work location(s).
On-site location(s): Off-site delivery:	Street address, list all Shared or Joint appointment site/campus addresses Statement on telephone-mobile, video conference, email engagement model
Locality:	Shire/City/LGAs where health service site(s)/campuses are located
Rural and Regional Health Partnerships:	Choose an item. Regional Area Partnership If Shared or Joint appointment role and health services are members of more than one Regional Area Partnership, agree to prioritise one partnership. Choose an item. Local Area Partnership As above.
Position number:	Click or tap here to enter text. Delete row if not required
Registration:	Medical Board of Australia general and/or specialist registration under the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or eligible for registration as a medical practitioner with the Medical Board of Australia.
Qualification:	Choose an item. post graduate qualification: Choose an item., Choose an item., Choose an item., Choose an item. and/or Choose an item.. Add/Delete as required
Total remuneration package:	Choose an item. $ to $ p.a. including superannuation or Choose an item. $ to $ per hour Choose an item.
Position reports to:	Choose an item. Medical Director reports to CEO and Deputy to Medical Director
Further information:	Name: Click or tap here to enter text. Position: Click or tap here to enter text. Telephone/Mobile: Email:Click or tap here to enter text.

Our service(s)

Insert brief description of your health service(s) including mission statement, strategic priorities and values. Describe the rural and regional environment, particularly the community’s health status and health care access needs.

If it is a Shared or Joint appointment insert a brief description of the agreement and name each health service party to the agreement.

The role and responsibilities of the Choose an item. Director at Click or tap here to enter text. are responsive to the scope of practice at our Choose an item., which includes but is not limited to: Expand and tailor the broad scope of practice for your type of health service(s) as needed to inform applicants.

If the role outline is for a Shared or Joint appointment name the health service(s) whose broad scope of practice aligns to the following descriptions:

Small rural and Multipurpose health services (name health services if Shared or Joint appointment)

generally lower complexity inpatient services, unplanned emergency care through urgent care centres, community health and wellbeing programs, primary and residential aged care services

general practitioners and rural generalists predominantly provide the visiting medical officer services to smaller rural health services.

Local health services (name health services if Shared or Joint appointment)

generally providing low to moderate complexity inpatient services, emergency care through urgent care centre, community health and wellbeing programs, primary health and residential aged care services and may provide birthing services

medical services being provided by a mix of general practitioners, rural generalists and other medical specialists as visiting medical officers; with many being fly(drive)-in-fly(drive)-out specialists who are employed or contracted.

Sub-regional health services (name health services if Shared or Joint appointment)

providing acute inpatient services at a moderate to complex level, 24 hour emergency department, birthing services Choose an item. a special care nursery, community health, primary health, residential aged care and mental health services.

Regional health services (name health services if Shared or Joint appointment)

providing a comprehensive mix of clinical services at all but the most complex level of care, 24 hour emergency department, adult critical care, birthing and neonatal services (including special care nursery), community health, primary health, residential aged care and mental health services.

medical specialists are employed, contracted or on lease-back agreements and a small proportion are fly(drive)-in-fly(drive)-out medical specialists.

Victorian health service system

The Victorian Government is responsible for ensuring that a wide range of health care services are delivered to the Victorian community. Click or tap here to enter text. is a (are a) Choose an item. public health service(s) and is (are) a part of the Victorian health service system delivering health care and wellbeing services to the rural and regional people of our community. Victoria’s health service system delivers services across six health regions: Barwon Southwest, Gippsland, Grampians, Hume, Loddon Mallee and the Metropolitan region. Click or tap here to enter text., located in the Choose an item. is a member of the Choose an item. Regional Area Partnership and Choose an item. Local Area Partnership.

Victoria’s public health services are characterised by having independent boards of governance whose members are appointed by the Minister for Health and are regulated under the Health Services Act 1988 (Vic) <Multipurpose services should change this named Act to “… under a tripartite agreement between our service, the Victorian Government and the Australian Federal Government”> and other key health legislation, regulation and policy at both the state and national level. The Department of Health and Human Services works with the Victorian Government to ensure each public health service meets its performance measures, targets and strategic priorities under its agreed Statement of Priorities, Performance monitoring framework and the annual Policy and funding guidelines. These policies can be accessed through the department’s Rural Health <https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/rural-health> website.

The role of the Choose an item. Director at Click or tap here to enter text. must be cognisant of our health service’s(s’) role within the Victorian health service system, particularly as a member of the executive management leadership team and representative of the service at statewide, regional and partnership forums. The Choose an item. Director may have executive level responsibilities under the Statement of Priorities, Performance monitoring framework and the annual Policy and funding guidelines and will be a key contributor to our health service(s) meeting the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards <https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/>, particularly in relation to the medical workforce.

