Territory provides challenge for IT specialists

9 May 2008

OPPORTUNITIES for work in the Northern Territory Government’s Department of Health and Community Services’ are not just limited to the health professions.

The government is leading the way in information technology, and IT specialists are in great demand, according to the department’s chief information officer Stephen Moo.

“As an employment environment, we offer a very advanced information systems architecture and a suite of advanced clinical systems that you won’t find in any other health jurisdiction in Australia,” Mr Moo said.

“In terms of coverage and scope, we offer a very innovative and forward-thinking working environment,” he said.

“There are many specialist roles and our environment is constantly evolving. We provide a very fertile environment for developing staff, skills and expertise.”

About 170 people currently work in the division, with up to 30 staff involved in any one major project at a time.

Mr Moo’s role is to lead the development of a comprehensive information technology service across the whole department, and his team is recognised as developing Australian-first, cutting-edge information technologies.

The team is developing an extensive e-health program across the department’s operating divisions, ICT services, communications infrastructure, and corporate records.

And a dedicated Interactive Communications Development Unit is working on developing multi-media healthy promotion and elearning resources.

“In acute care systems, we have developed a new advanced operating theatre management system and clinical work station so that the patient’s information is at the fingertips of all health workers in the chain, from the booking of surgery through to post-operative care and discharge,” Mr Moo said.

“We are implementing an advanced medications management system allowing doctors to do electronic subscribing, nursing staff to do electronic drug administration and pharmacists to perform online pharmacy reviews.

“We have been granted approval to conduct a national trial with our core partner, the Top End Division of General Practice, implementing an electronic transfer of prescriptions service linking private general practice with community pharmacy for the prescribing and dispensing of medications in a community setting.

“We have also developed a community care information system which is a comprehensive case management system, supporting communitybased programs ranging from family and children services to mental health to age and disability services.”

The team is also halfway through implementing a primary care information system that will provide a full electronic health record system for the department’s 52 remote area health clinics, which service about 30,000 people spread across remote communities in the Northern Territory.

When completed, a client’s clinical records can be immediately accessed electronically (no more paper records), thus the client’s information is available at any time, no matter where they are in the Territory.

The eHealth NT Shared Electronic Health Record service allows individuals to have their important health information stored in a secure repository, accessible from multiple health sites, with their consent.

The Territory is a national leader in the implementation of this service.
 

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