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The Department values and is committed to involving clinicians in our healthcare design and planning to ensure the best advice.
Engaging clinicians in the design, planning, decision-making and evaluation of health system improvement activities benefits both the Department and clinicians.
The Department benefits through receiving a broad range of expert, evidence-based, and representative advice. It also ensures that clinicians understand, own and can implement health reforms.
By engaging clinicians, we show that we value their participation and expertise, and that policymakers do consider their views and expertise. The policies developed will reflect shared priorities and practice realities.
The information below shows how the Department formally engages with clinicians.
Tasmanian Health Senate
The Tasmanian Health Senate is a clinical engagement body. It brings together clinicians and people who use health services.
The Senate provides independent, evidence-based advice to the Secretary, Department of Health on issues of statewide, strategic importance to the health system.
The Our Healthcare Future Immediate Actions and Consultation Paper committed the Department to establish a co-designed, statewide Clinical Senate.
The Establishing a Statewide Clinical Senate for Tasmania Issues Paper was released for consultation in September 2021. It outlined key issues, opportunities, challenges and matters to work through with stakeholders.
The co-designed Terms of Reference and Operational Framework have been prepared in consultation with interested stakeholders with health knowledge, expertise and lived experience.
The Department thanks everyone who took the time to contribute to the consultation to establish the Tasmanian Health Senate.
To find out more, please email [email protected].
What is the Tasmanian Health Senate talking about?
View the following reports:
Tasmanian Health Senate Report and Response 25 August 2023
Tasmanian Health Senate Report and Response 15 May 2023
What is the Tasmanian Health Senate?
The Tasmanian Health Senate is a collective voice representing the entire health system in Tasmania. It will actively contribute to informing and influencing the delivery of quality healthcare for Tasmanians now and in the future.
The Senate will consider system-wide priorities that affect access, quality, safety, efficiency, and sustainability of health services to develop informed, impartial, and integrated advice that enhances patient care and health outcomes.
The Senate is overseen by a Steering Committee, a small group drawn from Senate members, to provide leadership and good governance.
The Tasmanian Health Senate functions under the authority of the Secretary and is supported by the Minister for Health.
Membership
The Tasmanian Health Senate brings together individuals from across the health service – from clinicians to consumers – from across the State. Members provide a collective voice representing the whole of the health system in Tasmania. This will strengthen both the clinical and consumer voice in health service planning.
Senate membership includes around 40 members including health professionals, people who use health services, carers and people who represent population priority groups and the wider community. Membership will be continually reviewed to ensure broad and varied experience, expertise and knowledge to enable fresh ideas to be heard.
Members are appointed for a term of two to three years and meet up to three times a year.
Tasmanian Health Senate Steering Committee
The Senate is led by Co-Chairs and a Steering Committee representative of the broader membership, to provide leadership and governance.
Health Senate members
Associate Professor Viet Tran
Viet Tran is Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Tasmania, Founding Director of the Tasmanian Emergency Medicine Research Institute, Deputy Director of Emergency Medicine at Royal Hobart Hospital, Chair of the Tasmanian Emergency Departments Network and Inaugural Co-Chair of the Tasmanian Health Senate. A/Prof Tran also works at the coalface of healthcare as an Emergency Physician and continually advocates for excellence in patient care through education, research, quality and safety and health reform.
Clinical Associate Professor Marcus Skinner AM
Marcus is an active public and private consultant anaesthetist and has been the Clinical Director of Surgical and Perioperative Services at the Royal Hobart Hospital for the last 5 years during the RHH redevelopment and significant THS reorganization. He has been a Final Fellowship ANZCA Examiner and Chair of the Tasmanian state ANZCA Anaesthesia training program and Director of the RHH Anaesthesia Department and represented Surgery and Perioperative Services on many committees both local and national. He has lived and worked in the North West as a clinician and understands the complex issues relating to delivery of health care in Tasmania
In 2018 Marcus was awarded an Order of Australia AM for significant services to medicine in the field of anaesthesia, perioperative medicine and trauma management as a clinician and to professional societies and has served in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Permanent medical officer and on Specialist Reserve for many years undertaking a number of significant military deployments. He has many clinical areas of interest including trauma, retrieval medicine and anaesthesia outside to operating room.
He is married to a critical care and midwifery trained nurse and has three children. He holds a private pilots licence with an aerobatic rating.
