All employees of NSW Health and its agencies have responsibilities that are outlined in the NSW Health Code of Conduct; prescribed by relevant legislation, such as the NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 2000, the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 and the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998; and dictated by their professional scopes of practice.

The NSW Health CORE Values of Collaboration, Openness, Respect and Empowerment guide our behaviour, communications and interactions in the workplace.

We strive to reflect these CORE values in our workplaces and in our conduct by demonstrating the following characteristics:

Collaboration

• We are an organisation that believes in its people and is people centred.
• Our leaders are role models for our core values and they are accountable.
• We willingly work in teams to provide excellent levels of care.
• Our teams are strong and successful because we all contribute and always seek ways to improve.
• We encourage and recognise outstanding performance.

Openness

• We want our community to have confidence in their local health services.
• We foster greater confidence and cooperation through open communication.
• Our performance is open to public scrutiny through patient and employee surveys.
• We welcome and use feedback as a tool to do better.
• We encourage those around us to speak up and voice their ideas as well as their concerns by making it clear that speaking up is worthwhile and valued.
• We communicate clearly and with integrity.

Respect

• We never lose sight of our patients’ fundamental right to be treated with dignity, compassion and respect.
• We listen to patients, the community and each other.
• We welcome new ideas and ways of doing things to improve patient care.
• We treat our colleagues and patients with dignity and respect, and care about those around us.
• Each of us is responsible for workplace culture and performance.
• We have zero tolerance for bullying and no-one, no matter how senior, is exempt.

Empowerment

• We encourage and support local decision making and innovation.
• We accept that with local decision making comes responsibility and accountability.
• We make best use of resources and experience to meet patient and community expectations.
• While we seek direction from our leaders, we believe that everyone is empowered to make a difference in our workplace.
• As individuals, we can improve our workplace culture and performance by addressing issues that hold us back.
• We strive for individual excellence on behalf of our patients and our teams, and to deliver the best possible care and services.

The Health Education and Training Institute is one of the 'pillars' of NSW Health. The pillars support and implement the strategic initiatives of NSW Health. The pillars include:

• Health Education and Training Institute
• Clinical Excellence Commission
• Agency for Clinical Innovation
• Bureau of Health Information

There are 15 Local Health Districts in NSW that have the main responsibility for healthcare delivery in a wide range of settings, from primary care posts in the remote outback and rural areas to metropolitan tertiary health centres.

The Corporate Governance & Accountability Compendium for NSW Health describes the elements of the structures and processes which govern the provision of health services by the agencies that are collectively known as 'NSW Health'.  The compendium sets out the roles, relationships and accountabilities of the agencies that constitute the public health system in NSW.