KCHS 2009 QOC Ann Report - Knox Community Health Service

Quality of Care & 

Annual Report 

2008 - 2009 

Visit us at www.kchs.org.au

Quality of Care Report 




Contents 

Visit us at www.kchs.org.au 




Acknowledgement 

of Country 

We respectfully acknowledge the 

traditional custodians, the Wurundjeri 

people past and present of the Kulin 

Nation. We also pay respects to all 

Aboriginal Community Elders and people, 

past and present who have resided in the 

Eastern Metropolitan Region. 

Jargon Buster 

KCHS: Knox Community Health Service 

KISS: Knox Innovative Sexual health Strategy 

DAFNE: Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating 

HARP: Hospital Admission Risk Program 

EMR: Eastern Metropolitan Region 

Page 2 Knox Community Health Service Ltd: Quality of Care / Annual Report 2008 – 2009 

Quality of Care 

PAGE 

Quality and Risk Chair Report 3 

Our Community 4 

Knox Accord Football Club Day 5 

Uncle Henry and Susan’s story 6 

Wheel Change 7 

Fun Friends Program 8 

SRS Project 9 

Mothers Living Well - Leonie’s Story 10 

Bayswater Community Plan 10 

Street Play Day Launch 11 

Continuity of Care 12 

Health Coaching 12 

Community Consultation 13 

Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment Audit 13 

Feedback from our Consumers 14 

Disability Access 14 

Infection Control 15 

Clinical Risk Management 15 

Dental – Quality Clinical Indicators 16 


Service Data 17 

President and Chief Executive Offi cer’s Report 18 

Board of Management 20 

Support Services 21 

TrakCare 21 

Health Promotion Evaluation 22 

KCHS Health Promotion Plan 22 

Youth KISS Project 22 

Student Placements at KCHS 23 

Early Intervention in Chronic Disease 24 

Service Integration – Implications in Service Provision 24 

The Knox Chinese Seniors Wellbeing Project 25 

Developments in the Tobacco Free Clinic at KCHS 25 

Wantirna – DAFNE 26 

Conference Presentations 26 

Improved Services Initiative Grant – Co-morbidity 27 

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression 27 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 27 

Volunteers Program Report 2008-09 28 

2009 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards 28 

Amphetamine-Type Stimulants (ATS) project 2008-09 29 

Oral Health Program 30 

Corporate Support Services 31 

Active Health 32 

Counselling Paediatric and Health Development Program 33 

Treasurer’s Report 34 

Financial Statements 

Directors’ Report 36 

Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Statements 39 

Auditor’s Independence Declaration 39 

Income Statement 40 

Balance Sheet 40 

Statement Of Recognised Income and Expenditure 40 

Cash Flow Statement 41 

Notes to the Financial Statements 41 

Directors’ Declaration 42 

Independent Audit Report 43

Cameron Moroney 

CHAIR BOARD QUALITY AND RISK COMMITTEE 

Chris Potter 

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 


Knox Community Health Service has always sought to provide 

an increase in the range of services available while ensuring 

that innovation, quality, safety and good clinical governance 

are at the heart of everything we do. 

Quality and Risk Chair Report 

This Quality of Care Report for the fi nancial year 2008- 

09, combined for the fi rst time with our Annual Report, 

contains a number of examples of innovative service 

delivery and improvements in service quality and provides 

comprehensive information on the range of activities we 

have been involved with this year. In combining the two 

reports we are looking to achieve distribution of the quality 

issues to a broader audience than has been the case in 

previous years. 

The report also demonstrates the breadth of partnerships 

and relationships with other bodies that exist in the 

delivery of services to ensure we have more integrated 

service provision where possible. A key partnership is of 

course with you as a community member and consumer of 

services and during the year we have sought and received 

feedback through a community consultation survey and 

forum as well as through our complaints and compliments 

process. Access to the building remains an issue and we 

have recently received government funding which will go 

some way towards improving access to the front of the 

building. 

Following three year accreditation from the Quality 

Improvement and Community Services Accreditation 

(QICSA) last fi nancial year we recently had a mid-cycle 

review to see how the organisation was progressing 

against the Quality Work Plan and actions agreed as part 

of the original review. We are pleased to advise that the 

review was very favourable and KCHS was congratulated 

on the progress and improvements made since the review 

was undertaken. 

The Board of Management Quality and Risk Committee 

continues to work closely with the Senior Management 

Team to review and monitor quality activities throughout 

the year. This has involved a review of our clinical 

governance arrangements to ensure they align with a 

new Department of Human Services Policy Framework, 

a self assessment and review of clinical leadership and 

a continuation of service reviews, this year focusing on 

podiatry and counselling. 

The organisation is also looking to demonstrate greater 

corporate social responsibility by trying to ensure it takes 

account of its economic, social and environmental impacts 

in the way it operates. This is a developing area of work 

which should enable the organisation to contribute to a 

better environment, improved working practices, a safer 

workplace and more effective engagement with our local 

communities. 

We commend this Quality of Care Report to you and 

encourage you to provide feedback on how it can be 

improved in the future. 


CHAIR BOARD QUALITY AND RISK COMMITTEE 

Chris Potter 


A key partnership is of course with you as a 

community member and consumer of services. 

Knox Community Health Service Ltd: Quality of Care / Annual Report 2008 – 2009 Page 3


Our Community 

Knox Community Health Service (KCHS) has two sites – 

Ferntree Gully and Wantirna. Most of KCHS clients live within 

the City of Knox, however, due to shifts in health needs 

our services extend to the municipalities bordering Knox: 

Maroondah, Whitehorse, Yarra Ranges, Monash, Casey and 

Greater Dandenong. 

In 2006 18% of the population of Knox are categorised as 

high income earners and 39.8% categorised as low income 

earners 

In 2007, 32% of adults from the region were overweight and 

15% were obese, similar to results for Victoria 

MELBOURNE 

Maroondah 

Whitehorse 

Monash 

Greater 

Dandenong 

KNOX 

Casey 

Yarra 

Ranges 

What are our health issues? 

For both men and women of Knox, the three signifi cant health 

issues contributing to the burden of disease are: 

Malignant cancers 

Mental health disorders 

Cardiovascular diseases 

Mental health disorders have gained in prominence and impact 

between 1996 and 2001, now ranking second only to cancer. 

Diabetes is a growing concern to the Knox population as its 

prevalence is increasing (nearly doubling between 2001 and 

2006) 

Premature mortality rate is higher than the Australian 

average 

Listed below is information about our catchment population 

related mainly to the city of Knox: 

Total population of Knox was 152,603 at 30 June 2007 

(49% male and 51% female) 

Two largest age groups of the Knox population are: 

– children and youth (under 15 years of age) 

– middle-aged (35 to 54 years) 

The largest growth in population has been in the 50-59 and 

60-69 age groups which have increased to 13.8% and 7.9% 

respectively. This growth in older age groups indicates the 

same pattern of population ageing as seen across the rest 

of Australia 

Knox community consists of 135 different cultural 

backgrounds 

In Knox in 2006 17.7% of residents spoke a language 

other than English at home. The top three languages (after 

English) are: 

– Cantonese (3,496 Knox residents) 

– Italian (2,214) 

– Mandarin (2,038) 

In the EMR a third of the Indigenous Australian population 

live in the Yarra Ranges (many in and around Healesville), 

the remaining two-thirds live in the other Local Government 

Areas (predominantly Maroondah, Knox and Whitehorse) 

What are our health and social issues? 

Our community is experiencing an increase of social issues 

which impact on health and welfare. 

Knox has a relatively lower proportion of households in 

housing stress (8% compared with 10.1% for Melbourne as 

a whole), this varies across Knox, from 5% in Lysterfi eld, to 

11% in Bayswater and Upper Ferntree Gully 

A study in the EMR looked at people who had run out of food 

and could not afford to buy more. This situation was faced by 

7.4% of people living in Knox 

Knox had the ninth highest rate of family violence incidents 

in Victoria and the highest increase in the rate of family 

incidents (19.7%) between 2003 and 2008 

Alcohol related serious road injures for 18-24 year olds are 

signifi cantly higher in Knox than Metropolitan Melbourne 

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in 

Knox 

The above information has been directly sourced from the Knox City Council 

Community Health & Wellbeing Profi le 2007-2009, the Inner & Outer East 

Primary Care Partnerships Population and Place Profi le (Symplan Consulting 

2009), and the Outer East Community Food Access Research Project (Outer 

East Health & Community Support Alliance, 2009) 

Our values 

Respect Integrity Social Responsibility Excellence 

Page 4 Knox Community Health Service Ltd: Quality of Care / Annual Report 2008 – 2009

To End Violence Against Women 

On 4 July 2009 chances are that if you were at 

your local Knox footy ground you would have 

noticed something a little different! Scoresby, 

Wantirna South, Knox, Boronia, Upper Ferntree 

Gully and Norwood football clubs combined 

forces with the Eastern Football League (EFL) 

and a group of local Knox agencies to present 

the fi rst “Knox Accord Day”. The Knox Accord to 

End Violence Against Women is an awareness 

raising campaign to inform the community and to 

encourage men in particular to challenge violence 

against women. In support of the day, players ran 

through a Knox Accord banner and wore white 

armbands to symbolise an end to violence against 

women. There were also guest speakers at the 

three club lunches, face painting for children, and 

opportunities for spectators to show their support 

by signing the Knox Accord pledge to neither 

“commit, condone or remain silent about violence 

against women”. As a result the Knox Accord 

currently has over 2800 signatories. 

The Knox Accord project commenced in 2007 

and is based on the principle that every woman 

who lives in the City of Knox has the right to live 

free from violence in her home. Family Violence is 

a signifi cant problem in Victoria. It is the biggest 

preventable cause of death, disability and health 

problems in women in the 15 to 44 year old age 

bracket, affecting one in four women at some point 

in their life and is a growing issue around the state. 

Knox Accord Football Club Day 

On this special day, led by KCHS with partners 

Knox City Council, Victoria Police, Knox InfoLink, 

Eastern Community Legal Service and the Eastern 

Football League, over 2000 people attended three 

local matches. Special guest speakers were Greg 

Champion, Jane Ashton and retired Assistant 

Commissioner of Victoria Police Leigh Gassner. 

The EFL and clubs involved were enthusiastic 

supporters. 

Mike Grant, Secretary from the Scoresby Football 

club said “I genuinely hope that Scoresby Football 

Club has been able to assist in raising awareness 

of this important community issue. The Club was 

proud to be involved with Knox Community Health 

Service on the day and plan to actively continue 

supporting the program. The Club is committed 

to promoting acceptable social behaviour by its 

players, offi cials, members and supporters, so 

the Knox Accord to End Violence Against Women 

ideally complemented the culture the Club wishes 

to offer the community.” 

If you would like to fi nd out more or sign the 

commitment statement on-line, please go to 

the following web address: www.kchs.org.au/ 

knoxaccord. Information about where women 

can fi nd help within Knox is also available at this 

website or you can call KCHS on 9757 6200. 


RUNNING THROUGH THE BANNER 

The Club is committed to promoting acceptable social behaviour by its players, offi cials, 

members and supporters, so the Knox Accord to End Violence Against Women ideally 

complemented the culture the Club wishes to offer the community. 



Access 

– The service you will receive will be based on priority of need 

Uncle Henry and 

Susan’s story 

…it is a joy to see 

grandchildren leave… 

dancing to the car… 

Quality of care to the Indigenous 

Australian people can be measured by 

the ability to say what they want or need 

rather than being told “this is good for 

you” and by trust in those providing 

the healthcare. These are two areas 

highlighted by Susan who has seen 

three generations of her family, including 

herself, receive care at KCHS. 

Acknowledgement by KCHS of our 

Indigenous Australian people is shown 

by displaying the Aboriginal and Torres 

Strait Islander fl ags in the reception 

area. Susan who is not an Aboriginal 

woman but her partner Uncle Henry, 

daughter and grandchild are, has 

expressed the importance of the fl ag. 

When her daughter attended for dental 

care at KCHS the fi rst thing she noticed 

was the fl ags. 

The fl ags are symbolic of the welcome 

that Indigenous Australian people are 

given at KCHS. 

Uncle Henry remarked on how he was 

put at ease by all KCHS staff from the 

receptionists to the dentists providing 

his dental care. Susan tells of how her 

daughter had been terrifi ed all her life of 

visiting the dentist. However through the 

time and attention given to her daughter 

she was able to complete her treatment 

in the dental chair without the need for a 

general anaesthetic. 

“We have no reservations in 

recommending the excellent dentists 

to anyone even the most frightened or 

apprehensive of patient. They have the 

expertise and quiet mannerisms which 

making visiting the dentists painless 

UNCLE HENRY AND SUSAN 

and it is a joy to see grandchildren leave 

(after having extractions) dancing to 

the car. We can’t stop talking about the 

wonderful dentists.” 

Susan was proud when granddaughter 

won a prize at school during book week 

for the hippopotamus costume Susan 

had made. She was even more proud of 

her granddaughter when she left KCHS 

‘dancing to the car’ after having some 

teeth extracted. Susan was impressed 

with the service provided to her family. 

Taking the time to listen and to establish 

trust are of as equal importance to the 

quality of care as are the technical skills 

and abilities of those providing the care. 

What is an ALO? 

Michelle is the Aboriginal Liaison Offi cer (ALO) at KCHS. The role of the ALO is to 

increase and improve access to KCHS services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait 

Islanders. Michelle is not an Indigenous woman but she has embraced her role and 

looks for every opportunity to build relationships. The ALO aims to improve Indigenous 

people awareness and access to healthcare by: 

Building partnerships with Aboriginal programs 

Providing support to access both KCHS services and external services 

“……the Aboriginal Liaison offi cer has assisted all the family seeing the dentist 

and receiving such excellent treatment and being aware of the sensitivity and 

apprehension Indigenous people have in accessing this type of service.” 

