Healthcare reforms and restructuring have been a global phenomenon since the early 1980s. The major structural reforms in the healthcare system in New South Wales, Australia, heralded a new era in management responsibility and accountability. This book examines how reforms in the NSW Health public sector affected its senior executive workforce between 1990 and 1999 in terms of their roles and responsibilities, the competencies required, and the challenges they faced. It also provides indications of the managerial educational needs for future senior healthcare managers. Most significantly, the...

Research suggests a strong association between evidence-based management and improved effectiveness and efficiency in health service provision. The ability to identify and use evidence to guide management practice has been accepted as a core competency for healthcare managers. However, studies in the UK, Canada and the USA have shown that managers make little use of evidence-based approaches to decision making. This recently completed study collected quantitative and qualitative data from members of the Australian College of Health Service Executives (ACHSE) in Victoria,...