Medical Director engagement model at our service(s)

The Choose an item. engagement model for the Choose an item. Director at Click or tap here to enter text. is as a(n) Choose an item. as part of a Choose an item.. Delete “as part of a Choose an item.” if your engagement model does not include a Shared or Joint appointment component.

ADD:

Where tool is being used for a medical director role by a Regional, Sub-regional or Local rural health service using a Shared or Joint appointment engagement model.

This Choose an item. model of medical director services at our Choose an item. health service is under an agreement with the following Choose an item. service(s): Click or tap here to enter text..

OR:

Where tool is being used for a Deputy - Shared or Joint appointment engagement model based at your Regional, Sub-regional or Local health service.

This Deputy Choose an item. model of medical director services at our Choose an item. health service is under an agreement with the following services: Click or tap here to enter text.

The Choose an item. Director as a member of the executive management leadership team of Click or tap here to enter text. reports directly to the Choose an item. and regularly to the governing Board of our service(s).
If Deputy will be reporting to the Regional or Sub-regional health service’s board this role may be shared with the Medical Director engaged at this service.

Further resources and operational conditions are outlined below.

Roles and responsibilities

The 2019 sector consultation confirmed the following key and contributory roles for a Medical Director and Deputy Medical Director at all rural and regional health services unless specified in the below list. Health services should consider the extent of the key and contributory roles in comparison to the type of health service, scope of practice of the health service(s) and the conditions and resources you identify (in the ‘Operating conditions and resources’ section below) to support the Medical Director or Deputy Medical Director role at your health service(s).

For our type(s) of health service(s) the following roles and responsibilities should be undertaken within the agreed Choose an item. meeting our on-site and off-site requirements as detailed in the below Role conditions and resources.

Consumer, carer and family and community partnership

Contributes to:

1.1	Supporting consumers, and where appropriate their carers and family members, to be at the centre of care and a key partner in co-designing the innovation, improvement, delivery and review of health care services.

1.2	Engaging the community as a partner in planning and identifying the strategic direction of our health service(s) based on the local community’s health status and health care access needs, including those from vulnerable communities, Aboriginal and culturally diverse backgrounds.

1.3	Development of an organisational culture, whereby consumers have a positive and safe health care experience and person-centred care is delivered.

1.4	Working in partnership with consumers, carers and family members to advocate and institutionalise their rights and responsibilities within our organisation(s), including the implementation of new health care related legislation, regulation and government policy.

Medical and organisational culture leadership

Key roles:

Participates on key executive forums and builds relationships with other Click or tap here to enter text. Executives as the Choose an item. Director leader.

Clinical governance leadership across Victoria’s five domains of clinical governance: consumer participation, clinical practice, leadership and culture, risk management and workforce.

Mortality and morbidity committees as appropriate to the clinical care provided by the health service and/or within the Regional and/or Local area health partnership.

Mentoring of medical staff, where appropriate.

Key roles 2.5 and 2.6 are provided only at a Sub-regional or Regional health service:

Lead the operational management of one or more clinical business units within the organisation, as appropriate and agreed with health service.

Lead and support medical heads of department to influence culture and organisational performance.

Contributes to:

Achieving clinical standards.

Delivering high-quality and safe care to the community.

Building, and where appropriate, leading a ‘just’ culture whereby all health service staff are supported, and their wellbeing is prioritised.

Supporting organisational change, service improvement and innovation and service restructure.

Medical clinical advice

Key roles:

Consults with sub-specialty expertise to guide clinical care of patients, where required.

Key role 3.2 is provided at Small rural, Multipurpose, Local and some Sub-regional health services.

Provides oversight of surgical and medical procedure activity

Clinical advice and support to fellow registered health professionals, as appropriate.

Medical Workforce

Key roles:

Responsibility and oversight of credentialing and scope of practice of medical practitioners, inclusive of visiting medical officers (VMO) and VMO-general practitioners.

Responsibility for performance development and management of the medical workforce, and professional educational guidance.

Compliance with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency’s and the Medical Board of Australia’s reporting and appearance requirements, where applicable.

Supporting recruitment and contracting of the medical workforce and medical industrial relation issues management.

Contributes to:

Medical workforce succession planning and budgeting, including for the medical director and deputy medical director role(s).

Executive and board responsibilities and reporting

Key roles:

Provide medical leadership, and clinical governance advice and reporting to chief executive officer and board.

Risk management and clinical governance oversight on patient safety and quality, predominantly in relation to medical practitioners.

Managing and reporting on budget compliance as appropriate to role.

Advocate, implement and achieve the health service’s(s’) strategic goals, Choose an item. and operational quality and risk program.

