Southern NSW LHD team

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Our board

Our board is an important part of the overall management of our District and oversees Southern's strategic direction and operational efficiency.

Our board members are actively involved in our communities and highly regarded in their respective fields.

Elizabeth Hoskins – Chair

SNSWLHD Board Elizabeth Hoskins — *Elizabeth Hoskins*

Elizabeth Hoskins joined the board in 2017. She is Chair of its Performance Committee and is a board representative on the Goulburn Community Consultation Committee. Elizabeth has a long-term executive career in accountancy and business advisory services.

She is actively involved in the not-for-profit sector, having worked with Country Education Foundation of Australia, the Country Education Foundation of Goulburn and District, Country Universities Centre, and Beyond the Orphanage.

Dr Kenneth Crofts

Kenneth Crofts is a highly skilled senior manager in governance, finance, audit and risk in the public and for-purpose sectors. He has held several board and non-executive directorships: specific industry experience includes serving on an Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) regulated credit union, community housing and public sector boards and committees.

Kenneth has been a member of 8 audit, risk or finance committees, of which he has chaired three. He is also a member of the Southern NSW Local Health District committees for Audit and Risk, and Performance.

Narelle Davis

Narelle Davis was appointed to the board in 2019. She is a board representative for the Bombala and Delegate Community Consultation Committees.

Narelle worked for NSW Health for 35 years in various health service management roles across regional and rural NSW. Narelle is highly experienced in leading health facility redevelopments.

Margaret Lyons

Margaret Lyons lives in Braidwood and joined the board in 2019. As a lawyer, she spent 20 years in the Northern Territory where she headed the Attorney-General's Department.

Margaret was Head of Corporate and Government at Austrade, followed by 10 years at the Commonwealth Department of Health where she was Chief Operating Officer for 5years. Margaret is the current Chair of the Braidwood Multipurpose Service Community Consultative Committee.

Terry Clout

Terry Clout joined the board in 2022. He received the Public Service Medal for Outstanding Public Service to NSW Health in the 2021 Australian Day Honours List.
He is an experienced board chair and director in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

Terry established his own corporate consulting firm in 2015, after a 30-year career leading major NSW public organisations. He has held CEO positions in Area Health Services and Local Health Districts for 15 years in his career.

He is chair of Mary MacKillop Place board, independent chair of the NSW SES audit and risk committee and chair of his local parish finance and audit committee.

Jennie Gordon

Jennie Gordon is a proud Ngunnawal woman raised in and around Goulburn on Gundungurra/Ngunnawal Country.

She has extensive involvement and experience as a leader and manager across multiple settings in health administration, the Aboriginal community, community services, aged care, correctional health, and non-government sectors.

Dr Megan Keaney

Dr Megan Keaney is a medical practitioner, formerly employed in a senior policy and program management role within the Commonwealth Department of Health. Her previous board experience includes time as chair of the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre (now Cancer Australia).

She has a sound understanding of the Australian health care system, policy, regulation, and funding with expertise in the operation of the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and related programs.

She has an ongoing commitment to value-based healthcare, policy, funding, and health delivery.

Dr Vennassa Wong

SNSWLHD Board Vennassa Wong — *Dr Vennassa Wong*

Dr Wong is one of the only 500 Indigenous medical practitioners in Australia today. She works as a GP providing health services including Aboriginal Medical Services, and in hospital settings as a GP anaesthetist, Emergency Visiting Medical Officer, and Forensic Sexual Assault Examiner.

Her involvement in the Charles Sturt University School of Rural Medicine includes the oversight and delivery of the Indigenous Health curriculum. Her passion lies in rural medicine, with a focus on improving the quality, access, continuity, and context of medical care to her people, particularly women and children.

Board meeting minutes

You can view minutes of the Southern NSW LHD board meetings from the last 3 years.

2024

2023

2022

2021

Our executive team

Our senior leadership team leads our vision to deliver quality healthcare to Southern NSW Local Health District.

Margaret Bennett – Chief Executive

SNSWLHD Executive Margaret Bennett — *Margaret Bennett*

Margaret Bennett joined us in March 2020. She was previously CEO of Northeast Health Wangaratta in Victoria for nine years.

Margaret's time at Northeast Health saw achievement of a significant turnaround in culture and performance, based on optimisation of the Studer Hardwiring Excellence Program. Northeast Health is now widely recognised as a leader in rural healthcare, with a strong innovative culture.

Her leadership of significant and complex transformation includes successfully uniting 6 hospitals and 12 community health services across a large geographic area during her 6-year tenure as Inaugural General Manager of Coffs Harbour Health Campus and the Coffs-Clarence Network of the (then) North Coast Area Health Service.