MICHELLE GREETING ALL THE FAMILY 


Safe & 

Edible 

Active 

Kids 

Parent 

6 

Active 

Kids 

Parent 

Education 

5 

Student 

Education 

4 

Effectiveness 

– The service you receive will contribute to the achievement of positive health outcomes 

Wheel Change 

From January 2008 to July 2009 KCHS in partnership with 

the Knox Division of General Practice (KDGP) received 

Commonwealth funding to run the WHEEL Change Project 

(Working towards Healthy Eating and Exercise for Life). 

The project was a response to the rising rates of childhood 

obesity and the need for a multifaceted approach to the 

issue within the Knox community. 

WHEEL Change aimed to improve the health and wellbeing of 

children and families in Knox through the promotion of healthy 

eating and active lifestyle in the school setting. All primary and 

secondary schools were invited and 12 Knox primary schools 

(31%) became actively involved in the program. 

A number of partnerships were built between the project and 

other community programs with aligned goals and activities. 

This included the State Kids ‘Go for your life’ program, 

Commonwealth Active After School Communities program, 

Knox City Council Youth Services and the Knox School 

Focused Youth Service. These partnerships were vital to the 

success of the project and ensuring that schools are linked 

in with programs that can support them after the WHEEL 

funding period. A number of community education activities 

were run in partnership with these organisations. 

Strategies employed during the WHEEL project were parent, 

staff and student nutrition education sessions, school policy 

workshops, a community competition and ‘Healthy Lunch 

Week’ for WHEEL Schools. 

A number of resources were produced and distributed 

to schools to assist sustainability of the WHEEL Change 

message. This included insulated lunch boxes, post cards 

and a WHEEL Change School Resource Manual. 

A total of 12 schools, 337 parents, 1390 students and 20 

after school care staff participated in the various education 

sessions offered. 

An external evaluation was undertaken and feedback from 

WHEEL schools indicated that the project was seen as a 

valuable resource and in many cases had been a catalyst for 

change. 

Key fi ndings from the Evaluation Report were: 

Parents and students are receptive to education around 

healthy lifestyle, particularly in relation to healthy meal 

preparation 

There is value in organisations working together on the 

ground to engage schools, parents and students 

Working with schools requires signifi cant investment in 

relationship and partnership building and a longer time 

frame and more targeted approach could assist schools 

to achieve more widespread results 

Schools lack capacity to seek and utilise existing healthy 

lifestyle resources 

Signifi cant leverage can be achieved from the provision 

of ‘on the ground’ support to primary schools, indicating 

there is a strong potential for a future dedicated health 

promotion resource to support schools on a regional or 

sub-regional basis 

7 

8 

Healthy 

Lunches 

School 

Gardens 

6 

1 

Community 

Partnerships 

The 

School 

Education 

5 

Healthy 

Canteens 

2 

Student 

Education 

Nutrition 

& PA 

Policy 

4 

3 

8 Priorities rities for WHEEL School Plan 

WHEEL Change aimed to improve the health 

and wellbeing of children and families in Knox 

through the promotion of healthy eating and 

active lifestyle in the school setting. 

Recipe 

Ants on a log 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation time: 10mins 

Makes: 3 serves 

Ingredients 

2 large celery sticks 

2 tbs cream cheese 

1 tbs sultanas 

Method 

1. Wash celery 

2. Fill the celery with cream cheese spread 

3. Place the sultanas at intervals along the 

cheese spread to look like ants! 

Knox Community Health Service Ltd: Quality of Care / Annual Report 2008 – 2009 Page 7 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quality of Care


Effectiveness (continued) 

Fun Friends Program 

‘The Fun Friends’ program is new to Knox 

Community Health Service and is run by 

Wendy Morgan - Child Psychologist and 

Wendy Lim - Paediatric Occupational 

Therapist. This collaborative approach 

meets the needs of a specifi c group 

of children who attend our Paediatric 

Occupational Therapy and Early 

Childhood Psychology services. Based on 

a program developed by Dr Barrett’s we 

deliver a six week program which covers 

the main concepts in a more condensed 

format than the original program. 

Dr Paula Barrett is the author of ‘The 

Fun Friends’ program which is a recent 

addition to the ‘FRIENDS for Life’ program 

which is one of the world’s leading 

programs for fi ghting childhood anxiety 

and building resilience in school aged 

children. It assists them to manage worry 

and depression both now and in later life. 

Developed in Australia, the ‘FRIENDS for 

Life’ program is the only such program 

acknowledged by the World Health 

Organisation for its comprehensive 

evaluation and practice. Hundreds 

of Australian schools have used the 

program and it is now being delivered 

worldwide. 

The Fun Friends program was designed…to build resilience, 

self-esteem and confi dence and to learn important skills… 

We at KCHS deliver this program in a 

parent-child group situation, on a weekly 

basis. Parents and children aged four 

and fi ve years are taken through a series 

of activities, stories and discussions that 

teach practical and useful strategies 

for coping with stress, worry, fear and 

sadness. The aim of the Fun Friends 

program is to provide participants with 

the emotional and social intelligence 

necessary to excel during their school 

years. Participation of parents in 

the program offers opportunities for 

many of the concepts being taught, 

to be reinforced at home in ‘real life’ 

situations. Parents are provided with 

handouts and homework to practice with 

their children each week. Group delivery 

of the program encourages peer learning 

and parent-to-parent support. 

‘The Fun Friends’ program was designed 

specifi cally for the four, fi ve and six year 

old children, to assist them to build 

resilience, self-esteem and confi dence 

and to learn important skills and 

techniques to cope with feelings of 

fear and worry. The symbolism drawn 

from the word FRIENDS is based on the 

following principals: 

The word FRIENDS helps children to 

remember each of the skills taught 

throughout the program (i.e. each 

letter stands for a new skill learned) 

Our body is our FRIEND and tells 

us when we are feeling worried or 

nervous by giving us clues 

It is important to learn to be our own 

FRIEND and reward ourselves when 

we try hard 

It is important to make FRIENDS, so 

that we can build our social support 

network and feel happier 

FRIENDS can help us to cope with 

diffi cult situations more effectively 

HAVING FUN WITH FRIENDS 


Printed on recycled stock.

Acceptability 

– The service you will receive will meet or exceed your expectations based on the information you have been provided 

SRS Project 

Since June 2008 residents from nine pension level Supported 

Residential Services (SRS) in the eastern metropolitan region, 

were invited to participate in a trial oral health program. 

The program was co-ordinated by KCHS, in partnership 

with the Department of Human Services and Dental Health 

Services Victoria. KCHS, Eastern Access, Monashlink and 

Ranges Community Health Services, assisted with transport 

and provided dental services at no charge to residents. 

SRS residents live with chronic illness including physical, 

intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. The National Oral 

Health Plan 2004-14 identifi ed the poor oral health status of 

SRS residents and with its partners commissioned an initiative 

to assist residents to meet their basic oral health needs by 

reconnecting them with their local community health service. 

Dental hygienists and dental assistants from KCHS invited 

residents to participate in the program which provided a basic 

out-of-clinic examination, a full mouth x-ray, preventative and/ 

or dental treatment, oral health kits (toothbrush, toothpaste, 

dental fl oss and care instructions), individual oral health 

instruction and goal setting. 

A major learning from the project is that SRS resident’s who 

are encouraged by other people, care better for themselves 

and complete their recommended professional dental 

treatment. In response, the project has trialed engaging 

resident’s family members, friends, case workers and other 

professionals via a mail out. KCHS received this from a 

resident’s family member; 


“Just a word of appreciation on behalf of my brother, 

Anthony who is in the process of having dental care and 

perhaps a new set of teeth. He has been positive towards 

this program, has enjoyed the attention and is looking 

forward to his new set of teeth. His life, and that of the 

family has been a long journey however he is perhaps 

functioning now at the best that he has for some time, 

due in part to your program and the other socialisation 

programs throughout the SRS that have now become 

available to this marginalised group in the community.” 

Marg 

Baseline and midterm evaluation reports show there has been 

considerable improvement in the access to community dental 

services and oral health improvement within the nine SRS. 

Benefi ts enjoyed by SRS residents with healthy mouths 

include a nice smile, freedom from mouth pain, ability to eat 

a wide variety of foods, have clearer speech, are more socially 

acceptable, have increased chance of employment, improved 

management of diabetes and have less risk of heart disease. 



Acceptability (continued) 

Mothers Living Well – Leonie’s Story 

“My name is Leonie Deacon and I have 

been involved with Mothers Living Well 

(MLW) since almost the beginning. I have 

been involved in all the major activities 

from developing a photo collection 

to now facilitating my own part of the 

project. It was nice being able to explain 

things from the point of view of someone 

in a wheelchair as well as a mother being 

able to get around your community.” 

Mothers Living Well activities Leonie has 

been involved in: 

Mum2mum interviews – where 

local women were trained as peer 

researchers to interview mothers 

Community Audits - talking to mothers 

about the physical environment of 

Bayswater: on areas such as safety 

and child friendliness 

Street Play Day- the Launch of the 

Bayswater Community Plan 

“Welcoming Bayswater”- Leonie’s 

own project. This project is about 

making the retail area of Bayswater 

accessible and welcoming to all 

“Mothers Living Well has been very 

important to me; it has given me an 

outlet to work on my interest in health 

and wellbeing and helped with my 

studies. I have met a lot of people and 

I am learning all the time, not just from 

the people in the MLW team but learning 

from the community all the time.” 

MUM2MUM INTERVIEW 

Mothers Living Well…has 

given me an outlet to work 

on my interest in health and 

wellbeing… 

Bayswater 

Community Plan 

The Bayswater Community 

Plan…aims to encourage and 

support physical activity and 

social connection within a local 

community setting. 

The Bayswater Community Plan, part of 

the Mothers Living Well project, aims to 

encourage and support physical activity 

and social connection within a local 


The Community Plan built with the input 

of mothers who live in or utilise services 

in the Bayswater area. Mothers’ opinions 

and ideas were sought for their broad 

range of experiences – supervising 

children, caring for elderly or people with 

disabilities, needing to access multiple 

destinations such as schools, work and 

shops. 

The Plan outlines a range of ideas and 

initiatives prioritised as opportunities 

present through the involvement of local 

and interested people. For example, a 

group of active people have recently 

been successful in having funds 

committed to streetscape changes 

in their area. While the funding is for 

infrastructure – seating, art, plantings, 

traffi c calming, for example – the 

changes will involve local residents and 

other stakeholders (Council, school, 

church, Bowling Club etc) working 

together to collectively decide how they 

would like the area to look and function. 

Copies of the Bayswater Community Plan 

can be found on the KCHS website under 

Health Promotion. 

KIDS GET READY TO RUMBLE 


Street Play Day Launch 

The Bayswater Community Plan was launched 

in December 2008 with a Street Play Day. This 

involved organising to close a section of the road 

around Phyllis Street and Warruga Avenue in 

Bayswater and providing a range of activities to 

invite people to spend some time there playing 

and meeting other people from the local area. This 

location was chosen as the immediate area has to 

accommodate a range of people including mothers 

with very young babies and children, primary aged 

children and a range of other community activities 

associated with a church, Bowling Club and other 

sporting and recreational groups. 

The purpose of the Street Play Day was to highlight 

the importance of local street environments to a 

range of other community purposes other than just 

traffi c corridors. 


I liked running around without the cars. 



Efficiency 

– The service you receive will be provided in a timely cost efficient manner whilst achieving the maximum health outcome for the individual 

DON’S NEW SMILE 

Continuity of care – 

Service Integration 

and Key Workers 

What is Care Co-ordination 

Care Co-ordination is a complimentary 

service provided by KCHS for people 

who think they would benefi t from a 

key support person linking them or a 

member of their family to appropriate 

services that meet their health needs. 

The support person known as a Key 

Worker is a trained health professional 

who is the key contact person for a 

client who has been identifi ed as having 

chronic disease and/or multiple/complex 

needs. 

Aim: To provide a more co-ordinated, 

multidisciplinary, holistic management 

approach to client care. 

The Key Worker has the responsibility 

of supporting clients to access the most 

appropriate services to meet their needs. 

The Key Worker also acts as a link 

between members of the KCHS team, 

GPs and other agencies, health providers 

and stakeholders and assists in 

empowering the client to take an active 

role (self-management) in their health. 

Don’s Story 

Don is a 79 year old gentleman who has been a client of KCHS for some time. 

Since May 2009, he has been seeing a Key Worker. 

The Key Worker took a holistic approach to evaluating Don’s health and 

carried out a comprehensive screening of health needs. The Key Worker then 

developed a care plan with Don and set health goals and actions in order to 

prioritise his current health needs. Appropriate referrals to services were made 

and a review date was discussed for a follow-up consultation with a Key Worker. 

As part of the health screening, Don’s Key Worker asked him a few questions 

about his oral health. It turned out that Don had had the same pair of dentures 

for nearly 30 years! They were noticeably loose and occasionally causing him 

problems with eating. His Key Worker made a referral on his behalf to the Oral 

Health services. 

When the KCHS Oral Health service called Don to offer him an appointment, 

he initially refused saying that he was “too old”! But Don is now happy to have 

agreed to receive the service. After all, he’s got a brand new set of teeth to 

smile with. 

Health Coaching 

The Health Coaching Australia Model 

of health coaching provides health 

professionals with a system of evidencebased 

behaviour change protocols that 

assist patients or clients to adhere to 

medical and lifestyle recommendations. 

These techniques take into account 

the patient’s readiness, perceived 

importance and confi dence in making 

the recommended behaviour changes. It 

is particularly relevant when barriers to 

health behaviour change are present. 

At KCHS health professionals such 

as physiotherapists, diabetic nurse 

educators and dietitians have received 

training in health coaching. 

Bob’s Story 

Bob came to see the dietitian for his routine diabetes check which occurs every 

six months or so. He hadn’t done too much about his weight or followed up 

with the goals that were discussed at the last appointment. Bob was prepared 

for the usual line of questions but what he wasn’t expecting was a session of 

Health Coaching. 

Fresh from Health Coaching training, the dietitian launched into a series 

of questions which got Bob thinking about his inaction and what the 

consequences of it may be in his health in the long term, particularly since he 

has diabetes. What followed was a discussion about the benefi ts of changing 

his current exercise levels and what he would stand to gain. 

