The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (the Commission) has appointed Professor Christine Kilpatrick AO as its new Chief Executive Officer for a five-year term.
The Minister for Health and Aged Care, Mark Butler MP, confirmed the appointment of Professor Kilpatrick as Chair of the Commission with effect from April 1, 2024.
Kilpatrick has been a non-executive member of the commission’s board since July 2023. She has a distinguished career, including 20 years’ experience in healthcare management as a senior executive, including 15 years as chief executive, most recently at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
Prior to these leadership positions, Kilpatrick was a neurologist specializing in epilepsy and worked in both public and private practice.
The Commission’s Chief Executive, Konjoint Professor Anne Duggan, said: “The Commission is pleased to welcome Professor Kilpatrick as Chair as we focus on priorities such as clinical governance, reducing substandard care and improving sustainability in the healthcare system.” said Duggan.
“Professor Kilpatrick brings a deep understanding of health care to the Commission based on her extensive experience, and we look forward to benefiting from her guidance and insights as we work together over the next five years.”
Kilpatrick is also a board member of Healthdirect Australia and Florey. She previously served on the Board of HealthShare Victoria, the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Center (VCCC) Alliance and as Chair of the Doherty Institute and the Victorian Quality Council (VQC). She is a Corporate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne.
Kilpatrick was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001, appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2019 and received the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators’ Distinguished Fellow’s Award in 2017.
Duggan paid tribute to outgoing chairman Professor Villis Marshall AC, who was first appointed chief executive in 2013.
“Professor Villis Marshall has made a significant contribution during a remarkable time of change in the healthcare sector. Under his leadership, the Commission worked with Professor Marshall to achieve system-wide improvements in safety and quality standards, medication safety, healthcare variation, and infection control, among other areas.
“Professor Marshall leaves an incredible legacy at the Commission as he passes the baton to new Chair Professor Kilpatrick to continue to drive meaningful and transformative improvements in the safety and quality of health care.”
Minister Butler also confirmed the appointment of several Board members to the Commission, effective April 1, 2024, including:
- Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite – a health services and systems researcher with a strong international reputation and extensive knowledge of innovation and systems reform culture.
- Dr. Alicia Veasey – a Torres Strait Island obstetrician and gynecologist with extensive experience in First Nations healthcare advocacy.
- Ms Leanne Wells – a respected health advocate and former long-standing CEO of the Consumers Health Forum of Australia, bringing consumer advocacy and extensive governance experience.
- Dr. Helena Williams (re-appointment) – a long-standing board member since 2012 with expertise in general practice as a practicing general practitioner, which is vital to the Commission’s focus on primary care.