The reporting year was a very successful one for the NBA, with 95 per cent of activities delivered to the planned outcomes. This compares with 81 per cent in 2007–08.
For the four outstanding items, progress was made, although not in accord with our planned time frames. Three of these items relate to IT data-gathering projects. Capability to improve performance in this area will be strengthened through the restructure implemented from 6 July 2009. Work is underway on the final item, which relates to the development of indemnification guidelines by the National Indemnity Reference Group for the National Managed Fund.
Finalisation of our 2009–10 operational plan was delayed until July 2009 to allow the new teams formed on 6 July to consider the plan and for the NBA Board to provide comments at its meeting in late July. It is expected that the 2009–10 operational plan will continue our focus on professional contract management at the same time as increasing our effort in relation to sector systems and data capture and analysis.
During 2008–09 the NBA provided secretariat services for four face-to-face meetings and five teleconferences of the JBC. Key performance indicators set by the NBA relate to the quality and timeliness of support provided. Table 4.2 shows how the NBA performed against these indicators.
| Meeting | Percentage of papers prepared by the NBA provided to the JBC (seven days before the meeting) | Percentage of recommendations in NBA papers agreed by the JBC |
|---|---|---|
28 August 2008 |
100 |
94.8 |
20 November 2008 |
100 |
93.3 |
19 February 2009 |
95 |
97.1 |
6 April 2009 |
100 |
50 |
15 May 2009 |
94 |
100 |
5 June 2009 |
100 |
80 |
Papers for the teleconferences held on 17 September 2008, 20 March 2009 and 1 June 2009 were not prepared by the NBA, and hence no statistics are included for these meetings.
Secretariat services were also provided to the NBA Board, which met three times in Canberra and once in Adelaide during 2008–09. The Adelaide meeting was the first meeting of the NBA and the ARCBS Boards.
The development of SMS broadcast functionality and a secure online portal for the National Blood Supply Contingency Plan has been completed. Feedback so far has been very positive. These projects are significantly enhancing the NBA’s capacity to respond if the National Blood Supply Contingency Plan is activated.
A Jurisdictional Blood Committee portal has also been established and was launched at the May meeting of the JBC. Work on the establishment of a NBA Board portal is under way. These initiatives will allow JBC members access to all meeting papers and minutes (including historical papers) in an electronically searchable and secure environment at any time and ensure productivity improvements in the secretariat team.
The NBA is committed to providing a professional, high-quality, efficient service to clients, stakeholders and the general public, in accordance with the Public Service Act 1999. Our roles and responsibilities in dealing with external clients, and their rights in dealing with us, are described in the NBA Customer Service Charter, which was developed in early 2007.
During the reporting year the NBA received 16 feedback responses. Of these, two clarified issues; the remainder were positive. The feedback received was wide-ranging, from reactions to the Blood Sector Conference to interactions with stakeholders. The NBA addressed any issues in line with the Charter’s requirements.
The Customer Service Charter is available on the NBA website www.nba.gov.au/feedback.html.