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The Cape York and Torres Strait鈥揘orthern Peninsula 黑料吃瓜群网 and Health Services will merge.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg said the Torres Strait had been without a health board for some time and this process would result in stronger governance, better representation and ultimately, improved patient services.

鈥渄 I will be asking Cape York 黑料吃瓜群网 and Health Service Board Chair Bob McCarthy to develop a plan as to how to move forward with this merge,鈥� Mr Springborg said.聽鈥淎s part of this process, extensive consultation will need to be undertaken and I feel Mr McCarthy is best placed to carry out the task.鈥�

Mr Springborg said due to their small size, individually, the two health services lack the critical mass for efficient, stand-alone administration.

鈥淐ombining the two health services will result in a single, efficient administrative structure, reduce unnecessary duplication and allow the health service to put more focus on delivering quality health care,鈥� he said.聽鈥淭he combined entity will have one executive management team and a single board representing the whole region.聽鈥淭he new Board will have an equal聽spread of members聽from the Cape York and the Torres Strait and Northern Peninsula communities.鈥�

Mr Springborg said the two health services were no strangers to working together and were a single entity as the Peninsula and Torres Strait Regional Health Authority in the 1990s.

鈥淭hey already cooperate with each other and with the Cairns and Hinterland HHS on a number of matters, including the delivery of specialist outreach clinical services,鈥� he said.

Under the current health reforms, the new combined health service will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and remote communities in Cape York to have a greater voice, a greater scale of operation and more control of their health services.

Mr Springborg said the timeline for achieving a merge was flexible but he hoped the new structure could be in place by mid-2014