BEECHWORTH Health Service is set to keep forging ahead under the guidance of a new chief executive officer who took up the post last month.

Sharon Walsh brings a wealth of experience working in the hospital and health sector both in Australia and overseas and has a strong background in operational management, strategic planning, and leadership.

The new CEO said her background in nursing led to working in health.

“After a period of time of working in quality and when I moved away from clinical, I got back into management, and undertook my master’s degree in health service management,” she said.

In Australia Ms Walsh has worked in the public and private health sectors.

“I spent 17 years in Melbourne where I worked at Royal Melbourne Hospital and at Austin Health, and then I had an opportunity to be chief operations officer at Mackay Hospital and Health Services, and was there for a couple of years,” she said.

A further move followed for Ms Walsh as CEO of Nowra Private Hospital - part of Ramsey group – before a shift back to Victoria.

Ms Walsh has a passion for working in rural and regional areas.

“When you're working in a health service in a rural community, your staff are the people that also use the service and you are part of the largest provider of employment in a town," she said.

“It allows you to be part of that community as well, and it's that sense of belonging and I love that sense of community.”

Victorian health system reforms are set to be delivered across the state with health services becoming part of geographically defined local health service networks.

Ms Walsh said she will be exploring what that will look like.

“It’s also how we as a small rural hospital retain our identity when we're in a group with bigger hospitals that offer more services and make sure that community needs are still heard,” she said.

Ms Walsh working with the BHS Board will also be working towards improved provision of better and earlier intervention for people’s chronic disease diagnosis and management – a disadvantaged area in rural health.

“There's such a distance to travel to get to specialist care with delays in diagnosis, and it’s about how do we bridge that gap for quick diagnosis and early treatment,” she said.

“I'm also passionate around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and looking at health equity."

Ms Walsh said she looked forward to working with BHS staff, the local GP practice, pharmacy, and the shire mayor about community infrastructure and needs.

“It's about building the relationships and being able to collaborate together,” she said.

“Relationships with GPs are pivotal, and they provide a fantastic service for us.”

On the agenda too is community engagement with aged care to prevent separation from the community.

Ms Walsh said opportunities included community kitchens, partnering with kindergartens, and having residents’ life experiences recorded for a ‘human library'.

The CEO said growth of urgent care will also be explored to take some pressure off local hospitals.

Ms Walsh also said her clinical experience background is valuable with understanding limitations, challenges, and priorities with a passion for delivering high-quality, cost-effective patient care and safety outcomes.