Nepean Blue Mountains executive

Lee Gregory is Chief Executive of Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District. He has proudly worked in health care for many years and has an extensive background in NSW Health and health operations.

As Chief Executive he works closely with the Local Health District Board, Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network, our University partners and our community to provide the best possible health care to the people of Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District.

Lee has exceptional health leadership skills, and a deep dedication to fostering innovation, continuous improvement and collaboration within health care.

He is committed to working with staff, our community, regional and primary care colleagues to continue to provide health services that increase in safety, quality and effectiveness and are valued by our population.

This diverse portfolio ensures improved health outcomes for our community and patient experiences now and into the future.  

With a highly skilled allied health workforce, the Directorate is focused on allied health professional governance; research; population health and programs to improve the health outcomes of Aboriginal communities, people with disability, and people from CALD backgrounds; as well as Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine.  

Led by Karen Arblaster, the Directorate benefits from her expertise as a values driven leader who is committed to keeping people at the heart of all we do.  

As a registered occupational therapist and experienced executive health service leader, Karen has worked in public health for over 30 years. Her completion of a PhD focused on integrating mental health consumer perspectives into health professional training, and continued research is also a commitment which permeates her work ethic and service delivery daily. 

The role of Clinical Governance is to promote and support patient safety and quality of services.

The Clinical Governance team works collaboratively with other staff to analyse, maintain and improve patient safety and quality systems across the District. Clinical Governance provides support for effective identification, investigation, management, monitoring and reporting of clinical safety risks and adverse patient events. Another important function of Clinical Governance is to oversee incident-reporting, complaints handling systems and concerns/complaints regarding clinicians.

The Clinical Governance team works with and supports clinical staff to ensure rigorous review and audit of patient outcomes with effective uptake of safety initiatives. Clinical Governance provides support and facilitation for quality improvement activities to improve the services that are provided to patients, families and the community.

The Community and Integration Directorate provides community and some inpatient services in specialities such as Drug and Alcohol, Primary Care & Community Health, Oral Health, Public Health and Mental Health. 

Value Based Health care initiatives such as virtual care, collaborative commissioning, and patient reported experience measures also form part of the Directorate’s portfolio.  

With a clinical background specialising in Emergency Nursing, Director, Cathy Crowe, has also worked as a Facility Planner, and was previously the Director of Mental Health.  

Using values-based leadership, Cathy has a specific interest in the role of workplace culture and its effect on clinical care. She is a staunch patient advocate and strongly believes in the voice of the patient underpinning all health decision making.  

The Corporate Communications team helps to keep our communities, patients, consumers and staff informed and connected.  

The team is responsible for planning, generating and delivering the District’s communications to external media and across our social media, website, corporate publications and internal channels in effective and innovative ways. 

Strategic communications advice is also provided to District executives and senior staff by the Director, Paul Grocott, who is responsible for leading the highly skilled and experienced team. 

Throughout his career, Paul has had the privilege of meeting seemingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things. For 10 years he worked in the busy media unit of a large Australian university and for more than a decade he was a television producer making primetime science and natural history documentaries and other factual programs here in Australia and overseas.  

Helping people share their stories, communicate and connect with each other is what inspires and motivates him. 

Responsible for planning and reporting on the use of financial resources, the Director of Finance and Corporate Services monitors budget performance and undertakes extensive reporting to the LHD Executive, Governing Board and the Ministry of Health.  

With a focus on improved budget controls and management of financial performance and capability, the position also oversees financial management change and efficiency programs across the Local Health District to support LHD Strategic Objectives, and Government policy directives. 

The Director of Hospital Services has overarching responsibility for the delivery of acute clinical services across Lithgow/Portland, Blue Mountains/Springwood and Nepean Hospitals. 

Through effective and efficient planning, these services are aligned with the strategic priorities of the local health district, and the Ministry of Health. 

With a professional background as a physiotherapist and having worked in a variety of leadership and management roles, Director, Brett Williams, approaches the role with core values consistent with those of the organisation, and a commitment to patient care first and foremost. 

The ICT Directorate operates 24/7 and is responsible for providing efficient and effective support to every area and service across NBMLHD. 

The Directorate oversees the running of all information, communication and technology services, systems, and products, enabling our staff to provide world class patient care to the region. 

With a growing department of 40+ staff, the Directorate is well supported by Ashley Cooper who is a firm believer in allowing staff to grow and push themselves. 

Ashley started his career as a bus driver before moving into corporate IT as a Desktop Support Officer at Nepean. Through lots of hard work and on the job training, he is proud to have become our Director Information Communication Technology. 

Our nursing and midwifery workforce is well-supported to provide quality, patient centred care. With a dedicated professional development and innovation framework, the Nursing & Midwifery Directorate provides management and leadership in the standards of professional clinical practice. 

In the People and Culture Directorate, all aspects of the staff life cycle are supported. This includes workforce planning, talent acquisition, recruitment, and the onboarding of new employees; to work health and safety, staff health and wellbeing services, and the management of industrial matters.  

With dedicated HR business partners and organisational development, the Directorate is focused on building and improving organisational wide skills and culture to ensure staff can work in a safe, skilled, and timely manner to achieve patient centred care.  

In the Planning, Redevelopment and Strategic Office, the team is focused on complex, high-priority redevelopment, planning and strategic projects to expand hospital and community-based services for the communities our District serves.  

The Directorate leads operational planning, providing strategic oversight for high-priority initiatives, including the $1 billion Nepean Hospital Redevelopment. 

Led by Vanessa Clements, the Directorate benefits from her experience in a variety of clinical and health leadership roles in Australia and the UK spanning more than 30 years. Her focus is on bringing people together and creating a shared purpose to improve the outcomes and experiences of the people we care for.