Dr Benjamin Dodds
Dr Benjamin Dodds is a Rural Generalist. Ben has advanced skills training in Emergency Medicine and Palliative Care. Ben is also a Clinical Lecturer at the University of Tasmania with a focus on online learning and simulation. Ben is a passionate advocate for rural medicine and improving health outcomes in rural and remote Australia. He is currently President of the Rural Doctors Association of Tasmania. When not working, Ben spends time with his wife Ashley and their two cats Oliver and Delilah. They also enjoy camping, cheese and a fine Tasmanian beverage.
Dr Ioan Jones
Dr Ioan Jones has been working as a public health dentist for the past 27 years. Ioan has been working for Oral Health Services Tasmania since 2010 coordinating education and training and more recently has taken on the role of Clinical Director. Ioan has always had an interest in dental education both previously in the UK and now in his new home of Australia and is passionate about increasing the knowledge of health professionals on how poor dental and oral health, has an impact on general health. As well as being a Senior Clinical Lecturer with the University of Tasmania Centre for Rural Health, Ioan is also an Associate Professor with James Cook University and Adjunct Associate Professor with La Trobe University.
Dr Katja Lindemann
Dr Katja Lindemann is an overseas trained Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist and Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and Associate Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Medical Administrators at the North-West Regional Hospital. Dr Lindemann is the Chair of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) North-West Division and the Honorary Medical Secretary of the Board of the AMA Tasmania. Dr Lindemann is also a Practitioner Member of the Tasmanian Board of the Medical Board Australia.
Judy Taylor
Judy is a registered nurse with varied experience predominantly in rural and remote areas throughout Australia and internationally. Her experience has been supported by post graduate qualifications in midwifery, renal, diabetes education, public health and Master of Nursing. Judy is the Nursing Director of Service Improvement, Tasmanian Health Service North West. An experienced healthcare leader in Clinical Governance, Quality Improvement, Accreditation and Education. Judy has a strong record of implementing the principles of healthcare improvement and change management with a focus of improving safety for all within the health sector.
Merinda Sainty
Merinda Sainty is a proud Tasmanian Aboriginal Woman and member of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community. She is invested in working with and for her community to work towards better overall health outcomes. Merinda is a Registered Nurse in community mental health with the Tasmanian Health Services in the Glenorchy and Northern Districts Continuing Care Team and is a Volunteer Ambulance Officer. Merinda also sits on an advisory group through the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation body (NACCHO), which aims to provide new Aboriginal community-controlled Suicide prevention and aftercare services throughout the country.
Lily Foster
Lily currently works as a lived experience advocate with the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs Council Tasmania (ATDC) and is a detox@home Peer Worker with the Alcohol and Drug Service in the Tasmanian Health Service. She has an Associate Degree in Applied Health and is studying a diploma of Art and Health at the University of Tasmania. Lily sits on the strategic advisory board for WHRIN (women's harm reduction international network) and the Alcohol and other Drugs Reform Agenda Steering Committee through the Department of Health. Lily has a passion for and is a strong advocate for women's health and harm reduction in the alcohol and other drug space, and a champion for alcohol and drug user rights.
Amrita Sinha
Amrita Sinha is an Occupational Therapist and founder of her own private practice. Amrita has worked in various roles in India and the United Kingdom and now Tasmania which has afforded her the opportunity to contrast different meanings of health, wellness and life as they are for different people in both urban and rural settings. This has enabled her to appreciate people’s differences in attitude, beliefs and practices. She has a wide range of clinical skills in mental health assessment, intervention, care planning, communication and interaction. Amrita has a vivid vision for life which includes being able to empower herself and others.
Marcus Di Martino
Marcus DiMartino is an experienced and proactive health leader with over 25 years’ experience in health administration with excellent strategic, leadership, financial performance, communication and culture building skills.
- Dr Aaron Hawkins
- Dr Fiona Tann
- Dr Jessica Kneebone
- Dr Liz Webber
- Dr Peter Sharman
- Dr Samantha Wyton
- Dr Scott McKeown
- Dr Theresa Naidoo
- Dr Toby Gardner
- Kati Bruton
- Andrew Mitchell
- Graeme Lynch
- Peter Williams
- Peter Barns
- Peter O'Sullivan
- Phil Edmondson
- Alison Spicer
- Angela Weeden
- Catherine Meredith
- Heidi Modrovich
- Angela Waite
- Dimitra Papavassiliou
- Emily Shepherd
- Ilwoo Park
- Laura Ribarow
- Lauren Abbot
- Leah Magliano
- Monique Mackrill
- Peta Titter
- Professor Judith Walker
- Tammy Milne
- Deborah Hunter
