+1 862 207 3288 Assessment 2 Development of a business plan (3000 words)
Scenario – Transfer of the North Coast Prison Health Service to the Sandy Bay Hospital and Health
Service HHS
Background
The Sandy Bay Hospital and Health Service is a regional service made up of:
• two hospitals (a 250 bed hospital providing access to an emergency department, general medical
and surgical services, obstetrics and gynaecology, day surgery and some specialist outpatient services;
a smaller rural facility (10 beds) providing some in patient sub acute care and respite services,
allied health services and a general outpatient clinic);
• a community health service that provides an alcohol and drug service, child and youth service,
community based rehabilitation team, diabetes service, needle exchange program and an aged care
assessment team (ACAT);
• a mental health service; and
• visiting services including a sexual assault service and a sexual health service.
The geographic district which the Sandy Bay HHS serves has a population of 200,000 people, many of whom
commute outside the district for work. There are a high proportion of people of post retirement age
though recently there has been an influx of young families and the birth rate is also increasing.
Levels of unemployment in the district are above the national average of 6% with youth unemployment
higher. Only around 25% of people living in the district have private health insurance. Local
employment is largely provided by government agencies (health services, prison, community services),
retail and construction industries.
The Sandy Bay Hospital and Health Service HHS will shortly be required to incorporate the North Coast
Prison Health Service, located within the Sandy Bay geographical catchment area, into the Sandy Bay
HSS.
The Sandy Bay HHS has previously only provided support to the prison associated with emergency
transfers of acutely ill prisoners to the local 250 bed public hospital.
The Sandy Bay HHS will become fully responsible for the prison health services provided at the North
Coast Prison. In the past the prison health service has been part of the Department for Corrections
which operates the State’s prisons. There are 1,200 inmates in this high security prison.
Only the current health staff employed directly by the prison will transfer their employment to the
Sandy Bay HHS.
The prison’s mental health service is provided by another government provider who provides those
services for all state prisons. The local dental service is contracted to a private provider who is
managed by the local prison health service. Medications are supplied and dispensed by a centrally
contracted private provider but are distributed and administered within the prison by nursing staff.
Government policy dictates that no opiate replacement therapy is provided to prisoners in the state.
The prison health service is managed locally by a Nurse Manager. All current nursing staff have worked
for the North Coast prison health service for many years.
Care at the prison is primarily provided by RNs who work a split day shift, seven days a week. First
aid and primary health clinics are provided during these hours. Emergencies are transferred to the
local public hospital when required.
The prison health service also provides primary health care and employs 1.5 full time equivalent GP
sessions, however only one full time GP has been employed in recent times. The local prison health
service has been preparing for external accreditation but has never been externally accredited as a
health service. After incorporation into the Sandy Bay HHS the prison health services will be included
in the next HHS accreditation assessment.
The Department of Corrections has high expectations about the level and quality of health services to
be provided once the transfer to the Sandy Bay HHS occurs. Except for the staff positions transferred,
no additional resources or funding have been made available. You are aware that prison populations are
increasing rapidly due to changes to government sentencing policies and funding for the rising health
service demand within the prison has not kept up.
Your Task
You have been asked to manage the transition of the prison health service into the Sandy Bay HHS within
the next 6 months.
Your task is to develop a plan for integration of the prison health service into the Sandy Bay HHS that
identifies and addresses the key issues, actions, timeframes and risk management required to implement
this change. You will be expected to support the approach to development of the plan and its content,
by reference to academic references.
As part of the planning process it is expected that you will undertake a situational review of the
current service. Explain what information you will collect about the current prison health service and
how this will inform your planning.
The plan will reflect your learning about managing organisations, governance, resource management,
change management, project management and information management.