Contributes to:

Strategic planning and providing policy development advice.

Clinical capability and role delineation advice and support in collaboration with clinical director/executive director of nursing and midwifery.

Advocacy and support for consumers, carers and the community as attendee at board of directors and/or member of board sub-committees.

Medico-legal, with legal support as appropriate

Key roles:

Oversee open disclosure and communication with consumer, and where appropriate carer(s) including family members.

Provide and/or facilitate medico-legal advice and industrial relations-medical advice, as appropriate.

Oversee Freedom of Information and complaint management in relation to medical services and the medical workforce.

Responding to police inquiries and Coroner’s reports in relation to medical services and the medical workforce.

Medico-legal reports and Victorian Managed Insurance Authority/Medical Indemnity Insurer liaison.

Service partnerships and strategic health service system advice

Key roles:

7.1	State and regional Medical Director Forum(s) for rural and regional health services.

Contributes to:

7.2	Regional and Local area health partnership projects, policy and procedure advice and development.

7.3	Positive relationships with external stakeholders such as primary healthcare networks, medical training organisations (where relevant) and other relevant stakeholders.

7.4	Clinical guideline advice, policy and planning.

7.5	Public health and primary care collaboration and liaison within region, and at a state and national level as agreed with chief executive officer.

7.6	Influencing policy and planning across the Department of Health and Human Services, Safer Care Victoria; Victorian Agency for Health Information, and where appropriate, other external agencies and national bodies.

Medical education, training and learning

Note these roles will be limited by the type of health service and corresponding opportunities to undertake the roles.

Key roles: The Deputy Medical Director and/or Head of Department will contribute to these responsibilities. Delete part or whole of last sentence if you are not recruiting a Deputy Medical Director or do not employ a medical Head of Department.

Lead, with other multidisciplinary executive management colleagues, the development of an organisational learning culture based on evaluation and evidence, including involvement in conducting and/or utilising research.

Supervising or mentoring of specialist medical and professional college fellowship candidates, subject to health service capability and the qualifications of the medical director and as approved by the relevant college.

Liaison with specialist medical and professional colleges, training agencies, government departments and universities.

Postgraduate and undergraduate training and education leadership, planning and liaison role, including policy and design of rural and regional training models and pathways.

External mentoring to support and grow future medical directors.

Key role 8.6 is provided only at a Sub-regional or Regional health service:

Supervise Deputy Medical Director and provide medical director services to small rural health services and multipurpose services, as agreed with chief executive officer(s).

Personal skills and qualities

We are seeking a Choose an item. Director who can demonstrate the following personal skills and qualities:

Personal and professional integrity at all times.

Empathy towards consumers and carers and commitment to improving clinical care.

A record of engaging and working with consumers and carers as partners, while building health literacy.

Can explain and communicate key clinical, quality and safety concepts to board directors.

Resilience and effective leadership with strategic thinking, problem analysis and negotiation skills.

Can influence, educate and advise board directors and the chief executive officer on medical and clinical governance matters.

Translating knowledge, innovation, policy, regulation and analysis of quality and safety data into practical actions to improve the quality and safety of healthcare and health outcomes for patients.

Ability to support and connect innovation and improvement activity and strategies across the health service(s) and partnerships with consumers and carers, clinicians and other executives.

Strong interpersonal, negotiating and influencing skills with the ability to shape development across the state, region and/or local area health partnerships.

Commitment to managing self, personal and professional development and reflection.

Supportive and approachable, while engaging with medical staff at all levels.

Inspiring confidence and encouraging potential, while adopting a performance-management approach as required.

Role models professional standards of behaviour.

Qualifications, experience and continuing professional development

The Choose an item. Director pre requisite post graduate qualification Choose an item. at our health service(s) is/are: Choose an item. and/or Choose an item. and/or Choose an item. and/or Choose an item. and/or Choose an item.. Add or delete the combination of qualifications your health service prefers.

Delete one of the following paragraphs, whichever is not applicable to your position:

If you are applying for the Medical Director role and are enrolled or will be enrolling in the post graduate qualification our health service(s) require(s), a suitably qualified supervisor must be in place or appointed upon commencement of the role.

OR

This Deputy Medical Director role will be professionally supervised by Click or tap here to enter text. ’s(s’) Medical Director. This should be a professionally appropriate Regional or Sub-regional Medical Director participating in the Deputy – Shared or Joint appointment engagement model.

The Choose an item. Director role requires a minimum of three (3) years medical clinical experience, preferably inclusive of medical leadership responsibilities. Experience gained at a rural and/or regional health service and completion of the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Company Directors Course would both be advantageous to the role.

