Overview

Local Health Districts and Specialty Health Networks

NSW Health has 15 Local Health Districts (LHDs) and three Specialty Health Networks (SHNs). These operate public hospitals and provide health services in a range of settings to communities within geographical areas, or a defined patient population for Specialty Networks.

• There are 8 Local Health Districts covering the greater Sydney metropolitan regions, and 7 covering rural and regional NSW.  A map of each LHD is available on the NSW Health Local health districts and specialty networks webpage. This includes an option to view a high resolution statewide wall map including Local Government Area boundaries.
  
•       Each Local Health District and Specialty Network has been established with a governing board which are an important part of the overall management of the public health system in NSW.

The Specialty Health Networks are:

• Justice and Forensic Mental Health Network: provides forensic mental health services to forensic patients as well as to adult and juvenile offenders in local courts, in custody and detention, and in the community. It also provides health services to adult offenders in police cells.

• The Sydney Children's Hospital Network: includes the Sydney Children's Hospital at Randwick and the Sydney Children's Hospital at Westmead. This network is committed to providing world-class paediatric health care in a family-focused, healing environment.
  

• St Vincent's Hospitals network: a major provider of public and private health and aged care services. The group includes St Vincent's Hospital, St Vincent's Private Hospital, Sacred Heart Health Service, Mater Hospital, St Joseph's Hospital and St Joseph's Village. Combined, the network provides a broad range of care across community, outpatient and inpatient settings as well as residential aged care.

Other NSW Health Organisations

NSW Health also comprises a number of other statewide health organisations or specialist health services, including:

• NSW Ambulance: responsible for the delivery of front line pre-hospital care, medical retrieval and health related transport

• Health Infrastructure: provide strategic guidance in the delivery of major health projects for the state
  

• Health Protection NSW: responsible for surveillance and public health response in New South Wales, including monitoring the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases and taking appropriate action to control the spread of diseases
  

• HealthShare NSW: provides common shared services across corporate, technology and disability services to NSW Health customers in an innovative, efficient and cost effective manner

• NSW Health Pathology: provides quality, reliable public pathology, forensic and analytical science services

• Office of Health and Medical Research: supports leading health and medical research efforts

• eHealth: provides statewide leadership on the shape, delivery and management of Information Communication Technology led healthcare
  

Pillars

• Agency for Clinical Innovation: works with clinicians, consumers and managers to design and promote better healthcare for NSW
• Bureau of Health Information: provides independent reports about the performance of the NSW public healthcare system
• Cancer Institute NSW: works in partnership with Government, health practitioners, researchers, cancer advocacy groups, charities and people living with cancer to lessen the impact and improve outcomes
  
• Clinical Excellence Commission: responsible for leading safety and quality improvement in the NSW public health system

• Health Education and Training Institute: supports and promotes coordinated education and training across NSW Health