A new direction for the Department of Health

The Department of Health has launched its Strategic Directions - 'Achieving the best health and wellbeing for all Victorians'.

The 'Strategic Directions' is one of the key documents that has been developed to create a new vision and to support the newly established department.

The document sets out six priority areas which have been established to:

• Improve health service performance - we will provide access to the best health care possible for all Victorians.
• Reform our response to mental health and drug and alcohol services to meet client needs - we will develop better systems to provide help earlier, deliver effective treatment and support recovery outcomes for those with, or at risk of, mental health and drug use problems.
• Strengthen prevention and health promotion - we will reduce the incidence of preventable disease through education, programs and regulation.
• Develop our health service system and organisation - we will provide high quality relationship management, policy development and performance management to ensure a sustainable Victorian health system.
• Respond to an ageing population - we will design and adapt services to meet the health and wellbeing needs of an increasing number of older Victorians, maximise independence and promote healthy ageing.
• Reduce health inequalities - we will tackle the differences in health access and outcomes, especially for disadvantaged groups in our community.

All the work done within Health will support one of these six priority areas. Also included in the Strategic Directions are the department's values and the desired outcomes for the Victorian community.

Department of Health Secretary, Fran Thorn, said the finalisation of the Strategic Directions represented a significant milestone in the creation of our new department.

“These strategic priorities provide the department with a great mechanism to guide how our work helps Victorians achieve their optimum health and wellbeing" Fran said.

Download document

Strategic directions - achieving the best health and wellbeing for Victorians (323kb, pdf)