Minister for Health visits HSV distribution centre

On Tuesday 11 July 2023, HSV welcomed a visit to our Derrimut Distribution Centre by Victorian Minister for Health, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas to tour the facility and meet the Logistics team.

Director Logistics Armin Odobasic, Executive Director Supply Chain Mili Cohen, the Hon. Mary-Anne Thomas,  Senior Operations Manager Manny Ioane, HSV Board Chair Lance Wallace, Chief Executive Neil Rodaway

The visit was an important opportunity to highlight to our responsible minister the progress HSV has made in establishing, developing and uplifting Logistics operations at the DC and the increased integrated supply chain activities HSV is managing following the State Supply Chain transition on 5 June 2023.

Since the transition, our supply chain activity has grown to supplying over 70 health services, a 10-fold increase from seven previously. We’re now controlling 75,000 pallets of goods from two DCs and 11 third-party sites and dispatching an average 18,000 lines every week from the PPE, surgical reserve stockpile, ICU equipment, RATs and Victorian Pharma Reserve product streams.

Together with HSV Board Chair Lance Wallace, Chief Executive Neil Rodaway, Executive Director Supply Chain Mili Cohen and Director Logistics Armin Odobasic, the Minister inspected operations and met with DC systems and inventory, health and safety, customer service and floor team members.

The visit included taking time to tour the office and chat with teams, recognising our work on safety and in developing accurate and meaningful data, demand management and operational change capability as a leading logistics provider.

“This visit has been a big success for HSV and reflects the value our Minister and the Department of Health places on our work in delivering for our customers and supporting health services in getting the right products and services when they need them,” says Neil.

“It’s clear that our focus on supporting health services so they can concentrate on what’s most important – patient care – is a shared objective.

“The conversation naturally focused on our Logistics operations in the context of the whole end-to-end supply chain work including Surety, Procurement and support services. The Minister’s interest in our people was reassuring and evident throughout,” Neil says.

The visit to see our operations in action was an overall positive and followed Neil’s discussion with the Minister earlier in the year on the Statement of Priorities, the annual document prepared with government to agree key shared objectives. It provided further opportunity for the Minister to talk with the team and gain insights on HSV’s strategic direction for our supply chain activity in the current financial year.

“One of the most important aspects was the Minister finding time – and staying way beyond the scheduled timeframe – to visibly recognise the work HSV is doing, our important role in the Victorian health sector and meeting the people who are helping make this all happen,” says Neil.