2001/2002 year in review includes substantial highlights and bureaucratic frustration.

A peak of achievement on behalf of staff was the exemplary result warded from the Australian Council of Health Care Standards (ACHS). The nationally accepted award formally acknowledging and commending the staff's levels of high achievement. The Board pursued the unsatisfactory review of 1999 with ACHS management and this persistence was justified given the 4-year accreditation outcome.

Further achievements by staff both individually and on behalf of the organisation are promoted and encouraged with interest by the Board.

Our role as a Board is not without challenges. We are very aware of our responsibilities in regard to Occupational Health and Safety, security of staff and property, management of significant funds and balancing this within the overall role of the health service as it provides services to the community.

Planning for the extensions to the nursing home are proceeding, albeit slowly, due in part to conflicting and confusing directions emanating from both the Department of Human Services and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services. Hopefully an understanding has been reached and the way will now be clear to begin building. Both State and Federal governments have absolved themselves from their traditional roles of providing capital funding to small community aged care developments and give the impression that they would be quite satisfied if private operators were to provide all aged residential services. However, in small rural areas, this is an unrealistic outcome and increases the pressure on both the Service and the community to provide their own capital resources to meet this increasing rural need.

The proposal for a combined centre of service in partnership with the Golden Plains Shire at Bannockburn suffers from a combination of the problems just mentioned.

However this Board is committed to the principle of providing a service locally, not an hour down the road, and will vigorously continue to push for an eventual development. Community health and district nursing have recently commenced. This service provision is in response to the inadequacies identified through many consultancy reviews. The attendances at community health programs have quite clearly supported the direction of Hesse to respond to, and fill this rural community need.

Although disruptions at our centres caused through funding constraints, staff movements or the performance of outside contractors engaged to provide a service occur, we act within our limitations to improve the situation. While recognising the inconvenience this causes, we, as a community Board try to treat each situation equally and suggest and implement improvements that result in better service outcomes.

Boards of smaller agencies need to be aware of all opportunities that could result in an improvement to the overall service. Our staff under Peter's direction are constantly applying for funding grants from many sources. The many unsuccessful applications reported to the Board are discouraging but as this is the form that is required by government it must be pursued and we thank all involved for their efforts and offer our encouragement to continue this process.

To fellow Board members, staff and community the Hesse Rural Health Service remains a vibrant country healthcare provider and I thankyou for supporting this service in your many capacities during the past year.