Bob, who had recently rejoined a volleyball team at the age of 67 years, 

was invigorated with a new motivation to get moving, not only to improve his 

diabetes but also so he could jump higher at the volleyball net! KCHS staff 

appreciate the support to undertake the follow up with useful self management 

training strategies such as those provided by Health Coaching Australia. The 

skills gained from this workshop enabled the dietitian to work more effectively 

with Bob and achieve much more personalised health goals for the client. 


Appropriateness 

– The service you receive will be based on evidence that it is the right treatment at the right time 

Community Consultation – Survey and Forum 

In April 2009, KCHS conducted a Community Consultation 

Survey to gather views from its clients and members on: 

The health, social and service needs in the Knox 

community 

KCHS as an organisation 

Some of the strengths of KCHS, from the community’s 

perspective include: 

Comprehensive range of services offered 

Friendliness and helpfulness of the staff 

Flexibility and adaptability of services 

“As needs change, KCHS responds”. 

Areas for improvement were also identifi ed, such as the 

“extending waiting lists for high demand services” and 

the fact that “not enough of the community know of the 

services you offer”. 

The most important health and social needs are: 

Mental health issues 

Social isolation 

Access, availability and equity to health 

The top six services that clients and community would like 

to see more of are: 

Dental 

Family support 

Podiatry 

Supervised exercise groups 

Community development / wellbeing programs 

Diabetes education 

Gaining views and opinions from our clients and 

community about what we do well and what we could 

do better is an important step of planning for our future. 

The valuable information is used to inform the strategic 

directions for KCHS over the next four years. 


As needs change, KCHS responds. 

Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment (DDCAT) Audit 

As one of the recipients of the Improved 

Services Grant, KCHS Alcohol Tobacco 

and Other Drugs (ATOD) team are 

required to undertake a series of audits 

over three years. The focus of the audit 

is the ATOD program and its capacity 

to respond to people with co-occurring 

mental health and substance use issues 

and to demonstrate improvement in 

capability over the three year period. 

The audit evaluates 33 program 

elements that are subdivided into seven 

dimensions. The KCHS ATOD Audit 

fi ndings are provided per the dimensions 

of: 

1. Program Structure 

2. Program Milieu (Setting) 

3. Clinical Processes – Assessment 

4. Clinical Processes – Treatment 

5. Continuity of Care 

6. Staffi ng 

7. Training 

DDCAT CHARTS 

5.0 

4.0 

Average 

0.0 

3.0 

2.0 

1.0 

YEAR 1 YEAR 2 

Program Structure re 

Program Milieu 

Clinical Process 

Assessment 

Clinical Process 

Treatment 

Continuity of Care 

e 

Staffi ng 

Training 

Report outcomes on each dimension for 

Year One is compared with the outcomes 

identifi ed in the Year Two Audit. 

This graph indicates that at the two year mark – all aspects show 

signifi cant improvement indicating KCHS has increased capacity to respond 

appropriately to client with co-occurring conditions. 



Appropriateness (continued) 

Feedback from our Consumers 

Collecting feedback allows KCHS to fi nd out what consumers of KCHS services think we do well and what they think we could do 

better. 

In 2008-09 KCHS received 30 complaints. 40 percent of all complaints received were related to treatment with most of these being 

resolved by further explanation. The complaints related to waiting times were mainly to do with either the time spent in the waiting 

room or a delay in the client’s next appointment. 

In 2008-09 KCHS received 32 compliments. The dental program received 70% of all compliments; this is not unexpected as they 

see the highest proportion of clients. The active health program which includes services such as physiotherapy, occupational 

therapy, podiatry and dietetics received 23% of compliments. 

This data is collected so we can monitor trends and make improvements where needed. This information is reported to the Board of 

Management and the Quality Improvement Committee. 

Client Feedback 

“A more prompt and friendly service I could not have wished for.” 

“Not enough parking close to centre for physically challenged patients. Had to park quite far away and arrived 17 minutes late to 

podiatry appointment.” 

COMPLIMENTS BY PROGRAM COMPLAINTS BY CATEGORY COMPLAINTS BY PROGRAM 

Active Health 23% 

Family and Community 3% 

Dental 71% 

General Organisation 3% 

Treatment 40% 

Waiting List 30% 

Staff Issues 7% 

Refused Admission 3% 

Facilities 10% 

Other 10% 

Active Health 5% 

Family and Community 7% 

Oral Health Program 60% 

General Organisation 27% 

Disability Access 

Knox Community Health Service moved to its current location in January 2002. The 

facility is accommodated in a single level building on a sloping site in Ferntree Gully. 

Early in 2009 KCHS received a formal complaint from a client who has mobility issues 

outlining the diffi culties they experienced getting from their car to the main entrance. 

Following investigations and ongoing communication with a range of government and 

consumer bodies, KCHS received a grant from DHS to identify and address the issues 

raised. 

Since receiving the funding Access Solutions National (ASN) were engaged to conduct 

an access audit on all our buildings and have been developing a solution to provide 

accessible parking facilities and a continuous path of travel to the front entrance that 

complies with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Australian Standards for 

Access and Mobility. 

KCHS are continuing to work with all parties to fi nd resolution to access issues at this site. 


Safety 

– The service you will receive will be in a manner and environment that minimises the risk of harm 

Infection Control 

Infection control is the practice of preventing the spread of infection in a healthcare setting. 

At KCHS, infection control standards are defi ned by organisational policies and procedures 

and Australian Standards. The Infection Control Working Group is responsible for a range of 

activities which focus on maintaining infection control standards across KCHS. 


Infection Control Audit 

KCHS undertakes an annual infection 

control audit; this is organisation wide 

across two sites and includes the 

domiciliary service. The audit allows 

the Team Co-ordinators for each 

program to identify any areas that 

require action and indicates to the 

infection control working group areas 

that need additional attention. 

During this process identifi ed areas 

for action included: 

Updating the policy and procedure 

for blood exposure injuries 

Ensuring the provision personal 

protective equipment for all staff in 

clinical areas 

Developing policy and procedure 

for work station hygiene 

The provision of a professional 

development seminar on infection 

control for all staff 

The development of a policy on 

exclusion times for infectious 

diseases 

The infection control education 

seminar was well received by all 

staff who attended and an increased 

awareness of infection control 

requirements aid provision of a safe 

work environment for staff, clients and 

contractors. 

Pandemic Influenza Planning 

As cases of H1N1 Swine Infl uenza escalated across the state in June 2009, 

KCHS undertook planning to continue delivering quality services while ensuring 

that the health and safety of clients and staff members were protected. 

The planning led to the production of a KCHS Pandemic Business Continuity 

Plan and temporary changes to procedures to support enhanced infection 

control and risk minimisation of virus spread. 

Hand Hygiene 

In November 2008, KCHS participated 

in a Hand Hygiene information week 

as evidence has shown the main route 

of transmission for micro-organisms in 

a health care facility is on the hands 

of workers. Our promotion was based 

on the guidelines defi ned by the World 

Health Organisation. The primary 

objective of the promotion was to 

educate health care workers on the 

five movements of hand hygiene. 

KCHS Infection Control Working Group 

promoted hand hygiene practices 

via a range of activities including a 

quiz, informative posters strategically 

located throughout the site and staff 

training. 

hand 

hygiene 

With the introduction of alcohol 

based hand rub and detergent 

wipe products for desk hygiene, our 

outcome indicators refl ect standardised infection control practices across the 

organisation have been achieved. 

Clinical Risk Management – Credentialling of clinical staff 

All service providers working with the clients at KCHS 

undertake a credentialing process to ensure that their 

skills and qualifi cations are matched to the requirements 

of the role. 

At recruitment, the qualifi cations are verifi ed and suitability 

is confi rmed through a comprehensive interview and 

referee check process. 

On commencement, new staff members undertake 

an organisational and role induction and orientation 

to communicate expectations for work and team 

performance. New staff members work closely with 

a nominated supervisor to assist and monitor the 

adjustment to their new role. 

An annual audit process is undertaken at KCHS to verify 

clinical registrations, update qualifi cations and ensure 

currency of professional licences. 

‘Dushy’ works as a dentist at KCHS. She provides clinical 

supervision support for students and lesser experienced 

staff and her credentialing document refl ects these role 

responsibilities. 

‘Christian’ is a prosthetist at KCHS. He is working towards 

further qualifi cations. Currently he is credentialed 

to provide full dentures to clients and on successful 

completion of his additional qualifi cations he will be 

re-credentialed to undertake the full range of denture 

services. 



Dental – Quality Clinical Indicators 

From 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009 KCHS treated 7,467 Oral Health clients: providing 61,799 dental treatments. KCHS monitors 

this treatment provided to maintain the quality of services to their clients. This is achieved by reviewing data reports provided by 

Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV). Each quarter reports allow us to see how we are performing against other community based 

dental services statewide. 

The following reports are provided 

Quality Clinical Indicators 

Dental Care Profi le 

Triage Compliance 

Quality clinical indicators measure how many clients need to revisit the dental service within a certain period of time, following 

dental treatment. 

TEETH RETREATED WITHIN SIX MONTHS OF INITIAL RESTORATION (FILLINGS) 

6.00% 

1. This graph indicates how many clients 

return within six months of having a new 

fi lling completed. The results for 2008 

show a trend in the number of fi llings 

needing to be redone is decreasing. 

5.00% 

4.00% 

3.00% 

2.00% 

1.00% 

0.0 

KCHS 

STATE 

2006 

2007 

2008 

DENTURES REMADE WITHIN 12 MONTHS 

4.00% 

3.50% 

3.00% 

2.50% 

2.00% 

1.50% 

1.00% 

0.50% 

0.0 

KCHS STATE 

2006 

2007 

2008 

2. In 2008 KCHS oral health clinicians 

made over 700 dentures, less than 1% 

of these needed to be remade. This 

refl ects the skill and expertise of those 

providing this treatment. 

UNPLANNED RETURN WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF EXTRACTION 

3. This graph indicates the number of 

client’s who needed to return within 

seven days after having a tooth taken 

out. Very few clients require follow up 

care. 

1.40% 

1.20% 

1.00% 

0.80% 

0.60% 

0.40% 

0,20% 

0.0 

KCHS STATE 

2006 

2007 

2008 


Service Data 

KCHS services are divided into three 

main service areas: Oral Health, Active 

Health and Family and Community 

Services: 


NEW COURSE/EPISODE OF CARE 

In 2008-09 clients commenced 15,736 new episodes of care (courses of care) 


Oral Health 

The Oral Health program provides a 

range of services to eligible clients 

including: fi llings, extractions, root canal 

treatment and dentures. 

9,355 courses of care were 

commenced with the dental services 

and this was provided in 17,886 

appointments which took 11, 485 

hours 

39% of care provided related to 

emergency treatment 

57% of clients attended for general 

dental services such as fi llings and 

extractions 

4% of courses of care involved 

providing dentures to clients 

Active Health 

0 

14,000 

12,000 

10,000 

8,000 

6,000 

4,000 

2,000 

ORAL HEALTH 

ACTIVE 

HEALTH 

F&C 

SERVICES 

ORAL HEATH 

Prosthodontics - Dentures 

Emergency 

General 

ACTIVE HEALTH 

Podiatry Services 

Physiotherapy Services 

Dietetic Services 

Diabetes Education 

Occupational Therapy Services 

Group Programs 

COPD Respiratory 

Cardiac Nursing 

FAMILY & COMMUNITY SERVICES 

Paediatric Services 

Family Service 

Counselling Services 

Alcohol & Drug 

The Active Health team provides a 

range of services including: podiatry, 

physiotherapy, occupational therapy, 

dietetics, diabetes nurse educators, 

cardiac nursing and group programs 

31% new episodes of care were 

commenced with one of the services 

in the active health team 

Over 28,000 hours were spent 

delivering 24,000 appointments to 

clients receiving services in the active 

health area. 

NUMBER OF APPOINTMENTS 

These episodes of care comprised 

49,880 client appointments 

TOTAL TIME DELIVERING SERVICES 

KCHS health professionals spent 

47,600 hours providing client care 

and services 

Family and Community Services 

The Family and Community team 

provides services including drug 

and alcohol, counselling, family and 

paediatric services. 

Oral Health Services 36% 

Oral Health Services 24% 

10% of all new episodes of care 

were started in one of the family and 

community services 

7,742 appointments were seen by 

family and community services 

Over 8,000 hours were spent 

delivering services 


.02% 

COPD Respiratory .03% 

Diabetes Education 4% 

Dietetic Services 3% 

Group Programs 2% 

Physiotherapy Services 23% 

Podiatry Services 15% 

Alcohol & Drug 4% 

Counselling Services 7% 

Family Service .4% 

Occupational Therapy Services 2% 

Paediatric Services 4% 


.02% 

COPD Respiratory .05% 

Diabetes Education 5% 

Dietetic Services 4% 

Group Programs 3% 

Physiotherapy Services 33% 

Podiatry Services 10% 

Alcohol & Drug 5% 

Counselling Services 8% 

Family Service 1% 

Occupational Therapy Services 3% 

Paediatric Services 4% 




Lesley-Anne Sleep, 

PRESIDENT 

Chris Potter 


On behalf of the Board of Management and the Senior 

Management Team of Knox Community Health Service we are 

delighted to present this, our thirteenth Annual Report, which 

for the first time is combined and presented alongside our 

Quality of Care Report. 

President and Chief Executive Officer’s Report 

This has been a particularly challenging year for the 

organisation with the change of legal status and the 

development of the service’s new four year Strategic Plan. 

Anne Lyon, who had been the Chief Executive Offi cer (CEO) 

since May 2005 left the organisation in August 2008 having 

made a signifi cant contribution to the development and 

expansion of services at Knox over a three year period. 

The Board would like to thank both Phillip Ripper, who fi lled 

the position of Interim CEO until early November 2008 and 

Ian Lardner, Organisational Services Manager, who was the 

Acting CEO until early December 2008. In December 2008 our 

new CEO Chris Potter, was appointed. Chris brings with him 

signifi cant experience in managing a major Primary Health Care 

organisation in the United Kingdom. 

