Mater Public Health Services Act 2008 (Qld)

Mater Public Health Services Act 2008

An Act to provide for the department and the Mater to enter into arrangements about the funding and delivery of public patient health services by Mater hospitals

Part 1 Preliminary

1 Short title This Act may be cited as the Mater Public Health Services Act 2008.

2 Commencement This Act commences on a day to be fixed by proclamation.

3 Main object (1) The main object of this Act is to provide a statutory framework for the department and the Mater to enter into arrangements (the arrangements) about the delivery of public patient health services by the Mater hospitals and their funding. (2) It is Parliament's intention that the arrangements— (a) recognise the major contribution made by the Mater and the Corporation of the Trustees of the Order of the Sisters of Mercy of Queensland to the delivery of public patient health services; and (b) take account of the quantity and quality of public patient health services delivered by the Mater hospitals by— (i) maintaining funding for the services while ensuring the most efficient and effective use of the funding; and (ii) maintaining the clinical viability of delivering the services as part of all the health services delivered by the Mater hospitals; and (c) recognise the value of the Mater hospitals as teaching hospitals; and (d) have regard to the corporate governance and public accountability requirements of the department and the Mater.

4 Guiding principles The principles intended to guide the achievement of this Act's main object include the following— (a) the department and the Mater should use their best endeavours to ensure that public patient health services are funded and delivered in a way that serves the best interests of patients receiving the services; (b) the department and the Mater should be committed to maintaining and enhancing a special relationship for giving effect to the arrangements; (c) the philosophy underpinning the delivery of health services by the Mater hospitals should be acknowledged; (d) the delivery of public patient health services by the Mater hospitals should be funded by the State in a way that is consistent with the funding of public sector health services; (e) the Mater, and not the department, is responsible for the delivery of public patient health services by the Mater hospitals; (f) the department and the Mater should cooperate in the development of the department's plan and key initiatives relating to the delivery of public patient health services by the Mater hospitals.