The Royal Children’s Hospital is once again operating as a stand-alone specialist hospital for children and adolescents.  The hospital has been part of Women’s & Children’s Health since 1995.

The minister for health the Hon Bronwyn Pike today announced the members of the new Board of The Royal Children’s Hospital.

They are:

• Tony Beddison.
  Chair. Mr Beddison is chairman of the SACS Group, one of Australia’s leading recruitment firms, which he founded in 1977, as well as SACS Executive Solutions, Hoban Recruitment and Index Technology Recruiters. He was chair of the Australia Day Committee from 1999 until May 2004.

• Barry Novy.
  Mr Novy is managing director of Kliger Wood Real Estate, a Fellow of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria and Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. Mr Novy chairs the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Alumni Association in Australia and is chair of the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

• Heather Scovell.
  Ms Scovell is a past group manager of Community Services at the City of Melbourne and led a department responsible for developing long-term plans and strategies for all key social and community activities in the context of Council’s city plan, corporate vision and priorities. She is a board member at Turning Point Drug and Alcohol Services.

• John Rimmer.
  Mr Rimmer was Deputy Secretary of the Department of Premier and Cabinet from 1992 to 1995. He has substantial experience in the strategic use of information technology in the public and private sectors through his recent role as CEO of the National Office for the Information Economy, as a member of the Australian Health Information Council, the Board of Health Connect, and as an advisor to the Australian Medical Association on information technology strategy.

• Maxwell Beck.
  Mr Beck is executive chairman of Becton Corporation and has a lifetime of contribution to the community. Mr Beck has past and continuing commitments with the Australian Olympic Committee.

• Patrick Burroughs.
  Mr Burroughs is a chartered accountant and was recently appointed chief financial officer of St Vincent’s Health Service. He worked for 20 years as a senior partner with KPMG and also spent 10 years as a prudential supervisor for the Department of Treasury and Finance.

• Christine Kilpatrick.
  Assoc Prof Kilpatrick is divisional director, Community Aged and Rehabilitation Services at Melbourne Health and deputy Director of Neurology, Royal Melbourne Hospital. From November 2003 to June 2004 she chaired the Women’s and Children’s Health Board.

Former executive director of RCH, Dr Tony Cull, has been appointed as the first chief executive officer The Royal Children’s Hospital.

The Royal Children’s Hospital staff look forward to this new direction and will continue to provide patients with the same level of care and expertise which has set it apart as a leading specialist children’s hospital

Media enquiries can be directed to Julie Webber, Public Affairs Manager on 9345 5130.