In May 2009 Carolyn Bolton, the Manager of Family and 

Community Programs, also left the service. Carolyn had been 

an integral part of the management team since it began in 

1996 and was a key contributor to the growth and diversity of 

the service during that time. 

At Board level there were resignations from Dirk Ebert, who had 

served on the Board for some 10 years, and from Mandi Hyland 

and we thank them both for the contribution they made. During 

the year Cameron Moroney and Lesley Richardson joined the 

Board and bring with them a wealth of experience that will 

benefi t the Board as the organisation moves forward. 

Governance Issues 

In addition to the above changes, KCHS also transitioned from 

an incorporated association to a company limited by guarantee, 

as required by the Australian Taxation Offi ce (ATO) and 

Department of Human Services. 

The constitution of the new company was approved by the 

members at the Special General Meeting in February 2009 

and the transition to a company limited by guarantee took 

effect from June 2009. The organisation was also endorsed by 

the ATO as a Health Promoting Charity. We would like to thank 

Kaizen Synergy, our legal advisers throughout this process, for 

ensuring the transition was a smooth one. 

As part of the transition, all Community Health Services in 

Victoria were required to undertake a rigorous re-registration 

process set out by the Department of Human Services and 

the Health Minister to demonstrate effective governance 

arrangements were in place and adherence to required 

performance standards. Again we are pleased to advise that 

our registration as a Community Health Service was successful 

and confi rmed in June 2009. 

Concurrent with the registration process, the organisation 

also underwent an independent governance review which 

provided a number of recommendations for improvement. Good 

progress has been made on the implementation of the review 

recommendations which should be fully addressed by the end 

of September 2009. 

Strategic Planning 

The 2008-09 fi nancial year marked the fi nal year of KCHS’s 

Strategic Plan for 2006-09. Signifi cant progress has been 

made against the key strategic directions of strengthening 

communities’ health and wellbeing, expanding community 

based healthcare and leadership in community health. Many 

of the initiatives and service developments that have helped 

achieve these directions are outlined in this combined report. 


Of particular note are: 

The consolidation and expansion of services at our 

Wantirna site 

Refurbishment and expansion of the reception area at 

Ferntree Gully 

A focus on a more holistic approach to service provision 

demonstrated through more effective service coordination 

and service integration 

A strengthening of services in early intervention and in 

chronic disease management 

A strengthening of services for people with co-occurring 

mental health and substance use issues 

A strong focus on health promotion as demonstrated 

through projects such as the Knox Accord, Wheel 

Change and Mothers Living Well 

Ensuring the diverse needs of our population are 

better served through initiatives and projects such 

as the Supported Residential Services Project, the 

Knox Chinese Seniors Wellbeing Project and the 

enhancement of services to our local Indigenous 

Australian population 

Increased capacity within the Oral Health and Active 

Health program areas 

An expansion of our Community Health Service 

Volunteer program 

The successful implementation of a new Client 

Management System, TrakCare 

This year we undertook a very comprehensive process and 

have developed a four year Strategic Plan for 2009-13. 

This is underpinned by a number of key health promotion 

principles and is aligned to the four year Knox City Council 

Plan. 

In developing the plan there has been signifi cant 

engagement of staff through focus groups and also key 

consultation with the broader community, through both 

a survey and strategic planning forum and with our key 

stakeholders. 

Our Strategic Plan, Promoting Healthy Communities, is 

underpinned by the following key strategic directions: 

Meet changing levels and nature of population health 

needs 

Build Health Promotion culture and practice 

Broaden community awareness of and participation in 


Strengthen organisational capacity and capability 

The plan, which will be delivered in partnership with key 

local partners, stakeholders and communities, is an 

ambitious one which seeks to shape and transform the 

future delivery of primary care for the local population 

through improving access, reducing inequalities and 

improving the health and wellbeing of our communities. 

Staff 

As a result of the Strategic Plan the organisation has 

undergone a restructure to ensure it has the capacity to 

meet the future challenges that lay ahead. This is just 

another example of the signifi cant change the organisation 

has gone through this year and we would like to place on 

record our thanks and signifi cant appreciation to all the 

staff for their ongoing commitment and dedication. In 

particular we would like to thank the Senior Management 

Team who continue to provide leadership of an ambitious 

agenda and ensure that the aspirations outlined in 

our strategic planning become a reality in terms of the 

delivery of innovative and high quality services. Through 

this commitment and leadership KCHS has earned a 

reputation as a leader in community health for which it can 

be justly proud and which will put us in a strong position to 

meet to meet future challenges that are likely outcomes of 

the national reform agenda. 

Acknowledgements 

In addition to thanking Board Members, management 

and staff for their signifi cant contribution we need also 

to recognise that the delivery of quality health services 

cannot be achieved by KCHS alone. 

Firstly we would like to acknowledge the valuable support 

provided to our service providers and clients by our 

volunteers who also provided invaluable input to our 

strategic plan. 

We would like to thank all of our key supporters, in 

particular the funding and support received from our State 

and Federal Governments. We would also like to thank 

the local State and Federal politicians who continue to 

be strong supporters and advocates for the services we 

provide. 

Finally we would like to thank our many key partners that 

help maximise our capacity for service delivery. These 

include the Department of Human Services, Dental Health 

Services Victoria, Eastern Health, Outer East Primary Care 

Partnership, Knox City Council, Knox Division of General 

Practice and Knox Community Volunteers to mention a few. 

Future Reforms 

There is currently a major debate on the future of 

health services in Australia. The national reforms under 

discussion present KCHS with signifi cant opportunities 

for the future. A growing emphasis on health promotion 

and prevention strategies, an increased focus on chronic 

disease management, care based in the community or 

close to home and a more integrated approach to primary 

care. KCHS is well placed to build on the excellent services 

it currently provides and to develop these further in 

partnership with other health agencies. 


Lesley-Anne Sleep 

PRESIDENT 

Chris Potter 




Board of Management 

Lesley-Anne 

Sleep 

PRESIDENT 

B.Bus., MBA, CPA, 

FTIA, MAICD 

Commenced: 1997 

Lesley-Anne has 40 years 

commercial accounting 

experience including eight 

years teaching at Monash 

University. Her qualifi cations 

include a Bachelor of Business 

(accounting) and an MBA 

(Monash). She is a CPA, a 

registered tax agent and a 

Fellow of the Taxation Institute 

of Australia. 

Lesley-Anne became 

interested in adolescent 

health issues when teaching 

at Monash and is passionate 

about the rights and life 

choices available to those 

living with disabilities. 

She remains excited and 

challenged to be part of the 

continual development and 

growth of full health services 

for Knox communities. Married 

with four children, Lesley- 

Anne’s spare time is invested 

in her family and her church 

commitments. 

Lesley 

Richardson 

VICE PRESIDENT 

Bsc. (Physiotherapy) 

Commenced: 2009 

Lesley is a physiotherapist 

with over 20 years experience 

in vocational rehabilitation 

for people with a disability or 

injury with CRS Australia. She 

is passionate about a holistic 

approach to wellness with a 

special interest in chronic pain 

and work as a key to wellness. 

She believes the client should 

always be the key focus of 

any service provision with 

continuous improvement of 

service quality seen as critical 

to ensure high levels of client 

and stakeholder satisfaction. 

Lesley has a BSc. (Physiotherapy) 

from the University 

of the Witwatersrand and 

has completed Certifi cates 

in Hydrotherapy, Applied 

Ergonomics and Workplace 

Assessment. She has also 

undertaken a number of 

leadership and community 

roles. 

supply / major contract 

negotiation, insurance and risk 

management. 

Working in the not-for-profi t 

health care sector over recent 

years has created a personal 

interest in contributing 

to improving primary and 

community focused health 

care. 

Lisa Chan 

BOARD MEMBER 

BA, LLB, LLM, PhD 

(Engineering) 


Lisa admires the mission 

of community health 

and is passionate about 

community participation and 

development. 

Lisa has a background in law, 

community development and 

land administration reform for 

sustainable development. 

Lisa is married with two young 

children. 

Gautam Gupta 

BOARD MEMBER 

BSLH, GDIT, ACHSE, 

MAICD 


Rob Verity 

BOARD MEMBER 

Re-commenced: 2008 

Rob joined the Board in 2000 

and is extensively involved in 

community activities having 

previously been the Club 

President of the Rotary Club, 

Chair of Knox Life Educational 

Committee and a member of 

the Knox School Council. 

Mandi Hyland 

Bachelor of Law, 

Bachelor of 

Jurisprudence, 

past President 

Rotary Club of 

Knox 


Resigned: 2009 

After 20 years in legal practice, 

Mandi has worked as CEO for 

Knox Community Volunteers 

managing programs for 

social services for aged and 

frail residents of Knox and 

the Yarra Ranges and as a 

volunteer resource centre 

for community organisations 

in Knox and for volunteers 

seeking placements. 

Peter Hill 

VICE PRESIDENT 


Peter is a Computer 

Consultant who specialises in 

infrastructure development 

and support. He is married 

with two daughters and has 

been involved in community 

activities through Knox Little 

Athletics and his local church. 

He is passionate about 

contributing to the continued 

growth and quality of services 

provided by KCHS. 

Cameron 

Moroney 

TREASURER 


Cameron Moroney has held 

senior executive leadership 

positions at COO / CFO / 

CIO level across multi-site 

complex service businesses 

in various industries including 

higher education, health 

care, telecommunications 

and industrial businesses. 

Executive responsibilities 

have encompassed strategy 

/ business planning, market 

/ business development, 

customer service delivery 

and support, fi nancial and 

performance management, 

facilities management, 

information systems, 

Gautam is passionate about 

access and equity and has 

over a decade of experience 

in healthcare delivery and 

representation, including 

teaching at Swinburne 

University. He is currently 

the Managing Director of 

Symphony Hearing, a hearing 

healthcare clinic located on 

the Deaf Children Australia 

Campus on St Kilda Road. 

Gautam is a founding member 

of the Federation of Indian 

Students of Australia and 

continues to devote his time 

to improve integration of CALD 

communities. He remains 

committed to be part of the 

continual development and 

growth of full health services 

for the Knox community. 

Dirk Ebert 

General Practitioner, 

MBBS, BSc 


Resigned: 2008 

Dirk joined the Board in 

1998 and has been a past 

Vice President. Dirk has 

been a past Board Member 

of Knox Division of General 

Practice and has an interest in 

diabetes and asthma. 


Support Services 

The Corporate Reception team is the first point of contact 

for clients accessing the health service. The team provides 

a professional and effective service to all who contact the 

service whether it is in person or by phone. The team also 

provides a range of administrative services and support 

that enables the service providers to deliver community 

health services to the public. 

April 2009 saw the beginning of the renovations of our 

small reception area. The estimated completion date was 

to be May 1, but as with most building improvements this 

wasn’t to be the case. 

In order to begin the new works, the demolition of the old 

was inevitable which meant noise, dust and cold. This also 

meant that for some time the team were operating and 

providing reception services from a corner in the waiting 

area with a few computers and one telephone set on 

trestle tables. 

Although not ideal circumstances, the service provided to 

our clients and staff was not jeopardised. The high quality 

of service to all who attended KCHS was maintained at all 

times. 

If you have visited our Ferntree Gully site in the past 

couple of months you will have noticed a vast change 

and improvement to our much awaited reception area. 

The spacious new and improved work space, increased 

number of staff within the reception team, updated phone 

system and other technological upgrades, has equipped 

and enabled the team to provide an even more effi cient 

and effective service to our community members and 

administrative support to our service providers. 


WORK IN PROGRESS 

In September 2008, KCHS became the eleventh stand 

alone community health service to implement the TrakCare 

Client Management System. TrakCare was a new software 

system for managing client’s health information accessing 

services at KCHS. There was an enormous amount of 

preparatory work undertaken by all staff at KCHS to 

ensure the smooth implementation of the software. 

In the lead up to the implementation: 

Hundreds of hours were spent entering data that 

underpins TrakCare’s functionality 

Key staff (SuperUsers) attended in excess of one 

hundred hours training 

All client records (approximately 18000) had to be 

transferred into the new system 

Current business practices were reviewed and 

consolidated 

A complete audit of all computer equipment was 

undertaken 

Approximately 70 staff received 12 hours training from 

the SuperUsers 

The last 12 months have identifi ed many challenges 

associated with the use of the software however, overall 

the change has been a positive one. The new system has 

provided improved effi ciencies, greater access to client 

information, reduced reliance on paper based records and 

improved accountability. 

TrakCare is a developing product and we expect to see 

new features and improvements made over the next 12 

months. This will commence with the introduction of 

scanning capability in which will allow us to scan incoming 

paper documents and attach it to the clients Electronic 

Health Record. This feature will further remove the reliance 

on paper based records and will improve response times 

to new referrals. 

Scanning will provide faster access 

to client information. 



Health Promotion 

Evaluation 

PEAS IN ACTION - TAMMY AND BELINDA 

The joint appointment partnership with the Department of Health Social Science, 

Monash University has continued throughout 2009 and is associated with a number 

of Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) initiatives within the organisation, including the 

evaluation working group and the PEAS (Peer Evaluation Advice & Support) model. 

These kinds of partnerships are seen as being a way to work towards eliminating 

health disparities. Additionally, strategic partnerships which aim to bridge the gaps 

between research, policy and practice are strongly supported by VicHealth and the 

growing body of literature around knowledge sharing. 

The joint appointment remains one of only two ‘health promotion specifi c’ community 

health-university partnerships in Victoria at this time and demonstrates the 

commitment KCHS shares to evidence-based health promotion practice and quality 

service delivery. It provides an example of how the capacity of organisations can 

be enhanced for mutual benefi t and purpose; in this case, to improve population 

health outcomes. A mutual benefi t of the partnership, for example, is the opportunity 

it presents to build a joint research agenda with a view to gaining more in-depth 

understanding of the nature and extent of population health needs in Knox and the 

eastern metropolitan region. 

Some of the highlights relating to ECB at KCHS during 2009 include the ongoing 

implementation and evaluation of the PEAS model and the focus group discussions 

undertaken with staff to gauge knowledge and perspectives on evaluation and how the 

organisation could most effectively support staff to routinely conduct evaluation. The 

fi ndings from these discussions will inform the development of training workshops with 

relevant staff from the Department of Health Social Science. 

