A performance audit into whether Victorian women can access sexual and reproductive health information (SRH) and services has found there are areas in the State where women cannot readily access the services.
In his report Supporting Sexual and Reproductive Health, Auditor-General Andrew Greaves said he examined the Department of Health and four service providers – Women’s Health Victoria, Monash Health, Gippsland Lakes Complete Health and Bendigo Community Health Services.
“Women need access to SRH services to stay well and make critical choices about their lives, including if and when to have children,” Mr Greaves said.
“Since 2017, the Victorian Government has set up 1800 My Options (a phone line and website) and 11 SRH hubs (clinics) to improve access to SRH information and services,” he said.
“Victorians need to know if these programs are achieving this, particularly for those the Government has identified as priority groups.”
Mr Greaves said there were areas in Victoria where women could not readily access SRH services.
He said that while the 1800 My Options service allowed Victorian women to readily access SRH information, the Department did not know if its hubs were improving women and priority groups’ access to SRH services.
The Auditor-General said this was because it did not have a full understanding of service gaps and demand across the State or performance measures to monitor the hubs’ ability to improve service access.
“The Department does not have a complete list of SRH service providers in the State,” he said.
“This means the Department does not know if it has placed the hubs where women most need them.”
Mr Greaves said that while there was considerable need for SRH services in the LGAs containing the hubs that he audited, there was an even higher need in growing metropolitan local government areas with no hubs.
He made three recommendations to the Department of Health to undertake a comprehensive analysis of SRH service gaps and demand; develop relevant outcome performance measures for 1800 My Options and the hubs; and work with department-funded sexual and reproductive health service providers to establish a method for collecting relevant performance data on hub attendees’ referral source.
The Auditor-General’s 23-page report can be accessed at this PS News link.