Key measures of this success included meeting network performance indicators covering finance, service development, major capital expansion, patient satisfaction and staff engagement. She worked across government and non-government agencies with high visibility connections throughout the region as well as establishing effective community and consumer engagement frameworks.

Margaret’s broad-based clinical background includes senior executive appointments in health and hospital services in NSW, Victoria, and WA with a proven track record as an experienced, capable, highly visible, and successful health leader.

Fiona Renshaw – Executive Director Operations

SNSWLHD Executive Fiona Renshaw — *Fiona Renshaw*

Fiona Renshaw joined us in January 2022. She brings executive experience in operations, integrated care, and allied health owing to her previous executive roles with Murrumbidgee Local Health District.

Fiona brings over 18 years’ extensive experience in the health care setting across both the strategic and operational planning of services within the health system.

Her leadership of transformation includes reshaping the management structure across Community Health (including 44 Community Health sites) to focus on developing an improved interface with the acute system, partnerships, and supportive leadership. She has also led the implementation of the NSW Integrated Care Strategy.

As an experienced leader, Fiona is committed to integrating and connecting our health systems along with developing quality and safe care that is focused on increasingly keeping patients out of hospital if they do not need to be there, one that can treat consumers in their own homes and ensures smooth and effective transitions of care between different settings.

Peter Leach – District Director Nursing, Midwifery and Clinical Governance

Peter Leach

Peter Leach was appointed as Southern’s District Director Nursing, Midwifery and Clinical Governance in April 2024.

After a career in Hospitality managing hotels, clubs and pubs Peter commenced his Nursing career as a hospital trained Enrolled Nurse in 2003 and then transitioned into a new Graduate Registered Nurse with ACT Health.

Peter has a broad range of experience within NSW Health with previous roles including eHealth Program Manager/implementation lead SNSW and MLHD, Goulburn Nurse Unit Manager Intensive Care in addition to a number of interim and acting roles including Coastal General Manager, SNSWLHD/MLHD Chief Information Officer, Cooma Facility Manager, Goulburn Director Nursing Midwifery, Goulburn Deputy Director Nursing Midwifery, After Hours Nurse Manager and Theatre Nurse Unit Manager.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Nursing, Post Graduate Certificate in Intensive Care Nursing and working towards a Graduate Certificate in Project Management.

Dr Liz Mullins – Executive Director Medical Services

SNSWLHD Executive Dr Elizabeth Mullins — *Dr Liz Mullins*

Dr Elizabeth (Liz) Mullins joined us in February 2021. She is a medical and sciences graduate from the University of Melbourne with over 30 years’ experience in clinical and management aspects of health care.

She has worked in the National Health Service UK and the USA healthcare sectors, with most Australian state governments, in New Zealand, and with most private hospital groups and a wide range of medical colleges.

From March 2010 until 2019, Liz and colleagues established Mullins Health Consulting, which has a highly regarded reputation for its work with the public and private healthcare sectors to reduce clinical risk and improve safety by better engagement with clinicians, managers, and the system.

Liz is a nationally regarded expert in clinical governance and was one of the contributors to the current Victorian Clinical Governance plan. In 2009, Liz worked with the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) to design and facilitate the inaugural CEC Clinical Leadership program, which continues to this day.

In 2018, Liz made a personal sea change and was appointed as Director Medical Services at South East Regional Hospital in Bega, NSW.

She is Chair of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators’ (RACMA) Continuous Professional Development Program, is a member of the RACMA Academic Board, and is an Examination Censor. She was awarded the RACMA Preceptor of the Year in 2020.

Liz is a former member of the Safer Care Victoria Clinical Measurement and Reporting Committee and the Victorian DHHS Rural and Regional Advisory Committee.

Damien Eggleton – District Director Mental Health Alcohol and Other Drugs

SNSWLHD Executive Damien Eggleton — *Damien Eggleton*

Damien is a registered nurse and has worked in mental health services for 20 years in both rural and metropolitan areas. He has worked in general mental health and forensic settings, in disability services, and for NSW Police.

He has a Master of Public Administration and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Damien’s strengths are in strategy, governance and efficiency and has interests in safety and quality systems, and the use of technology in health care.

Lou Fox – District Director Integrated Care and Allied Health

Lou has worked with NSW Health in senior clinical and managerial roles for the past 18 years. She has a deep understanding of the broader healthcare needs of the community.

Her role focuses on the provision of integrated, seamless, effective, and efficient care that responds to all health needs across physical, mental, and social health in partnership with the individual, their carers, and family.

