Governance & Policies

Rural Northwest Health is committed to the health purchasing policies issued by HealthShare Victoria (HSV) that became mandatory on July 1, 2016. More information on procurement reform including a link to the HSV policies can be found on the HealthShare Victoria (HSV) https://healthsharevic.org.au/

The Supplier Engagement Plan Guidelines documents the process, systems and communication that Rural Northwest Health uses to ensure the highest levels of probity and accountability in all our dealings with all our suppliers.

The Procurement Complaints Procedure document outlines the procedure that Rural Northwest Health uses to respond to a procurement activity or process complaint.

The Procurement Activity Plan 2023 – 2025 provides suppliers with an indication of likely sourcing activities for both goods and services or construction and refurbishment for Rural Northwest Health for the next 12 to 18 months. (Please note that these are indications only. No guarantee to procure is given or intended.)

Gifts, Benefits and Hospitality in Procurement Employees engaged in procurement activities shall at all times conduct their responsibilities ethically and with integrity, in accordance with the organisation’s Code of Conduct, Financial Code of Practice and related policies and guidelines, so as to promote public confidence in the integrity of our procurement processes.

Employees engaged in procurement must not accept gifts, benefits or hospitality from suppliers or their representatives or from organisations, firms or individuals with whom they have official dealings.

Sponsorship must in no way influence procurement.

We welcome and encourage open discussion and comments on Rural Northwest Health’s (RNH) social media sites. We look forward to hearing from you in all circumstances, including when you want to share a criticism of the hospital. However, we work hard to ensure RNH forums are a supportive environment for our patients, families, staff and the general community and we expect that your comments and posts will always be respectful of others. 

Please note that comments and posts that we consider offensive, abusive, bullying or which unreasonably upset our community will be deleted immediately. Participants who repeatedly post inappropriate material will be blocked from the site. 

Visitors who perpetuate views that are contradicted by evidence-based research and global health expertise, and which pose a threat to public and individual health, will be immediately blocked. This includes participants who harass other visitors to the page with incorrect medical information. 

If RNH is made aware of any comments made on social media sites, outside RNH social media pages, that are threatening, unlawful or abusive, and relate to or involve RNH; we will investigate these comments and take any necessary action to protect the hospital, our staff, patients, and families. 

When participating in conversations or posting comments on social media sites, please keep these important factors in mind. Always remember that when you post a comment to a blog or social media site, it is published for the world to see. For your own privacy and that of your family, you should consider carefully how much detailed personal medical information linked to your name you want published on the Internet. We recommend you also exercise caution and avoid posting detailed personal information like your location, financial information, etc. 

Thank you for supporting and contributing to RNH community. 

Your use of any RNH social media sites is subject to RNH Website Terms of Use (including where applicable the terms of any third-party social media provider like Facebook). Without limiting any other provision in those terms: 

• RNH disclaims all liability, is not responsible for, and does not endorse any content submitted by any user on a social media site (even if the RNH does not remove that content); 
• any content submitted by RNH or any of its personnel is subject to any disclaimers in those terms ( RNH Website Terms and Conditions) 

• and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by an appropriately qualified health care professional; and 
• you must comply with any conditions relating to the content you submit including without limitation: 

• acting responsibly and respectfully; 
• not submitting content: 

• that includes any unsolicited messages or any offensive, inflammatory, defamatory, threatening, abusive, hateful, racist, obscene, fraudulent, deceptive or otherwise unlawful information; 

• advertising or endorsing any products or services of any other organisation; 
• that personally identifies any other person without their expressed consent; or 
• that RNH considers inappropriate.
   

RNH makes a significant effort to monitor and respond to posts and questions on RNH social media platforms, however we may not always be able to respond to all posts or answer online requests for information in a timely manner, particularly outside business hours. 

By submitting content to any of RNH’s social media sites (wall posts, comments, photos, links, etc.), you understand and acknowledge that this information is available to the public and that RNH may use this information for internal and external communications, promotional and fundraising purposes.

Please note that other participants may use your posted information beyond the control of RNH. If you do not wish to have the information you have made available via the above-mentioned sites used, published, copied and/or reprinted, please do not post it on any of these sites.