Health district calls for community members to join committee

Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) CEO, Margaret Bennett, said two community engagement committees were being formed - one for the inland and another for the coastal network.

The inland area covers Goulburn, Queanbeyan, Yass, Cooma, Jindabyne, Braidwood, Crookwell, Delegate, Bombala and surrounding towns.

She encouraged people from all walks of life to join.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to contribute to shaping a quality health service that meets the needs of the community," she said.

"Our new Coastal and Inland committees will drive community engagement priorities and activities that align with the way regional health care is delivered across networks, rather than as individual hospitals."

They are designed to build on 10 existing local community engagement committees and ensure the health service is "staying connected with local issues and concerns."

Ms Bennett said the committees were also aimed at delivering one of the six strategic priorities of the NSW Regional Health Strategic Plan for 2022-2032: Keep communities informed, building engagement, seeking feedback.

The Health District launched its Strengthening Community Engagement framework in January this year, which was developed with input from communities and partner organisations.

The framework outlines how SNSWLHD will connect with communities at local, network and District levels.

"The Network Community Engagement Committees will bring a wealth of new ideas and diverse perspectives to the way we plan and deliver services across SNSWLHD. We are looking forward to receiving lots of applications," Ms Bennett said.

People can apply online at https://forms.office.com/r/Efi6n9eSJT Applications close on April 30.