Other achievements include: 

Establishment of an ethics working group 

Roll out of the annual Health Promotion Skills Audit in July 

Published article on the joint appointment in the EMR HP newsletter 

KCHS Health Promotion Plan 

The Department of Human Services funds community health 

services to develop detailed three year health promotion plans 

that address priority health areas. 

The priorities for the KCHS Integrated Health Promotion 

Plan 2006-09 were: 

Promoting physical activity and accessible communities 

and promoting mental health and wellbeing with 

women parenting in diffi cult circumstances in 

Bayswater (Mothers Living Well) 

Promoting mental health and wellbeing with Chinese 

Seniors living in Knox (Chinese Seniors project) 

Improving sexual and reproductive health outcomes 

for young people through the development of a Knox 

Sexual Health Strategy (Youth KISS) 

Another area of focus for the three year plan was developing 

the capacity of our staff to undertake quality health promotion 

activities including the formation of a joint appointment in 

health promotion with Monash University’s Department of 

Health Science. 

Some local emerging issues have also been considered during 

the life of this plan. These include violence against women in 

our community which has led to the development of the Knox 

Accord project. Young people and alcohol has also been a focus 

and the subject of some investigation. It is expected that now 

we understand more about these issues they will be a feature 

of the next Integrated Health Promotion Plan for 2009-13. 

Youth KISS Project 

Local research from the fi rst phase of the Youth KISS 

Project, ‘Sexual Health Conversations with Young People’, 

was launched and workshopped with service providers and 

schools, which generated actions and ideas to respond to 

the recommendations of the study. Two working groups 

were established to work towards the improvement and 

reorientation of youth health services and advocating for more 

comprehensive sexuality programs in schools. An exciting 

outcome is that we are currently exploring funding possibilities 

for the establishment of a youth health service in Knox, in 

partnership with Knox City Council and the KDGP. Additionally 

we are planning to run training for General Practice clinics 

in Knox to improve the way they deliver services to young 

people. The fi nal aspect of the project will be the launching of 

a youth sexual health strategy for Knox, which will be managed 

by the Knox Youth Service Provider Network to ensure its 

sustainability. 



Student Placements 

at KCHS 

KCHS continues to host a constant fl ow of tertiary 

students. The role of KCHS in developing students is 

a very important one. Considerable work has been 

undertaken in the organisation to improve systems and 

processes for students. KCHS also contributed to the 

Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA) student portal 

within their website. This website provides students with 

information and resources to assist their placement. As 

well as gaining experience in their particular discipline 

students at KCHS also gain considerable exposure to the 

principles and workings of a community health service. 

The focus of a student placement varies depending 

on the year of study and the discipline. For example a 

second year student placement might be about observing 

while a fi nal year student will often provide clinical 

services to clients under the supervision of a qualifi ed 

clinician. Staff who have the supervision role of students 

in a particular discipline are experienced clinicians who 

have undertaken specifi c training to provide supervision. 

Students generally have an agreed learning plan that 

outlines what will be undertaken and achieved during 

the placement. KCHS recognises that investing in the 

students of today is potentially an investment in the 

community health workforce of tomorrow. In 2008 this 

led to the recruitment of fi ve new graduate clinicians in 

our Oral Health program after their successful placement 

experience in our organisation. 



Early Intervention 

in Chronic Disease 

- Client Centred 

Care Workforce 

Development Project 

KCHS continues to seek 

opportunities for collaboration 

and co-ordination of care for 

our clients. 

KCHS is driving a new Eastern HARP 

(Hospital Admissions Risk Program) 

workforce development initiative 

designed to ensure that clinician’s have 

the skills and knowledge required to 

facilitate client centred care for people 

with chronic and complex conditions 

– the Client Centered Care Workforce 

Development project. 

This project forms a key part of the 

innovative work being done in the Eastern 

Region around Early Intervention in 

Chronic Disease. KCHS continues to 

seek opportunities for collaboration 

and co-ordination of care for our clients. 

Therefore, as part of the project, we have 

aligned with the Outer East Primary Care 

Partnership (OEHCSA). A regional steering 

group has been established to share 

project learnings, identify opportunities 

for a collaborative workforce training 

program and develop systems that will 

promote it’s sustainability across the 

region. 

Throughout 2009, the project builds on a 

range of initiatives commencing with: 

Client Centred Care Skills 

Assessment Survey 

101 clinicians across the region have 

participated in this survey. Designed to 

inform the development of an ongoing 

training program, the web based survey 

included a self-assessment of current 

skills and knowledge in a range of 

practice areas, effective training formats 

and topics of interest for future training. 

This project is also providing staff from 

across the EMR with a range of training 

opportunities and follow up support to 

build on their skills in client centred care, 

for clients with chronic and complex 

needs. 

Service Integration – Implications in Service Provision 

Oral health is fundamental to good general health. A healthy 

mouth enables people to speak, eat and socialise without 

embarrassment, pain or discomfort. Chronic conditions, 

medications and illicit drug use (amongst others) can all impact 

negatively on a person’s oral health. 

Since 2007, KCHS has undertaken a Service Integration 

project. Through this project, new systems were implemented in 

both oral health and community health services to offer clients 

with an integrated (timely, co-ordinated, holistic) access to the 

services they need. 

An Integrated Services Model relying on two streamlined client 

pathways between oral health and community health services 

has been developed and trialled. Each pathway is underpinned 

by screening and assessment tools, standardised referral 

pathways and feedback loops. 

The service integration work achieved thus far contributes to 

the improvement of service provision at various levels: 

Improving health outcomes through early intervention 

Clients presenting in community health services with 

recognised risk factors for the development or worsening of 

oral health issues are identifi ed early and referred onto oral 

health services 

Oral health clients are placed in the centre of service 

delivery, and provided with an opportunity to indicate that 

they have other health needs they wish to get investigated 

Improving patient experience 

The transition between oral health and community health 

services is better supported and more seamless 

The communication of client information is improved 

between oral health and community health services 

Improving organisational outcomes – Screening tools 

and referral pathways implemented provide structure and 

contribute to standardisation 

Oral health and general health issues are integrated into 

regular clinical practice 

Client pathway between oral health and community health 

The novel systems trialled are undergoing formal evaluation. 

Measures are currently undertaken to ensure a sustainable 

embedment into ongoing practice. 

Over 60 clients have been referred through these new systems 

and are now benefi ting from a more holistic approach to care. 

BETTER HEALTH THROUGH ORAL HEALTH 


The Knox Chinese Seniors Wellbeing Project 

The Knox Chinese Seniors Wellbeing project has been 

a great success in bringing local and mainstream agencies 

together to work in partnership with the aim of coordinating 

and improving services for Chinese seniors in 

Knox. The partnership (Network) is comprised of KCHS, 

CareConnect, Centrelink, Chinese Community Social 

Services Centre Inc, Eastern Regional Libraries, Knox City 

Council, Migrant Information Centre, Orana Neighbourhood 

House, Rowville & District Neighbourhood House and 

Wesley Do Care. 

Knox Library has been the ‘shop-front’, as Chinese 

seniors go there knowing that they can get the assistance 

and information they need. It is a mutually benefi cial 

arrangement because it is also promoting the library 

services to the Chinese seniors and their families. It is 

also important to acknowledge the in-kind support from 

all the partner agencies especially the support provided 

to the associated community reference group (Community 

Planning Group). 

The Community Planning Group is a group of Chinese 

seniors that has been actively involved with the Network 

in planning activities with a focus on promoting a healthy 

lifestyle and social connectedness. 

Activities and groups have been successful and well 

attended 

More than 50% of the participants in the KCHS Chinese 

Seniors Gym Pilot Program went back to the gym on 

their own to participate in mainstream gym classes 

Other activities have included a variety of health talks 

and visits to organisations 

“To us, I think through this program the fundamental thing 

is sort of like a bridge - you know we are not just living in 

this house. We are able to communicate, connect with this 

society through this local community and we feel more 

comfortable living in Australia. I think that is a big issue.” 

FROM COMMUNITY PLANNING GROUP MEMBER INTERVIEW 

The co-operation and support between Network agencies 

has been really fantastic. 

FOCUS ON FITNESS 

We’ve conducted the partnership analysis and the result 

places the partnership at the collaborative level. Network 

members are willing to continue to co-operate and 

contribute their expertise, and they are now looking at their 

own organisational directions to see how the partnership 

can be sustained. A report of the project outcomes to date 

is currently being prepared and will be available shortly. 

“I think Knox Community Health is setting a blue print 

or role model for other agencies in the near future to 

revisit the way they look after multicultural clients…. It 

actually encourages health centres to be more proactive 

in building partnerships. …. The advantage of this group 

is that we have quite a few Chinese speaking workers and 

that really helps.” 

NETWORK MEMBER INTERVIEW 


Developments 

in the Tobacco 

Free Clinic at 


Since 2007, when KCHS fi rst 

incorporated a Tobacco Free Clinic into 

the services offered, there have been 

several key developments. Originally 

known as the Smoke Free Clinic, now 

the Tobacco Free Clinic, emphasises 

the hazards of tobacco use. This name 

change was infl uenced by feedback from 

the indigenous community around sacred 

smoking ceremonies. 

Initially, the Tobacco Free counsellor’s 

role was coupled with that of Alcohol 

and other Drug Counsellor. This led to an 

incorporation of Tobacco in the naming of 

the Alcohol and other Drug team here at 

KCHS. 

The team is now known as the ATOD 

team. Today, this is even more relevant 

as three of the ATOD team members 

are now qualifi ed tobacco cessation 

clinicians. 

The service has now expanded to be 

offered at both the Ferntree Gully and 

Wantirna sites with the Tobacco Free 

Clinic waitlist being a manageable 

average wait time of two weeks. The 

focus for the next 12 months will be 

on ongoing service delivery with an 

emphasis on collation of data to evaluate 

effi cacy of the service and general client 

demographics to facilitate appropriate 

provision of services. 



Wantirna – DAFNE 

The DAFNE Program, or “Dose 

Adjustment For Normal Eating” is 

changing the lives of people with type 

1 diabetes, by showing them how and 

when to eat and still manage their blood 

sugars by adjusting their insulin using 

a more scientifi c framework. The motto 

of DAFNE is “eat what you like, like what 

you eat”. 

LINDA AND JANE AT A DAFNE CLASS 

Originating from Germany, this course is 

run jointly by a diabetes nurse educator 

and dietitian after undergoing extensive 

training, which is imperative in providing 

a quality-assured service based on an 

innovative yet evidence-based approach 

of managing people with type 1 diabetes. 

Apart from addressing day-to-day 

concerns people with type 1 diabetes 

face, the DAFNE program helps improve 

quality of life and reduces the likelihood 

of long-term complications of diabetes. 

DAFNE provides a Stepwise Approach to 

manage insulin levels and food intake. 

“It’s remarkable; I never used to be able 

to have sweet desserts before DAFNE. 

Now when I am offered birthday cake, I 

can say yes. If I only want a light lunch, 

I might only need a few units of insulin. 

However, if I go for that big plate of pasta, 

I can, with more insulin. Type 1 diabetes 

no longer dictates what and when I 

eat. It was hard fi rst, having to weigh all 

your food and look up the carbohydrate 

content on the food label or in a book. 

But the more you do it, the easier it gets. 

Now I can look at the plate and do most 

of the calculations in my head.” 

David Munro, with type 1 diabetes for 

over 28 years. 

When asked after attending a 40 hour 

course like DAFNE over fi ve consecutive 

days, participants upon completion 

have surprisingly said that they would 

like more time. This is attributed to the 

hands-on approach of DAFNE combined 

with the guidance of the team who 

imparted self-management skills for 

participants in a safe environment 

of learning from up to seven other 

participants as well as the DAFNEtrained 

facilitators. To ensure support is 

provided to the DAFNE program, health 

professionals such as dietitians and 

diabetes nurse educators are provided 

with ongoing training. 

A recent collaboration between Diabetes 

Australia – Victoria and KCHS has led to 

an acceptance of a presentation at the 

2009 Australian Disease Management 

Association Conference. The fi ndings 

will showcase implementing DAFNE in a 

community health setting, where KCHS 

is the fi rst in Australia to do so. This 

is a departure from providing DAFNE 

in a hospital setting, where a multidisciplinary 

team is likely to be more 

accessible for DAFNE graduates as they 

manage their health in partnership 

with healthcare professionals in the 


Conference Presentations 

In 2008-09, the staff of KCHS has contributed to the furthering of knowledge through a number of presentations as the following 

conferences/forums: 

Natural Neighbourhood conference, Melbourne: 

‘Creating a child friendly inclusive Neighbourhood Hub in 

Bayswater West: A case study for successfully engaging local 

residents in neighbourhood development’ 

22-23 June 2009 

Monash University – 3rd Year Health Science Lecture 

(presented twice) 

‘Mothers Living Well a place based action research project to 

identify and respond to local access needs amongst women 

with children in Bayswater.’ 

DHS Partnership PCP conference, Melbourne 

‘Mothers Living Well - Partnerships and Social Inclusion’. 

‘Children’s travel and independent mobility in a changing 

world’- Presentations from leading researchers and case 

studies from TravelSmart. Melbourne 

‘Mothers Living Well Case Study’ 

Department of Transport TravelSmart collegiate Network 

presentation, Melbourne 

‘Mothers Living Well a place based action research project to 

identify and respond to local access needs amongst women 

with children in Bayswater’ 


Social Inclusion Series - Many Entry Points for Connected 

Community. Outer East PCP 

‘A Journey through Multiple Paths – Learning’s from Mothers 

Living Well’ 

7th Annual Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health 

Conference, Melbourne 

‘Youth KISS project: Sexual Health Conversations with Young 

people’ 

5, 6, and 7 November 2008 

7th Annual Australian and New Zealand Adolescent Health 

Conference, Melbourne 

‘RAGE- An innovative SMS harm minimisation’ 

5, 6, and 7 November 2008 

Australian Diabetes Educators Association National 

Conference Melbourne 27-29 August 

Poster presentation: ‘Oral Health Diabetes pathways - 

Facilitating Early Intervention to oral Health care for at Risk 

Individuals’ 

National Australian Conference on Evidence-based Clinical 

Leadership, 27 to 29 May 2009; Adelaide, South Australia. 

