About North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS)

The North West Hospital and Health Service (HHS) employs approximately 800 FTE staff and has an operating budget of $220.15 million for 2021-22, which is an increase from the published 2020-21 operating budget of $214.6 million.

The North West HHS is responsible for the delivery of public hospital and health services including medical, surgical, emergency, obstetrics, paediatrics, specialist outpatient clinics, oral health, mental health, critical care and clinical support services to a population of nearly 28,000 people residing in a geographical area of 300,000 square kilometres within North West Queensland and the Gulf of Carpentaria. Mount Isa Hospital is the main referral centre.

The North West HHS aims to be Queensland’s leading HHS, delivering excellence in remote healthcare to patients and their families. Its purpose is to partner with communities to improve health outcomes by delivering valued, high-quality and sustainable care that is closer to home.

The North West HHS is responsible for the direct management of the facilities within its geographical boundaries: Mount Isa Hospital, Burketown Primary Health Clinic, Camooweal Primary Health Clinic, Cloncurry Multi-Purpose Health Service, Dajarra Primary Health Clinic, Doomadgee Hospital and Community Health Centre, Karumba Primary Health Clinic, Julia Creek Multi-Purpose Health Service, McKinlay Primary Health Clinic, Mornington Island Hospital, Normanton Hospital and Urandangi Health Clinic.

As the provider of services to a diverse population, dispersed across the wide geographic area of North West Queensland, challenges for the delivery of equitable and timely health care include distance, ageing infrastructure, higher costs associated with remote health care and difficulties attracting and retaining a skilled and culturally capable workforce, along with a high and increasing burden of socioeconomic disadvantage, disease and significant growth in the ageing population.

Required skills, knowledge and experience

The North West Hospital and Health Board considers skills and expertise in the areas listed below as as highly desirable for a member:

  • Chartered Accountant/CPA
  • Media relations and Marketing
  • Strategic ICT
  • Rural and Remote health

Other skills, knowledge or experience that may be required as set out in the legislation include (but are not limited to):

  • Expertise in Health Management
  • Expertise in Business management
  • Expertise in Financial management
  • Expertise in Industrial management
  • Expertise in Human Resources management
  • Consumer and community health knowledge
  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person/s and associated Community Health knowledge

We strongly encourage First Nations people, women, people with expertise in multiculturalism, young people and people with disabilities to apply.

Board Members are key leaders in their local communities. They fulfil important internal governance obligations in relation to the oversight of HHS operations and will often represent the HHS at meetings, events and community activities. These additional activities may occur outside standard business hours.

The geographical areas of Hospital and Health Services are large and additional time commitment may be required by Board Members to accommodate travel to local communities and facilities. This is particularly the case for HHSs located in regional areas.

The approximate time commitment for these positions is five days per fortnight for Chairs and three days per fortnight for Members

Further information regarding North West HHS is available at: https://www.northwest.health.qld.gov.au/

For more information on how to apply please download the Applicant Information Pack.

Return to Landing page

NWHHS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land across Queensland, and pays respect to First Nations Elders past, present and future and actively encourages applications from First Nations peoples.

If you require any assistance or adjustments to this application process to enable you to apply for the advertised role, please contact an Executive Quarter team member on 0497 499 749 or email [email protected] for a confidential discussion.