mmg.com.au

A committee established to help with Rochester and Elmore District Health Service’s takeover of Dingee Bush Nursing Centre held its first meeting recently.

The Transition Advisory Committee is made up of two representatives from REDHS, two from the DBNC board and four elected members of DBNC.

The group plans to meet every two to four weeks until the end of June.

In the Transition Advisory Committee’s terms of reference it states the committee ‘‘is committed to being transparent and will provide regular updates regarding its progress.

‘‘DBNC members, the broader community and organisations are encouraged to contact members of the Transition Advisory Committee should they have any concerns or wish to discuss activities related to the amalgamation’’, it reads.

REDHS chief executive Matt Sharp said he believed the meeting was ‘‘very positive’’.

‘‘I am confident the Transition Advisory Committee will play a very important role throughout the amalgamation process in the coming months,’’ he said.‘‘This will be in the areas identifying issues that need to be considered as part of amalgamation.‘‘It was clear to me that all members of the Transition Advisory Committee share a common goal in ensuring the services provided from the centre continue into the future.’’The group outlined the following as a list of priorities that need to be discussed (with the possibility of adding to the list):

■sustainability of and continuing the current services provided at the centre;

■reviewing what additional services may be able to be provided from the centre and increasing the services provided where possible;

■availability of the out of hours service;

■the role of the centre manager;

■continuation of the remote area nurse role;

■clarifying the effect on staff at DBNC and REDHS regarding the amalgamation and addressing any issues that may arise;

■the workload and associated timeframes to address issues identified in the due diligence review;

■ownership of the buildings, land and equipment;

■providing regular communication to DBNC members and the broader community and being as transparent as possible;

■maintaining trust with all parties and people concerned; and

■celebrating the 90-year anniversary of DBNC and maintaining a focus on the future.