Making a difference in regional communities
For Stuart Gordon, completing the Executive Leadership program (a specialised program delivered by UNE Partnerships for the Australian General Practice Network) not only provided him with the direction to facilitate change within his Division but allowed him to consider the important issues facing the greater community in Bourke.
As CEO of the NSW Outback Division of General Practice, Stuart Gordon has largely remained in the remote region in which he grew up. He has also brought with him the skills and knowledge developed through his experience in working as a Regional Manager of (the former) ATSIC, and General Manager of NSW Health Area Health Service. More recently he and his family returned after two years working in Africa as the CEO of the Muslim Aga Khan Health Services based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania where he managed the Teaching Hospital and various Primary Health Care Centres across the country.
Stuart commented that right from the start of the program he was able to apply his new skills directly into the workplace. “Coinciding with my commencement of the UNE Partnerships program was a Board decision to undergo a major restructure of the Division. The style and content of the program provided a practical framework in which to critically examine a number of important issues such as relocation of head office functions, streamlining, outsourcing, staff termination and rebuilding the organisation” said Stuart. His first assessment project was to develop a leadership plan, which was presented and endorsed by the Board. “It’s great to gain theoretical knowledge but much more beneficial when you actually ‘road-test’ the theory in practice. For me implementing the plan provided a much greater insight into the science of decision making and the related impacts and implications” commented Stuart.
His main project for the program was the development of a comprehensive Operational Plan which has also been endorsed by the Board and furthermore met the requirements of the ISO9001-2000 quality accreditation standards for the Division. One of the elements of the operational plan highlighted the importance of social determinants of health as an important part of the range of health responses and products offered by the Division. In addition to the core corporate and mainstay health issues, the detailed stakeholder analysis and systematic review of the organisation’s goals facilitated through UNE Partnerships program did raise the profile of additional health priorities. The need to also respond to important social determinants of health was clearly identified as part of the Division’s business priorities.
These included issues such as appropriate housing and environmental health concerns, the standard of urban environments to support healthy lifestyles, and the importance of a culturally appropriate service definition. “We consider ourselves one of the key regional health organisations in outback NSW and we needed to be more responsive than just focusing on traditional health issues. We needed to engage in the community and listen to their priorities and ultimately provide more sustainable living environments from a health and well being perspective. We need to make a difference, that’s our core business, and on-the-job continuous professional development will assist these endeavours” said Stuart.
Stuart has now completed an Advanced Diploma of Business Management, through the Executive Leadership Program, along with a Master of Public Health at the University of Sydney. For his next challenge, he is planning to enrol in the Master of Business Administration at the University of New England, but perhaps not before he also finishes building his family home on the banks of the historic Darling River in Bourke.