‘Integrating evidence-based practice into a community 

health service: Linking amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) 

and oral health’

Improved Services Initiative Grant – Co-morbidity 

Improving services for people with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues 

As a recipient of a three year grant from the 

Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, 

the ATOD team have focused on building capability to 

respond to people with co-occurring mental health and 

substance use issues. These funds have supported staff to 

develop their expertise in a range of the latest up-to-date 

therapeutic methods as well as establishing important 

linkages and partnerships with the mental health 

sector. New screening tools have been implemented for 

early identifi cation of mental health problems and risk 

assessment; these tools have resulted in excellent referral 

outcomes and increased awareness of underlying 

co-occurring conditions. 

100% of clients attending for ATOD counselling will be 

routinely screened for positive psychiatric symptoms and 

their co-occurring mental health condition will be of equal 

priority to their presenting substance concern. 

The recruitment of a consultant psychiatrist, Dr Bernard 

Hickey has provided valued assistance in review of clients 

with co-occurring conditions and liaison with general 

practitioners and mental health services. Dr Bernard 

Hickey attends KCHS one day a month to provide capacity 

building to the ATOD team. 


Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression 

Two staff were privileged to 

complete an intensive eight 

day course with Professor Mark 

Williams (UK) and Dr. Maura 

Kenny (Adelaide) in Mindfulness 

Based Cognitive therapy. MBCT 

is an increasingly popular and 

cutting edge method for working 

with clients with depression/ 

anxiety and pain management. 

In addition to this training the 

ATOD team have been consulting 

with Professor Alan Marlatt 

(Washington University) in 

regards to the application of this 

method to people with substance 

use disorders and co-occurring 

conditions. Professor Marlatt has 

generously provided resources for 

an eight week Mindfulness Based 

Relapse Prevention program 

which is yet to be published. This 

program has commenced to trial 

the benefi ts of this approach for 

people with substance use and cooccurring 

substance and mental 

health concerns. 

TANJA FRIJLINK, DR MAURA KENNY, PROF. MARK WILLIAMS AND JENNI THOMPSON 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) 

The ATOD and Counselling teams have completed both the introductory and advanced training of ACT with Dr Russ Harris. 

This therapy is mindfulness based therapeutic approach gaining evidence of effectiveness with a range of conditions 

including mental health, substance use and relationship counselling. Dr Russ Harris will continue to provide refresher 

courses over the next two years to support consolidation of this approach and further professional development. 



Volunteers Program Report 2008-09 

Knox Community Health 

Service commends the 

wonderful team of volunteers 

who support our programs. 

IT’S ALL WHISTLES AND PARTY HATS TO CELEBRATE VOLUNTEERS WEEK 2009 

The KCHS volunteer program now has 39 registered volunteers 

due to a successful recruiting campaign. Over the last two 

years, some of the volunteers have had opportunities to 

become involved in a variety of groups giving them a wider 

range of experiences and assisting to develop new skills. We 

have seen more interest from our younger community members 

to join the team of volunteers. 

One of our major tasks this year was to provide volunteers with 

First Aid, CPR and speciality training to enable them to assist 

with facilitation of the Better Health Self Management program 

KCHS nominated two volunteers for awards, Trish Smart for the 

2009 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards and Margot Petersen 

for the Victorian Day Award for the electorate of Knox. 

Volunteers provided valuable input by participating in the 

Public Focus Group Strategic Planning meeting in May. KCHS 

commends the wonderful team of volunteers who support our 

programs. 

Trish is nominated for the 2009 Minister of Health Volunteer Awards 

The inaugural volunteer’s award celebrates and recognises the dedicated volunteers 

who are at the heart of Victoria’s health care system. The categories were for: 

Outstanding achievement by an individual volunteer 

Outstanding achievement by a volunteer team 

Trish, a KCHS volunteer since 2002, was nominated for Outstanding Individual 

Volunteer award. 

Over this period, she has helped with administrative tasks and from 2005 assists with 

the Active Chair Based group. 

Among her strengths, Trish is a caring and considerate person. Showing empathy 

towards the clients, staff and volunteers at KCHS. She is always ready in times of need 

when there is a volunteer shortage so that there isn’t any interruption to the group 

activities. 

Trish was surprised by her nomination and accepted it on behalf of all the volunteers at 

KCHS. Sean Leane MP, visited KCHS in May to present Trish with her certifi cate. 

SEAN LEANE MP AND TRISH SMART 


70% 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0 

Online 

Attendance at presentations 

Written 

a workshop/ eg presentation 

resources 

training session with audio via the 

intranet 

One-on-one 

discussion 

Group 

discussion 

Requesting 

particular 

information 

about ATS via an 

intranet 

chat room 

60% 

50% 

40% 

30% 

20% 

10% 

0 

Workshop 

a tendance 

Online 

presentation 

Wri ten 

resources 

One-on-one 

discussion 

Emailed notice 

Group 

of update 

discussion 

information 

A l of sta f 

meeting 

Amphetamine- 

Type Stimulants 

(ATS) project 

2008-09 

Funded by the 

Commonwealth Department 

of Health and Ageing, 

ATS Initiative. 

Integrating evidence based practice 

into a community health service: 

Linking amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and oral health 

Project 

Building internal capacity and capability for an integrated service response to better identify young 

people and adults at risk of and affected by ATS. 

Background 

2007: estimated 73,000 Australians or 0.7% of the population aged 15-49 years being dependent on 

amphetamine type stimulants & is increasing. 1 

Community service providers are seeing an increase in clients presenting with addictions, mental 

health and oral health issues. 

Capacity building foci for community service 

Staff information needs for professional development; informing clinical practice; building 

confi dence in managing & referring clients for support to reduce addiction to ATS; and self interest. 

Governance structures to incorporate policies related to interacting with clients who use ATS and 

other illicit drugs. 

Duty of Care issues. 

Providing consumer information about ATS that is current and evidence based: in-house and 

external resources. 

Connecting with the wider community in providing information about the prevalence of ATS use 

and available support services. 

Method 

Literature review to inform capacity building foci. 

Staff survey to understand ATS Information needs. 

Literature review 

What are amphetamine type stimulants - ATS? 

Potent central nervous stimulant: therapeutic & illicit; manufactured from various precursor agents. 2 

Is highly addictive: inhaled, snorted, smoked, ingested, IV injection, inserted vaginally and rectally. 3 

MA, MDMA, PMA: users & abusers. 4 

In this project ATS = speed, base, ice, ecstasy. 

What are the systemic effects? 

AMI, CVA increased morbidity and mortality. 6 

‘Meth Mouth’: xerostomia, bruxosis & rampant caries poor oral care. 7 

Poor Oral health is linked with ‘the total burden of disease and to overall health and well being 8 , p.1041 

Clinical implications? 

Impact on anaesthesia. 9 

Oral health treatments. 7 

Management when ‘tweaking’. 10 

Survey 

24 questions – a mixture of multiple choice & qualitative: www.surveymonkey.com 

Analysis 

Staff preferences for receiving information 

A workshop/training session (n=36, 65%) & written resources (n=28, 51%). 

No respondents interested in an intranet chat room to request information. 

One respondent replied that the method ‘doesn’t matter too much as long as the training is 

targeted to the needs of sub groups’. 

Staff preferences for updates 

Emailed notices of update information (n=30: 55%) & All-of-Staff meetings (n=21: 38%). 

Another preference was written resources (n=15: 27%) - combined with written emails indicates a 

high response for written information (n=45; 81%). 

Preferred method fo receiving information about ATS 

Qualitative requests for information 

Preferred method fo receiving updates about ATS 

A 12 month capacity building project for 

the whole of KCHS aimed to increase 

knowledge and confi dence in staff about 

ATS to better support their clients. ATS 

include illicit substances such as speed, 

base, ice and ecstasy and prescribed 

medication to treat conditions such as 

narcolepsy, ADHD and obesity. 

57 staff completed a survey to 

understand information needs about ATS. 

Overall, staff indicated a need to have 

information about ATS and implications 

for practice. Staff preferred training 

sessions and written materials to learn 

about ATS, with updates via All-of-Staff 

meetings and electronic communications. 

Frontline staff indicated concern about 

managing clients who may present 

intoxicated with ATS or other drugs. 

Specifi c for reception and intake will 

include ‘Handle with Care’ and selfdefence 

sessions. 

Authors: Susan J King 1 and Jenni Thompson 2 

1 ATS Project Offi cer, 2 Co-ordinator Counselling Services, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs: Knox Community Health Services 

Outcomes 

Governance: 

‘Does it affect a person’s diabetes, eg. blood sugar too low or too high?’ 

‘I think what is needed is formalised procedures to respond appropriately to an ATS intoxicated person’ 

‘If client’s report using 2 days ago are they still going to have the drug in their system?’ 

‘What is ‘speed feet’?’ 

REFERENCES 

1 McKetin R, Kelly, E. Socio-demographic factors associated with methamphetamine 

treatment contact among dependent methamphetamine users in Sydney, 

Australia. Drug & Alcohol Review 2007; 26: 161-168. 

2 Rothman R, Baumann M. Monoamine transporters and psychostimulant drugs. 

European Journal of Pharmacology 2003; 479:23-40. 

3 Hamamoto D, Rhodus N. Methamphetamine abuse and dentistry. Oral Diseases 

2009; Epub ahead of printing. 

4 Lee N, Johns L, Jenkinson R, Johnston J, Conno ly K, Ha l K, et al. 

Methamphetamine dependence and treatment. Fitzroy, Victoria: Turning Point 

Alcohol & Drug Centre Inc; 2007. 

5 Hando J, Topp L, Ha l, W. Amphetamine-related harms and trteatment preferences 

of regular amphetamine users in Sydney, Australia. Drug & Alcohol Dependence. 

1997; 46: 105-113. 

Written Information: 

meth mouth 

Policy & procedures about managing clients who present with behavioural disturbances 

(clients intoxicated with ATS or other drugs). 

Clinical resources: 

KCHS screening & assessment tools 

incorporating questions about use of 

ATS and other illicit drugs. 

Fact sheets: ATS & discipline specifi c 

information including clinical implications 

– eg Oral Health Therapists. 

Consumer information: 

PenDAP 

Guide to construct consumer 

information for KCHS clients using 

KCHS templates - eg ATS & Oral Health. 

6 Kaye S, Darke S, Dufl ou J, McKetin R. Methamphetamine-related fatalities in 

Australia: demographics, circumstances, toxicology and major organ pathology. 

Addiction 2008; 103:1353-1360. 

7 Shaner J, Kimmes N, Saini T, Edwards P. “Meth mouth”: Rampant caries in 

methaphetamine abusers. AIDS Patient Care and STDs 2006; 20(3):146-151. 

8 Rautemaa R, Lauhio A, Cu linan M, Seymour G. Oral infections and systemic 

disease - an emerging problem in medicine. Clinical Microbiology and Infection 

2007; 13(11):1041-1047. 

9 Brotto V, Lee G. Substance use and its implications for the critical care nurses: A 

literature review. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing 2007; 23:64-70. 

10 Buxton J, Dove N. The burden and management of crystal meth use. CMAJ 2008; 

178(12):doi:10.1503/cmaj.071234. 

Project Outcomes: 

Written Resources: A brochure about 

ATS and Oral Health; fact sheets 

about ATS for Oral Health team, ATS 

implications for people diagnosed with 

chronic and complex conditions such as 

diabetes and intellectual disability and 

recognising ATS-psychosis. Resources 

incorporated critical reviews from 

experts, stakeholders and other Alcohol 

and Other Drugs Services. 

Health Promotion: A harm minimisation 

tool constructed as a ‘showbag’ with 

resources to promote good oral health 

with clients who use ATS. 

KCHS Service Quality: 

Recommendations accepted by 

senior managers to develop policy 

and procedures about ‘managing 

disturbing behaviours’ to address and 

support frontline staff concerns 

Incorporated questions about use of 

ATS and other illicit drugs in KCHS 

client screening and assessment 

tools 

Constructed a consumer information 

audit tool specifi c to KCHS to assess 

incoming information and guide 

KCHS brochures and fact sheet 

development. Such a tool ensures 

staff are confi dent in providing clients 

information that is accurate, clear, 

relevant and current 

Developed a brochure template for 

consistent presentation of consumer 

information about services and 

programs in the community health 

and ATOD counselling services 

Sustainable Resource: In development, 

an electronic resource for new staff 

about ATS, the effects, implications for 

support services and clinical practice. 

Dissemination: ‘Integrating evidencebased 

practice into a community health 

service’ poster presented at National 

Australian Conference on Evidencebased 

Clinical Leadership. 


Acknowledgements: This project is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. 

National Australian Conference on Evidence-based Clinical Leadership, 27th to 29th May 2009. Adelaide, SA. 

Knox Community Health Service: 1063 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully VIC 3156 Phone: (03) 9757 6200 Fax: (03) 9756 6293 Email: susan.king@kchs.org.au 



Oral Health Program 

STERILISED INSTRUMENTS 

The oral health 

program staff members 

have actively contributed 

to…provide broad health 

needs assessments for 

clients accessing dental 

services. 

KCHS has a 10 chair Dental Clinic which 

provides a full range of dental services to 

the community including: 

Early Childhood Oral Health Program 

School Dental Program 

Youth Dental Program 

General Adult Dental Services 

Emergency Dental Care 

The 2008-09 year has presented a 

number of signifi cant challenges for the 

KCHS public oral health program. 

The increasing demand for services and 

the competition with the private sector to 

attract and retain suitable clinical staff 

has seen an increase in the number of 

people waiting to access services. 

Up until the end of 2008, KCHS had 

provided vouchers for people with urgent 

dental needs to attend private dentists 

for emergency care when no suitable 

appointment was available. 

