Clinicians as managers: organisational change at the Illawarra Regional Hospital

In 1990 a decision was made to merge the Port Kembla (160 beds) and Wollongong (290 beds) Hospitals into the Illawarra Regional Hospital and to change the traditional functional management structure to one of product line institute management, with medical officers as part-time clinical directors. This transformation in health care management had been occurring in other sections of the Illawarra Area Health Service, with medical directors of programs and with allied health and nursing heads of departments throughout the system. A survey was conducted among 22 clinician managers for their impressions of the 'new' management organisation. The respondents felt that the change had been a positive one and that it had particularly improved communication and accountability among clinicians.