Experienced clinician Dean Pritchard is Seymour Health’s new medical services director.
Prior to starting at Seymour Health, Dr Pritchard was previously deputy director of emergency department at Northern Health for seven years.
He brings a wealth of experience through other roles including chairman of Senior Medical Staff Association; clinical advisor at Safer Care Victoria; and emergency physician at Northern Health.
Dr Pritchard has also been the chairman of Seymour Health’s clinical governance committee since 2018.
As the new director and member of the Seymour Health executive team, Dr Pritchard is responsible for providing medical leadership and effective clinical governance.
The role involves ensuring a high standard of medical care is provided to all inpatients and outpatients treated by the health service.
Dr Pritchard will engage with visiting medical officers, VMOs, nurse practitioners and nursing staff to ensure a high level of care is provided and maintained.
“I am really looking forward to getting out in the first few weeks to meet the local doctors, VMOs and nurse practitioners to see what is here and how we can use what is here to make things better and figure out where the gaps are,” he said.
“My initial focus will involve forming these relationships, which are important in strengthening the connection between the hospital and the local GP clinics.”
Dr Pritchard has a passion for addressing the inequity of healthcare across Victoria.
He has a specific interest in developing knowledge and skills to influence the system on a different level, not just clinically, but also helping to redesign it to improve public access to quality healthcare.
Seymour Health chief executive Ward Steet said the appointment provided a great opportunity for the health service to be expertly guided in new directions.
“Our health service considers it an absolute coup to secure a clinician of the calibre of Dr Pritchard who has the necessary experience from both a clinical and governance perspective that is pivotal to successful service planning and medical workforce planning,” he said.
Dr Pritchard will be on site once a week at Seymour Health and available by phone for the remainder of the time.
