WA Health is Western Australia’s public health system. With a State spanning over 2.5 million square kilometres, it is the largest area in the world covered by a single health authority.
We employ 50,000 dedicated staff in metropolitan, regional and remote areas of the State to attend to the health needs of our growing population.
In the 2020/21 financial year, we managed more than 1,100,000 attendances to our emergency departments, performed 91,000 elective surgeries and delivered 32,000 babies.
We deliver more than hospitals and health services. Our public health programs ensure that Western Australians enjoy a standard of health that is among the highest in the world.
This investment, together with the commitment of our dedicated staff, ensures we can deliver on our vision to deliver a safe, high quality and sustainable health system for all Western Australians.
WA Health is led by Director General Dr Shirley Bowen and is responsible to the Minister for Health and Mental Health, the Hon Amber-Jade Sanderson BA MLA (external site).
Our structure
WA Health consists of the Department of Health, Child and Adolescent Health Service, North Metropolitan Health Service, South Metropolitan Health Service, East Metropolitan Health Service, WA Country Health Service, Health Support Services, PathWest and the Quadriplegic Centre.
The Department of Health, led by the Director General, provides leadership and management of the health system as a whole, ensuring the delivery of high quality, safe and timely health services.
Our Health Service Providers are governed by Boards whose appointed members bring a wealth of experience in the fields of health care, finance, law, and community and consumer engagement.
Each Health Service Provider is responsible and accountable for the delivery of safe, high quality, efficient and economical health services to their local areas and communities.
Our strategic priorities
Our strategic priorities are focused on ensuring that Western Australians receive safe, high quality and accessible health care, no matter where they live.
With a focus on prevention, we work to provide a high quality continuum of care spanning health promotion, early intervention and primary care, through to diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation.
Our strategic priorities include:
- prevention and community care services
- health services
- chronic disease services
- Aboriginal health services.
Independent Governance Review of the Health Services Act 2016
The Minister for Health has appointed an expert panel to conduct an independent governance review of the Health Services Act 2016 (the Act).