Health Support Services (WA health system)

What Health Support Services (WA health system) does

Health Support Services (HSS) is a Western Australian Government statutory authority, established under the Health Services Act 2016 (WA), that delivers shared corporate and clinical support services to the state's public health system. Operating as a board-governed Health Service Provider, HSS supplies information and communications technology (ICT), procurement and supply chain, workforce services (payroll, recruitment, employee services), financial services, and temporary clinical staffing through its NurseWest operation to other WA Health Service Providers under formal service-level agreements. The organisation supports more than 69,000 healthcare workers across over 540 sites and employs approximately 1,066 to 1,400 staff.

HSS's core technology portfolio centres on workforce and clinical-systems infrastructure. The HRplus platform provides HR, payroll, and rostering capabilities and is being expanded to additional WA agencies through 2025–2026. The Digital Medical Record (DMR) is being deployed state-wide as part of HSS's clinical-IT modernisation, alongside the WA Health Data Platform (a centralised workforce, operational, and clinical data asset), supporting single sign-on and virtual desktop infrastructure, and the Critical Health ICT Infrastructure Program (CHIIP) — a LAN-replacement initiative delivered in partnership with NEC. The portfolio of major ICT programs is valued at approximately $400 million. HSS also renewed its three-year Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, anchoring its productivity, identity, and cloud tooling layer.

HSS operates as a captive internal service provider rather than a commercial vendor. Revenue is derived from SLA-based charges and budget allocations from the WA Department of Health, with all customers being WA Government Health Service Providers. Customer concentration is therefore structurally complete and the addressable market is bounded by WA public-sector health policy. Forward growth is tied to state-wide rollout of HRplus (including planned extension to the Mental Health Commission and HADSCO by May 2026), DMR deployment, Electronic Prescribing rollout, and absorption of additional sites such as Peel Health Campus, against the constraint of single-jurisdiction public-sector funding cycles.

Name

Health Support Services (WA health system)

Legal name

Health Support Services

Website

https://hss.health.wa.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Health Support Services is a WA Government statutory authority providing shared ICT, procurement, payroll, finance, and workforce services — including NurseWest temporary staffing — to Western Australia's public health system, supporting more than 69,000 healthcare workers across 540-plus sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Shared Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospital Shared Services, GPOs & System Support Organizations (HLAFAAAO)

Keywords

• Health shared services
• Government ICT services
• Healthcare procurement supply
• Workforce payroll services
• Digital health infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government-funded shared services: HSS is a WA Government agency providing shared services funded through the WA health system budget. Services are delivered under SLAs with Health Service Providers including ICT, procurement and supply, workforce services (payroll, recruitment), and financial services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Health Support Services (HSS) is a WA Government shared services provider delivering a suite of financial, ICT, procurement and supply, and workforce services to more than 69,000 employees across the Western Australian public health system. Services are delivered under formal Service Level Agreements with Health Service Providers and include payroll, recruitment, employee services, finance, procurement, ICT infrastructure and support, and NurseWest temporary nursing staffing.

Product overview

Health Support Services (HSS) is a WA Government shared services provider for the WA health system, offering a portfolio of interconnected service modules rather than a single unified product. The core service offering includes Employee Services, Finance Services, Information Communication Technology (ICT), Payroll Services, Procurement and Supply Services, and NurseWest (temporary nursing staffing). These services are delivered through the HSS Customer Hub internal portal. Major digital transformation programs include the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Program with its Digital Medical Record (DMR) component, the HRMIS program delivering the new HRplus HR/payroll/rostering solution, the Critical Health ICT Infrastructure Program (CHIIP) for network modernisation, and the WA Health Data Platform for centralised analytics. Supporting technologies include Single Sign-On (SSO) and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure enabling mobile clinical access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HRplus: A new HR, payroll and rostering solution for the WA health system being implemented as part of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) program.
• NurseWest
• WA Health Data Platform (WA HDP)

Products and services

• Employee Services
• Finance Services
• Information Communication Technology (ICT)
• NurseWest
• Payroll Services
• Procurement and Supply Services
• HRplus
• Digital Medical Record (DMR)
• WA Health Data Platform
• Psychiatric Services Online Information System (PSOLIS)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million hours per annum of nursing support provided by NurseWest
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NECcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2023NEC awarded contract for delivery and managed services of the Critical Health ICT Infrastructure Program (CHIIP), which involves replacing WA Health's Local Area Network (LAN) infrastructure at more than 450 sites to ensure network security and reliability.
• Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSS works closely with ADHA, the Commonwealth and other jurisdictions to deliver digital initiatives aligned to Australia's National Digital Health Strategy, including My Health Record integration and electronic prescribing rollout in WA Health hospitals.
• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationNew three-year Enterprise Agreement contract with Microsoft for technology services supporting WA Health digital infrastructure.
• NurseWest Agency Network (22 agencies)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNurseWest manages a panel of 22 agencies supplying temporary health care personnel (registered nurses, midwives, enrolled nurses, assistants in nursing) to WA Health Health Service Providers across metropolitan and regional areas.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• eHealth NSW: NSW Health's digital health and ICT shared services agency, operating state-wide clinical and corporate systems for NSW Health. Direct analogue to HSS's ICT, EMR/DMR, and digital infrastructure functions.
• SA Health: South Australia's state health system delivering shared corporate, ICT, procurement, and workforce services. Similar statutory mandate and shared-services operating model as HSS for SA's public health system.
• HealthShare NSW: NSW Health's shared services provider delivering food, linen, patient transport, ICT, payroll, procurement, and financial services to NSW Health entities. Closest direct analogue to HSS in scale, mandate, and service mix.
• Queensland Health: Queensland's state health system providing shared corporate, ICT, procurement, and workforce services across its hospital and health services. Comparable mandate and service model to HSS within another Australian jurisdiction.
• Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA): Commonwealth agency operating My Health Record and national digital health infrastructure that HSS integrates with. Direct strategic partner and governance peer across Australia's national digital health ecosystem.
• Victorian Department of Health: Victoria's state health authority responsible for shared services across Victorian public health services, including ICT, procurement, payroll, and workforce functions. Direct Australian state-level comparator to HSS.

Regional players

• Shared Services Canada: Canadian federal shared services organisation providing IT, procurement, payroll, and operational services to government departments. International comparator operating at national scale in a non-healthcare context.
• NHS Shared Business Services: UK NHS shared services provider delivering payroll, procurement, finance, and digital services to NHS organisations. International analogue operating a comparable shared services model for a national health system.

Others

• Ramsay Health Care Australia: Largest private hospital operator in Australia and a former operator of Peel Health Campus (transitioned into WA public health system 2024). Functions as an adjacent customer/stakeholder for HSS rather than a direct comparator.
• St John of God Health Care: Major private not-for-profit hospital operator in Western Australia. Board member Dr McCoubrie is its Chief Medical Officer, evidencing close ecosystem linkage but a different operating model (private provider) compared to HSS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/healthsupportservices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Health Support Services (WA health system)