The rationalisation of the available 

public funds has meant that we now 

need to focus on ‘in-house’ care. More 

appointments are targeted to respond 

to emergency care, initially impacting on 

clients on our general dental waiting list. 

An intensive recruitment and retention 

process was undertaken at the end of 

2008 to build a full capacity workforce 

resulting in a greater use of the 10 chair 

capacity in 2009. 

Our oral health workforce consists of 

experienced dentists, oral health and 

dental therapists and prosthetists 

working with a number of new graduate 

clinicians. A high level of collaboration 

and across discipline support means 

that clients are receiving the best 

possible care by the most suitable 

clinician. 

Throughout the year, four Bachelor of 

Dental Science and Bachelor of Oral 

Health students work in the clinic under 

the full supervision of the experienced 

clinicians. The students provide valuable 

additional dental services to our clients 

and gain comprehensive learning 

experiences in preparation for their 

graduation as oral health professionals. 

The oral health program staff members 

have actively contributed to the 

development of an integrated service 

model and provide broad health needs 

assessments for clients accessing dental 

services. 

The SRS project activity has resulted 

in an increase in people with high 

health needs and disabilities accessing 

services. Providing care to this client 

group requires the clinical staff to work 

with additional understanding of the 

range of factors impacting on the client’s 

ability to maintain their oral health. A 

key focus of the program has been the 

provision of professional development 

opportunities to clinical staff to ensure 

they have the skills to respond to this 

challenge. 


Corporate Support Services 

The KCHS Corporate Support Services achievements for 2008-09 include: 

Enhancement of Finance and Management reporting systems 

Introduction of new Payroll Systems 

Installation of TrakCare Client Management System 

Setting up an Intranet 


The delivery of our programs’ services is supported by the Finance, Human Resources and Information 

Technology teams. Signifi cant changes to processes and personnel have been made to ensure that this 

support is as effective as possible. 

The Finance team have continued to build on the functionality of the new fi nancial management system 

including adding new functionality in reporting, on-line reconciliations and Electronic Funds Transfer 

(EFT) payments. 

Human Resources have implemented a new payroll system and have continued to provide sound 

organisational development and industrial relations support for the organisation experiencing sustained 

growth in personnel. An emphasis remains on providing a safe working environment and this has 

included such measures as the provision of defi brillators throughout our sites. 

As in most organisations, the demands on information technology continuously increase and thus 

considerable investment has been made in the upgrade of servers, workstations and communications. 

A major change in how we centralise and streamline communications, manage documents and provide 

information for training, orientation and safety has been through the development of an intranet. 

In September 2008, as part of the State Government’s HealthSMART ICT strategy, KCHS implemented 

a new Client Management System called TrakCare. Prior to the “Go Live” of TrakCare there was an 

enormous amount of preparatory work including reviewing current processes, training and upgrade 

of equipment. Signifi cant administrative resources are still required to support staff and manage the 

ongoing changes being made to the product. 

TrakCare has not delivered all that it promised and there are elements of the product that have 

complicated existing processes, however, the core functionality of the product works very well and has 

introduced greater accountability for the management and delivery of client services. Generally, clinical 

staff prefer the new software and over time the product will evolve to become a comprehensive tool to 

complement the ongoing delivery of quality services at KCHS. 

THE IT AND INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT OFFICER WORKING ON THE INTRANET 



Active Health 

The Active Health Program area consists of programs and 

services funded via the Victorian Department of Human 

Services (DHS) Community Health funding, including chronic 

disease and Home and Community Care (HACC) funding. 

Services provided by Active Health include: 

Podiatry 

Physiotherapy 

Occupational Therapy 

Dietetics 

Cardiovascular 

Respiratory Nursing 

Diabetes Nurse Education 

The Active Health program area also provides physiotherapy, 

dietetics and podiatry through HARP. Other specialist services 

are: 

Osteoarthritis 

Health Psychology 

Tobacco Free Clinic 

My life has been transformed over the last 

two years and I can say with absolute certainty 

that I owe it all to the [BHSMP] program. 

As well as providing individual clinical interventions to clients 

the Active Health Program area provides a large number 

of groups such as exercise groups for the elderly and self 

management groups. The allied health and nursing staff are 

very ably supported by a number of allied health assistants. 

Dedicated staff have continued to work hard to ensure the 

best possible standard of care is provided to clients and 

the community. Other developments for 2008-09 worthy of 

mentioning are:- 

KCHS continues to have a very dedicated team of volunteers 

who assist on a broad range of levels such as supporting 

groups and administration tasks 

During 2008-09 KCHS has continued down the path of 

further developing systems for integrated and co-ordinated 

service delivery. This aims to provide clients with a whole of 

health approach and that services are co-ordinated 

KCHS has a strong partnership with the KDGP. The KCHS 

General Practitioner Liaison position based at the Division, 

constantly works at strengthening the links between General 

Practitioners and KCHS 

Next Step Beyond Rehab is a Phase 3 program for 

cardiovascular rehabilitation. The partnership consists of 

Eastern Health, KCHS, KDGP and the YMCA 

The Better Health Self-Management Program - A six week 

course providing opportunities for people who live with longterm 

health conditions to develop new skills to manage their 

condition better. The course leaders are a clinician from the 

Active Health Program area and a KCHS volunteer who lives 

with a long-term health condition. 

“I was helped in many areas of my life” 

“My life has been transformed over the last two years and 

I can say with absolute certainty that I owe it all to the 

program” 

The Diabetes Self-Management Program - is a program 

designed for people with type 2 diabetes and their carers. 

The program is facilitated by diabetes nurse educators, 

dietitians and physiotherapists. The course includes: 

– Healthy eating 

– Label reading 

– Blood glucose management 

– Working with health professionals 

– Investing in health for the future 

Knox Festival – The Knox Festival was held on February 28 

and March 1, 2009. KCHS staff and volunteers participated 

including supporting the KCHS stand where a number of 

activities were well received by the public. The main areas 

KCHS focused on were: 

– Raising awareness of the health issues of Indigenous 

Australians 

– Nutrition with a colouring competition for the youngsters 

– Exercise with some KCHS staff participating in a bike ride 

to the festival 

2009 KNOX FESTIVAL 



Counselling Paediatric 

and Health Development 

Program 

The Counselling Paediatric and Health 

Development Program area consists of: 

Family Violence 

Family Services 

Paediatric Occupational Therapy 

Paediatric Speech Pathology 

Child Psychology 

Forensic Alcohol 

Other Drug Counselling 

Health Promotion 

In addition to these services, funded through the 

Victorian Department of Human Services, the 

Counselling Paediatric and Health Development 

Program also provide alcohol and other drug 

counselling funded through the Commonwealth 

Department of Health and Ageing. 

The growth in alcohol and other drug counselling 

services KCHS has been funded through the 

Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing 

for two signifi cant capacity building projects, 

the ATS project and the Co-occurring Conditions 

project. These developments have assisted to 

put KCHS on the map as a signifi cant player in 

providing alcohol and other drug related services. 



Treasurer’s Report 

Presented in this report is the audited Concise Financial Report. The annual result for 2008 - 09 was a loss of 

$191,287 compared to last financial year’s profit of $205,403. 

Total Revenue of $9,546,231 increased 

by $637,902 over the prior year but 

was offset by increased employee 

costs of $625,459 refl ecting the higher 

number of staff and increased program 

operating expenses of $164,406 due 

to enhanced provision of oral health 

services. In addition, $76,000 was 

spent on legal and consulting fees for 

the transition to the new corporate 

structure and development of the new 

strategic plan; $106,000 was incurred 

on reorganisation costs and $82,000 on 

further IT improvements. This was also 

the fi rst full year of the Wantirna site for 

which the annual cost is approximately 

$200,000 (Wantirna costs for nine 

months included in the prior year were 

approximately $154,000). 

Millions 

REVENUE & EXPENDITURE 

$12.0 

$10.0 

$8.0 

$0.0 

$6.0 

$4.0 

$2.0 

96/97 97 

97/98 98 

98/99 99 9 

TOTAL INCOME TOTAL EXPENSES 

99/00 

0 

00/01 01 

01/02 02 

02/03 03 

03/04 04 

04/05 05 

96/97 97 

97/98 98 

98/99 99 9 

99/00 

0 

00/01 01 

01/02 02 

02/03 03 

03/04 04 

04/05 05 

05/06 06 

06/07 07 

07/08 08 

05/06 06 

08/09 09 

06/07 07 

07/08 08 

08/09 09 

Millions 

TOTAL EQUITY 

$2.0 

$1.8 

$1.6 

$1.4 

$1.2 

$1.0 

$0.8 

Despite this year’s defi cit, Members’ 

Equity remains strong at approximately 

$1.7M. KCHS is well positioned to 

face the challenges proposed in the 

changing health environment as 

foreshadowed in recent National Health 

Reform announcements. 

$0.6 

$0.4 

$0.2 

$0.0 


The expenditure committed in 2008 - 09 to reorganisation and 

development provides the Service with a capability to not only withstand 

but to succeed in the dynamic health service environment. 



TREASURER 

Revenue continues to be highly reliant on 

State Government grants which this year 

amounted to $8,332,530 or 87% of total 

revenue compared with $7,790,870 

last year. Of that income $1,165,301 is 

dispersed to other agencies participating 

in the HARP programs. 

Federal Government grants tripled to 

$450,000 this year particularly for drug 

and alcohol programs. 

COMPOSITION OF REVENUE 

Federal Operating Grants 5% 

State Operating Grants 86% 

Other Operating Grants 1% 

State Equipment Grants 1% 

Fee for Service/Sales 5% 

Interest 1% 

Other Income 1% 

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS 

Employee Benefits 65% 

Contracted Services 12% 

Depreciation & Amortisation 3% 

Accommodation 3% 

Administration 7% 

Program Operating 7% 

Other 3% 

Employee related costs remain the major 

cost of the Service and equivalent full 

time employees grew from 85 at the 

start of the year to 89 by year’s end. 

Increasing resources have also been 

used for improvements to our IT systems 

to comply with ever growing reporting 

requirements. 

We remain committed to furthering the 

reach of our services throughout the 

region. 

The expenditure committed in 2008 - 09 to reorganisation and development provides the Service with a capability to 

not only withstand but to succeed in the dynamic health service environment. During the forthcoming year, importance 

will continue to be placed on expanding our services within the community commensurate with the fi nancial resources 

available. 


TREASURER 




Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2009 

Knox Community Health Service Ltd. ACN 137 426 503 

Directors’ Report 

Your directors present their report on the company for the fi nancial year ended 30 June 2009. 

Directors 

The names of the directors in offi ce at any time during or since the end of the fi nancial year are: 

Mr Gautam Gupta (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Mr Peter Hill (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Mr Cameron Moroney (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Mrs Lesley Richardson (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Mrs Lesley-Anne Sleep (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Dr Lisa Ting-Chan (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Mr Robin Verity (Appointed 1 June 2009) 

Directors have been in offi ce since the start of the fi nancial year to the date of this report unless 

otherwise stated. 

Company Secretary 

The following person held the position of company secretary at the end of the fi nancial year: 

Mr Christopher Potter - B Sc (Econ) University of Hull, England; Associate of Chartered Institute of Public 

Finance & Accountancy (UK). Mr Potter has worked for Knox Community Health Service Ltd. for seven 

months, his current position is CEO. Mr Potter was appointed as company secretary on 1 June 2009. 

Operating Results 

The defi cit of the company for the fi nancial year amounted to $191,287. 

Review of Operations 

A review of the operations of the company during the fi nancial year and the results of those operations 

found that during the year, the company continued to engage in its principal activity, the results of which 

are disclosed in the attached fi nancial statements. 

Significant Changes in State of Affairs 

Signifi cant changes in the state of affairs of the company that occurred during the fi nancial year, other 

than those referred to elsewhere in this report, are as follows: 

During the fi nancial year the organisation changed its incorporation status from an Associated 

Incorporation under the Associations Incorporation Act of 1981 to a Company Limited by Guarantee. The 

effective date of the company’s registration was 1 June 2009. 


Principal Activities 

The principal activities of the company during the fi nancial year were to provide, identify, respond, 

promote and improve health needs and the wellbeing of the community. No signifi cant change in the 

nature of these activities occurred during the year. 

After Balance Date Events 

No matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the fi nancial year which signifi cantly affected 

or may signifi cantly affect the operations of the company, the results of those operations, or the state of 

affairs of the company in future fi nancial years. 

Likely Developments 

The company expects to maintain the present status and level of operations and hence there are no 

likely developments in the company’s operations. 

Environmental Issues 

The company’s operations are not regulated by any signifi cant environmental regulation under a law of 

the Commonwealth or of a State or Territory. 

Dividends Paid or Recommended 

No dividends were paid or declared since the start of the fi nancial year. No recommendation for payment 

of dividends has been made. 

Information on Directors 

The information on directors is as follows: 


Mr Gautam Gupta — Director 

Qualifi cations — BSLH, GDIT, ACHSE, MAICD 

Experience 

— Over 10 years experience in Healthcare delivery, representation and 

teaching. Managing Director of Symphony Hearing. 

Mr Peter Hill 

— Vice President 

Qualifi cations — Computer Consultant specialising in infrastructure development & support, 

strategic planning & project management. 

Experience 

— Previously held senior IT management roles with a number of major 

corporations. 

Mr Cameron Moroney — Treasurer; Member of Finance, Investment & Audit Committee; Member of 

Quality & Risk Committee 

Qualifi cations — Bch Business Studies - Accounting / Information Systems / Commercial 

Law(Swinburne University) 

Mrs Lesley Richardson — Vice President, Member of Quality & Risk Committee 

Qualifi cations — B Sc (Physiotherapy) University of Witwatersrand, RSA 

Experience 

— Physiotherapy in hospital, clinical and vocational rehabilitation; 8 years 

Senior Rehabilitation Consultant experience. 

Mrs Lesley-Anne Sleep — President; Member of Finance, Investment & Audit Committee 

Qualifi cations — B.Bus., MBA, CPA, FTIA, MAICD 

Experience 

— Director, Angliss Hospital Board (1994-1995), Director, PICCOL (Credit 

Union)Board (1984 - 1987), Director Knox Community Health Service Inc 

(1997-2009),Treasurer from 2000, President from 2005. 

