Local Health Districts in New South Wales create, collect and maintain patient data, including sensitive personal information. Cyber security incidents can harm service delivery and may include the theft of information, denial of access to critical technology, or even the hijacking of systems for profit or malicious intent.

This audit may examine the effectiveness of Local Health Districts in safeguarding patient data and ensuring data security, including how well LHDs ensure they have effective cyber security measures in place.

Objective

This audit will assess the efficiency and effectiveness of ambulance services in regional New South Wales.  

Estimated tabling period

June 2024

Agencies audited

• Ministry of Health
• NSW Ambulance
• Murrumbidgee Local Health District
• Southern NSW Local Health District 

Each year approximately 200,000 patients have elective procedures/surgery in New South Wales public hospitals. Patients are placed on a waiting list and given a clinical priority depending on the seriousness of their condition. Managing elective surgery patients and waiting lists is a key priority for the NSW Government and NSW Health.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were temporary suspensions of non-urgent elective surgeries to ensure there was sufficient staffing and hospital bed capacity in New South Wales to meet COVID-19 related demand. This audit may examine how NSW Health manages the public elective surgery waitlist, and could include a focus on the impact on patient health caused by the suspension of elective surgery during COVID-19.

Virtual health care, also known as telehealth, safely connects patients with health professionals to deliver care when and where it is needed. It complements face-to-face care. The COVID-19 Recovery Plan details a range of NSW Government recovery responses including a planned focus for NSW Health that involves a further rollout of digitization and virtual services across the state. Virtual health care services received a major boost during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and clinicians embraced the service with a 700 per cent increase in February to May 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. This audit may examine the use of virtual care services, where clinically appropriate, and NSW Health’s focus on sustainably embedding the virtual care model.

New South Wales has experienced periods of high demand for ambulance services in metropolitan areas and ambulance services have needed to meet surges in demand. New South Wales has implemented strategies to manage its emergency responses, including the Sydney Ambulance Metropolitan Infrastructure Strategy that aims to reshape operations in metropolitan Sydney, transforming the majority of the 43 ambulance stations in the area into a network of NSW Ambulance superstations. This $184 million program has created ambulance hubs that are supported by smaller, standby stations called Paramedic Response Points. This audit could assess impacts of this and other strategies in meeting demand for ambulance services and improving ambulance response times.