You must be able to demonstrate your commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to your qualification(s) as a registered medical practitioner, including as a medical administrator, to undertake the role of the Choose an item. Director including:

health law, bioethics and regulation

human resources and industrial relations law and contract writing

mentoring and/or coaching training or teaching skill development to enable clinical supervision role

health complaint management and communication skills

strategic quality improvement and risk mitigation development training

health informatics and extended clinical data analytic skills

qualitative and quantitative research skills

leadership and governance training

cultural competency and safety

financial health service management training

professional development counselling and negotiation skills

rural and regional healthcare, including digital health solutions

rural and regional public health and epidemiology

disaster and emergency management.

Operating conditions and resources

The Choose an item. Director works closely and collaboratively with our chief executive officer and multi-disciplinary executive officer team with clear decision making and communication protocols established.

Board level medical director advice and/or board clinical governance sub-committee advice will be provided Choose an item..

The Choose an item. Director role has the following resource(s) to enable operationalisation of the key roles and responsibilities:

Please choose from the suggested resources or insert your own which will be linked to the role to enable implementation under the agreed engagement model. Where the role is Shared or a Joint appointment indicate what support is available from each health service involved in the agreement. Delete where these support options are not provided or not provided at multiple health services.

Choose an item. at Click or tap here to enter text.

Choose an item. at Click or tap here to enter text.

Choose an item. at Click or tap here to enter text.

Choose an item. at Click or tap here to enter text.

Our health service(s) will support the Choose an item. Director in their ongoing CPD requirements, as listed above, and as determined by the by the Medical Board of Australia and/the relevant college(s). Appropriate coverage will be provided for CPD and leave periods proportional to the agreed role.

The Choose an item. Director at Click or tap here to enter text. working under a(n) Choose an item. engagement model at our Choose an item. will be implementing the role under the following arrangements:

Please choose from the following resources and conditions that best fit your preferred engagement model and type of health service(s).

Small rural and Multipurpose services

both on-site and off-site delivery of the role

recommended range 8 to 20 hours per month to be negotiated More hours than recommended can be cited.

with a minimum of 50 per cent of the agreed hours being provided on-site at Click or tap here to enter text. name all the Small rural and Multipurpose services where the role will be Shared or is a Joint appointment.

an off-site communication protocol and infrastructure (such as teleconference) will be agreed as part of the engagement model.

Local health services

predominantly on-site, with some off-site provision as required

minimum of 8 days per month, which is 2 days per week, or proportional to number of sites (campuses) and number of VMOs More than the minimum number of days per month can be cited.

off-site hours will be negotiated

an off-site communication protocol and infrastructure (such as teleconference) will be agreed as part of the engagement model.

Note the following should be prioritised at a Local health service where the role is for a Deputy - Shared or Joint appointment:

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director with minimum fractional appointment(s) of the recommended hours/days at smaller rural health services.

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director can be shared across two deputy medical directors with minimum fractional appointment(s) at smaller rural health service Specify the smaller rural health services by name.

Sub-regional health services

1 Effective Full Time (EFT) on-site role

may be shared across two directors or have fractional internal clinical role or joint appointment

off-site communication protocol and infrastructure is agreed as part of the engagement model for on-call services.

Note the following should be prioritised at a Sub-regional health service where the role is for a Deputy - Shared or Joint appointment:

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director with minimum fractional joint appointment(s) of the recommended hours/days at smaller rural health services.

or

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director can be shared across two deputy medical directors with minimum fractional appointment(s) of the recommended hours/days at smaller rural health service. Specify the smaller rural health services by name.

Regional health services

1 EFT on-site role

may be shared across two directors or have fractional internal clinical role or joint appointment

off-site communication protocol and infrastructure is agreed as part of the engagement model for on-call services.

Note the following should be prioritised at a Regional health service where the role is for a Deputy - Shared or Joint appointment:

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director with minimum fractional joint appointment(s) of the recommended hours/days at smaller rural health services.

or

a 1 EFT Deputy Medical Director can be shared across two deputy medical directors with minimum fractional appointment(s) of the recommended hours/days at smaller rural health service. Specify the smaller rural health services by name.

To receive this publication in an accessible format phone 03 9096 7160, using the National Relay Service 13 36 77 if required, or email ruralhealth@dhhs.vic.gov.au Authorised and published by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne. © State of Victoria, Department of Health and Human Services, November 2019. Except where otherwise indicated, the images in this publication show models and illustrative settings only, and do not necessarily depict actual services, facilities or recipients of services. Where the term ‘Aboriginal’ is used it refers to both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Indigenous is retained when it is part of the title of a report, program or quotation. ISBN 978-1-76069-052-6 (pdf/online/MS word) Available at www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/rural-health