Dr Lisa Ting-Chan — Director 

Qualifi cations — BA, LLB, LLM, PhD (Engineering) 

Experience 

— Director, Knox Community Health Service from April 2007. Director, 

Australia-Indonesia Legal Development Foundation 1996-2002. 

A background in law, community development and land administration 

policy reform. 

Mr Robin Verity — Director 

Qualifi cations — Developed a successful and respected construction business. 

Experience 

— Former Club President of the Rotary Club; Chair of Knox Life Educational 

Committee; a member of the Knox School Council; an active member of 

the KCHS Board, serving two years as Secretary and fi ve years as Vice 

President, whilst also serving on the Finance and Audit Sub-Committee. 



Meetings of Directors 

DIRECTORS 

DIRECTORS’ MEETINGS 

Number eligible 

to attend 

Number 

attended 

Mr Gautam Gupta (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 - 

Mr Peter Hill (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Mr Cameron Moroney (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Mrs Lesley Richardson (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Mrs Lesley—Anne Sleep (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Dr Lisa Ting-Chan (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Mr Robin Verity (Appointed 1 June 2009) 1 1 

Options 

No options over issued shares or interests in the company were granted during or since the end of the 

fi nancial year and there were no options outstanding at the end of the fi nancial year. 

Indemnification of Officer or Auditor 

During or since the end of the fi nancial year, the company has given indemnity or entered an agreement 

to indemnify, or paid or agreed to pay insurance premiums as follows: 

During the year, Department of Human Services on behalf of the company has paid premiums in respect 

of an insurance contract to indemnify offi cers against liabilities that may arise from their position as 

offi cers of the company. Offi cers indemnifi ed include the company secretary, all director and all executive 

offi cers participating in the management of the company. 

Further disclosure required under section 300(9) of the Corporations Act 2001 is prohibited under the 

terms of the contract. 

Proceedings on Behalf of the Company 

No person has applied for leave of Court to bring proceedings on behalf of the company or intervene in 

any proceedings to which the company is a party for the purpose of taking responsibility on behalf of the 

company for all or any part of those proceedings. The company was not a party to any such proceedings 

during the year. 

Auditor’s Independence Declaration 

A copy of the auditor’s independence declaration as required under section 307C of the Corporations Act 

2001 is set out on page 5. 

Signed in accordance with a resolution of the Board of Directors: 

Director 

Mrs Lesley-Anne Sleep - President 

Director 

Mr Cameron Moroney - Treasurer 

Dated this 15 th day of October 2009 


Discussion and Analysis of the Financial Statements 

for the Year Ended 30 June 2009 

Information on Knox Community Health Service Ltd. Concise Financial Report 

The concise fi nancial report is an extract from the full fi nancial report for the year ended 30 June 2009. 

The fi nancial statements and disclosures have been derived from the 2009 fi nancial report of Knox 

Community Health Service Ltd. A copy of the full fi nancial report and auditor’s report will be sent to any 

member, free of charge, upon request. 

The discussion and analysis is provided to assist members in understanding the concise fi nancial report. 

The discussion and analysis is based on Knox Community Health Service Ltd.’s fi nancial statements and 

the information contained in the concise fi nancial report has been derived from the full 2009 Financial 

Report of Knox Community Health Service Ltd. 


Income Statement 

The result for 2009 was a defi cit of $191,287 compared to a surplus of $205,403 for the prior year. 

Revenue increased by $637,902 in 2009 but was offset by the increase in employee benefi ts expense of 

$625,459. The result was further impacted by higher administration costs that included the transition to 

the new corporate structure and development of the new strategic plan; reorganisation costs; and higher 

IT expenditure. 

Balance Sheet 

Total equity remains strong despite reducing in 2009 by $191,287 to $1,697,455. 

Cash flow Statement 

Cash at the end of the fi nancial year reduced by $489,656 to $2,606,947 due to capital expenditure 

of $299,463 and$190,193 cash used in operating activities including the reduction of trade current 

liabilities 

Auditor’s Independence Declaration Under Section 307c 

of the Corporations Act 2001 to the Directors of 

Knox Community Health Service Ltd. 

I declare that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, during the year ended 30 June 2009 there have 

been: 

i) no contraventions of the auditor independence requirements as set out in the Corporations Act 2001 

in relation to the audit; and 

ii) no contraventions of any applicable code of professional conduct in relation to the audit. 

DANBY BLAND PROVAN & CO 

Chartered Accountants 

R A LANE 

Partner 

15 October 2009 

123 Camberwell Road 

HAWTHORN EAST 3123 



Income Statement 


2009 

2008 

Notes 

$ 

$ 

Revenue 2 9,546,231 8,908,329 

Employee benefi ts expense (6,312,112) (5,686,653) 

Depreciation and amortisation expenses (313,840) (258,226) 

Accommodation expenses (249,267) (249,424) 

Administration expenses (660,022) (531,718) 

Program operating expenses (728,110) (563,704) 

Contracted services (1,165,302) (1,090,279) 

Other expenses (308,865) (322,922) 

Surplus/(Defi cit) 3 (191,287) 205,403 

Balance Sheet 

as at 30 June 2009 

Notes 


$ 

2008 

$ 

CURRENT ASSETS 

Cash and cash equivalents 2,606,947 3,096,603 

Trade and other receivables 580,120 542,323 

TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 3,187,067 3,638,926 

NON-CURRENT ASSETS 

Property, plant and equipment 1,084,839 1,099,216 

TOTAL NON-CURRENT ASSETS 1,084,839 1,099,216 

TOTAL ASSETS 4,271,906 4,738,142 

CURRENT LIABILITIES 

Trade and other payables 775,079 1,039,738 

Provisions 589,298 548,908 

Other 928,193 1,045,993 

TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES 2,292,570 2,634,639 

NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 

Provisions 281,881 214,761 

TOTAL NON-CURRENT LIABILITIES 281,881 214,761 

TOTAL LIABILITIES 2,574,451 2,849,400 

NET ASSETS 1,697,455 1 888,742 

EQUITY 

Retained profi ts 1,697,455 1,888,742 

TOTAL EQUITY 1,697,455 1 888,742 

Statement Of Recognised Income and Expenditure 


Retained Earnings 

$ 

Balance at 1 July 2007 1,683,339 

Surplus attributable to members of the entity 205,403 

Balance at 30 June 2008 1,888,742 

Surplus/(Defi cit) attributable to members of the entity (191,287) 

Balance at 30 June 2009 1,697,455 


Cash Flow Statement 


Notes 


$ 

2008 

$ 

CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES 

Receipts from government grants 9,548,736 9,076,437 

Other receipts 539,236 643,152 

Payments to suppliers and employees (10,411,764) (8,378,057) 

Interest received 133,599 131,709 

Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities (190,193) 1,473 241 

CASH FLOW FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES 

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment - 45,660 

Payment for property, plant and equipment (299,463) (511,902) 

Net cash used in investing activities (299,463) (466,242) 

Net increase/(decrease) in cash held (489,656) 1,006,999 

Cash at beginning of fi nancial year 3,096,603 2,089,604 

Cash at end of fi nancial year 2,606,947 3,096,603 


Notes to the Financial Statements 


NOTE 1: Basis of Preparation of the Concise Financial Report 

The concise fi nancial report is an extract from the full fi nancial report for the year ended 30 June 2009. 

The concise fi nancial report has been prepared in accordance with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: 

Concise Financial Reports, and the Corporations Act 2001. 

The fi nancial statements, specifi c disclosures and other information included in the concise fi nancial 

report are derived from and are consistent with the full fi nancial report of Knox Community Health 

Service Ltd. The concise fi nancial report cannot be expected to provide as detailed understanding of 

the fi nancial performance, fi nancial position and fi nancing and investing activities of Knox Community 

Health Service Ltd. as the full fi nancial report. A copy of the full fi nancial report and auditor’s report will 

be sent to any member, free of charge, upon request. 

The fi nancial report of Knox Community Health Service Ltd. complies with all Australian equivalents to 

International Financial Reporting Standards (AIFRS) in their entirety. The presentation currency used in 

this concise fi nancial report is Australian dollars. 

NOTE 2: Revenue 


2008 

Notes 

$ 

$ 

- fee for service/sales 421,912 528,330 

- operating grants 2(a) 8,815,368 7,979,804 

- interest 2(b) 133,599 131,710 

- donations 170 42 

- equipment grants 83,862 81,551 

- other revenue 91,320 174,791 

9,546,231 8,896,228 

Other income 

- gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment - 12,101 

Total Revenue 9,546,231 8,908,329 

(a) Operating grants 

- All government grants 7,963,242 7,141,189 

- Other organisations 852,126 838,615 

8,815,368 7,979,804 

(b) Interest from: 

- fi nancial institutions 133,599 131,710 



NOTE 3: Surplus/(Deficit) 

Notes 


$ 

2008 

$ 

Surplus/(defi cit) has been determined after: 

(a) Expenses 

Bad and doubtful debts 7,564 6,045 

Remuneration of the auditors for 

- audit or review services 17,740 10,100 

NOTE 4: Economic Dependence 

Knox Community Health Service Ltd. relies on grants from the Victorian Government - Department of 

Human Services, the Federal Government and other organisations to deliver its community service 

activities. At the date of this report the Board of Directors has no reason to believe this funding will not 

continue to support Knox Community Health Service Ltd. 

Directors’ Declaration 

The directors of the company declare that: 

1. The fi nancial statements and notes, as set out on pages 6 to 10 are in accordance with the 

Corporations Act 2001: 

(a) comply with Accounting Standards and the Corporations Regulations 2001; and 

(b) give a true and fair view of the fi nancial position as at 30 June 2009 and of the performance for 

the fi nancial year ended on that date. 

2. In the directors’ opinion there are reasonable grounds to believe that the company will be able to pay 

its debts as and when they become due and payable. 

This declaration is made in accordance with a resolution of the directors. 

Director 

Mrs Lesley-Anne Sleep - President 

Director 

Mr Cameron Moroney - Treasurer 

Dated this 15 th day of October 2009 


INDEPENDENT AUDIT REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF 

KNOX COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICE LTD. 

Report on the Concise Financial Report 

The accompanying concise financial report, of Knox Community Health Service Ltd., comprises the balance sheet as 

at30 June 2009, the income statement, statement of recognised income and expenditure and cash flow statement for 

the financial year then ended and related notes, derived from the audited financial report of Knox Community Health 

Service Ltd. for the year ended 30 June 2009, and the discussion and analysis. The concise financial report does not 

contain all the disclosures required by the Australian Accounting Standards. 


Directors Responsibility for the Concise Financial Report 

The directors are responsible for the preparation presentation of the concise financial report in accordance with 

Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports (including the Australian Accounting Interpretations) 

statutory and other requirements. This responsibility includes establishing and maintaining internal control relevant to 

the preparation of the concise financial report; selecting and applying the appropriate accounting policies; and making 

accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances. 

Auditor’s Responsibility 

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the concise financial report based on our audit. We have conducted an 

independent audit in accordance with Australian Auditing Standards, of the financial report of Knox Community Health 

Service Ltd. for the year ended 30 June 2009. Our audit report on the financial report for the year was signed on 15th 

October 2009 and was not subject to any modification. The Australian Auditing Standards require that we comply with 

relevant ethical requirements relating to audit engagements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable 

assurance whether the financial report for the year is free from material mlsstatement. 

Our procedures in respect of the concise financial report included testing that the information in the concise financial 

report is derived from, and is consistent with, the financial report for the year, and examination on a test basis, of 

evidence supporting the amounts, discussion and analysis, and other disclosures which were not directly derived from 

the financial report for the year. These procedures have been undertaken to form an opinion whether, in all material 

respects, the concise financial report complies with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports and 

whether the discussion and analysis complies with the requirements laid down in Accounting Standard AASB 1039: 

Concise Financial Reports. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit 

opinion. 

Independence 

In conducting our audit, we have complied with the independence requirements of the Corporations Act 2001. 

Auditor’s Opinion 

In our opinion, the concise financial report including the discussion and analysis of Knox Community Health Service 

Ltd. for the year ended 30 June 2009 complies with Accounting Standard AASB 1039: Concise Financial Reports. 

DANBY BLAND PROVAN & CO 

Chartered Accountants 

123 Camberwell Road 

HAWTHORN EAST 3123 

R A LANE 

Partner 

15 October 2009 


Your thoughts on our 

Quality of Care Report... 

This report is produced to provide our community with information about the 

services provided at Knox Community Health Service. 

We like to know what you think about the report and would invite you to 

complete and drop in the following feedback form, or email us at info@kchs.org. 

au 

WAS THIS REPORT EASY TO READ? 

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GENDER 

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COMMENTS: 

YOUR 

FEEDBACK 

Services provided 

by Knox Community 

Health Service Ltd 

Alcohol, Tobacco and Other 

Drugs Counselling 

Child Psychology 

Community Health Nursing 

Counselling 

Dental 

Diabetes Education 

Dietetics 

Family Support Services 

Family Violence 

Health Promotion Program and 

Activities 

Health, Education and Exercise 

Groups 

Information and Referral 

Occupational Therapy for Adults 

Paediatric Occupational 

Therapy 

Paediatric Speech Pathology 

Physiotherapy 

Podiatry 

Tobacco Free Clinic 

Youth Health and Counselling 

Eligibility criteria may 

apply to services. 

Knox Community Health Service Limited 

Wantirna Road 

to Blackburn 

Mountain Highway 

McDonalds 

WANTIRNA 

to Bayswater 

to Burwood 

Boronia Road 

Mobil 

Knox Private Hospital 

to Boronia 

Melway Reference 63 H6 

Address: 

Head offi ce: 1063 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully Victoria 3156 

Wantirna Site: Unit 1 / 603 Boronia Road, Wantirna Victoria 3152 

Phone: 

(03) 9757 6200 www.kchs.org.au

KCHS 2009 QOC Ann Report - Knox Community Health Service

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