Our Local Health Networks

Local Health Networks (LHNs) manage the delivery of public hospital services and other community based health services as determined by the state government.

LHNs:

  • comprise of a range of public hospital and health care sites and services, which may include community health and residential services for the aged and other vulnerable groups
  • have a geographical or functional connection.

State governments:

  • fund public hospital services (under a joint arrangement with the Commonwealth)
  • are responsible for system-wide public hospital performance, management, planning (including capital planning) and policy development
  • are responsible for planning, funding and delivery of teaching, training and research
  • determine, through service agreements with their LHNs, service delivery and state-wide planning
  • manage state-wide public hospital industrial relations functions.

South Australia's LHNs

There are 10 LHNs in South Australia established as incorporated hospitals under the Health Care Act 2008. These are:

Governance

Each LHN has a Governing Board which is responsible for the overall governance and oversight of local service delivery by the LHNs, including governance of performance and budget achievement, clinical governance, safety and quality, risk management and fulfilment of the Governing Board functions and responsibilities.

Governing Boards are responsible and accountable to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

LHN Governing Boards:

  • manage local health service delivery that is safe, high quality and efficient
  • monitor quality of health services
  • are accountable for meeting performance measures in Service Agreements
  • contribute to and implement system-wide plans issued by the Department for Health and Wellbeing
  • maintain land, buildings and assets controlled and managed by the health service
  • consult with health professionals working in the health service and with health consumers and community members about the provision of health services
  • cooperate with other providers of health services, including providers of primary health care, in planning for, and providing, health services.

Governing Boards appoint the LHN Chief Executive Officer, who reports to the board.

Responsibility for the day-to-day management and operations of the LHNs remains with the LHN CEOs.

In performing their functions, Governing Boards are required to comply with directions issued by the Minister or Chief Executive, and any policies of the Department specified by the Minister or Chief Executive to apply to the boards in the performance of their functions.

Each LHN delivers services in line with its Clinical Services Capability Framework profile.

The remuneration for governing board members appointed by the Minister for Health and Wellbeing under the Health Care Act 2008 is as follows:

Metropolitan LHN Governing Boards

  • Chairperson - $70,758
  • Deputy Chairperson - $53,069
  • Members - $35,379

Regional LHN Governing Boards

  • Chairperson - $37,148
  • Members - $24,765

Performance

MyHospitals is a national initiative, which provides consumer friendly information on the performance of individual hospitals. Visitors to the website can find information about hospital services, patient admissions, waiting times for elective surgery and emergency department care, and measures of safety and quality.

Information on this website is routinely updated, and new content is added from time to time.