Sarah Wallace – District Director Finance and Performance

Sarah joined Southern in 2021 as Deputy Director Finance and Analytics before being appointed as District Director Finance and Performance in 2022. Sarah is an experienced financial director, with a deep knowledge of finance and accounting in government settings.

Previously, Sarah was Manager Financial Reporting at Murrumbidgee Local Health District. Sarah has a Bachelor of Business and Accounting and graduated from CPA Australia in 2004 as a Certified Practicing Accountant.

Karen Lee-Archer – District Director People and Culture

Karen is an executive leader with experience working in a number of Australian Government policy, program and service delivery agencies.

Prior to joining Southern NSW Local Health District in October 2023, Karen was National Manager for Services Australia, where she was accountable for the oversight of a range of complex Human Resources programs, driving service transformation to establish a capable and agile organisation.

Karen’s career in health includes experience as a critical care nurse with a decade of experience in State health clinical, hospital and occupational settings. She has formal qualifications in human resource management and post graduate qualifications in public policy and finance.

Karen holds HR certification with the Australian Human Resource Institute and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jen Spain – Manager Governance, Risk and Audit

SNSWLHD Executive Jen Spain — *Jen Spain*

Jen holds the roles of Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and Chief Audit Executive (CAE) for the shared Governance, Risk and Audit service across both the Southern NSW and Murrumbidgee Local Health Districts.

Jen is a risk and governance specialist with over 20 years’ experience in all aspects of organisational governance, risk management and assurance.

Kavitha Gunaseelan - Director Operational Performance

Kavitha Gunaseelan is an experienced public servant who has held various policy, project, and performance roles as part of national and state health reform programs. She has extensive experience in monitoring and reporting on the performance of healthcare systems to drive improvements in health, patient care and productivity as well as the development, implementation and evaluation of system performance frameworks.

Prior to joining Southern in August 2022 as Director Operational Performance, Kavitha was the Lead Performance Reporting (Patient Experience) at NSW Health’s Bureau of Health Information. Along with roles at NSW Health’s Health Education Training Institute (HETI) and Northern Sydney Local Health District, she has previously worked with the Northern Metropolitan Health Service and Department of Health in Western Australia and the Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority.

Kavitha has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Bachelor of Commerce, and a Masters of Health Management, and is a graduate of the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) Management Program and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) Company Directors Course.

Sarah Galton – General Manager, Corporate Services and Projects

SNSWLHD Executive Sarah Galton — *Sarah Galton*

Sarah is responsible for leading our District’s corporate services functions and projects including service planning, patient flow, waitlist and whole of health programs, health information management, and safety and security.

Sarah has over 15 years’ experience in health - predominantly in the Northern Territory, in several areas including service development, commissioning, strategic and business planning, clinical service planning, projects, and policy.

She has a particular interest in service integration, opportunities for providing care closer to home and supporting safe and sustainable health services in regional and remote areas.

Vanessa Barratt - Director Media and Communications

SNSWLHD Executive Vanessa Barratt — *Vanessa Barratt*

Vanessa leads our District's media and communications strategy and operations. She has more than 15 years’ experience in high profile communication roles in the health, science and environment sectors in Australia, New Zealand, China, and the UK.

Her portfolio encompasses community engagement and volunteers. She is passionate about the 'science of clear communication' and its importance in helping people make informed decisions.

Brian Bonham - General Manager Inland Network

SNSWLHD Executive Brian Bonham — *Brian Bonham*

Brian is a registered nurse with NSW Health and has worked primarily in emergency departments for the past 30 years.

He has extensive experience in nurse management, where his roles ranged from managing the emergency departments’ nurse unit to being the Nurse Manager of Patient Flow at Westmead Hospital. He has also worked as the Deputy Director of Nursing or Director of Nursing/Midwifery for five hospitals in Western Sydney – Blue Mountains, Auburn, Westmead, Royal North Shore and Ryde Hospital.

Most recently Brian worked as General Manager for the Central and Northern sector of Western NSW Local Health District. He is passionate about sharing his vision for person-centered care with others.

Brad Scotcher – General Manager Coastal Network

SNSWLHD Executive Brad Scotcher — *Brad Scotcher*

Brad is a registered nurse and has worked for NSW Health for the past 30 years. He has extensive experience in nursing management. Prior to joining us, he served as Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services for the Shoalhaven Hospital Group in Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.

Our organisation chart

View or download the Southern NSW Local Health District executive team organisational structure (PDF 94.95KB).

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Southern NSW LHD team

Our board

Board meeting minutes

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Our executive team

Our organisation chart