Former Seymour nurse Debra Bourne takes top job at Northern Health

In early August 2024, the Victorian premier announced the establishment of a new agency, ‘Hospitals Victoria’, with the appointment of then chief executive of Northern Health, Siva Sivarajah, as the inaugural chief executive of the newly formed agency.

During this transition, Ms Bourne served as the interim chief executive while the Northern Health board conducted an executive search for a permanent chief executive.

Ms Bourne is an accomplished healthcare executive, with extensive operational and clinical expertise, gained through working in large, complex organisations across metropolitan, regional and remote healthcare settings.

She holds dual nursing qualifications in Nursing and Midwifery, a Master’s in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner), a Bachelor of Education, a Critical Care Certificate, a Graduate Diploma in Health Management and a fellowship with the Australian College of Health Management.

Ms Bourne began her nursing career at The Alfred before moving to Mercy Health to work as a midwife. She later became nurse unit manager at Seymour Health and worked as a nurse practitioner in remote Western Australia.

In 2016, she joined Northern Health as the operations director for women’s and children services, later taking on additional leadership roles including general manager access, women’s and children’s and surgical services.

She was appointed chief nursing midwifery officer in 2020, and chief operating officer in 2021.

Northern Health board chair Jennifer Williams congratulated Ms Bourne on her appointment.

“Debra’s broad skill set and deep understanding of the healthcare landscape uniquely positions her to lead Northern Health in achieving our mission of delivering exceptional care to our communities,” Ms Williams said.

“Her collaborative leadership style and alignment with our values — safe, kind, and together — will be instrumental as we continue to enhance our services and foster a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

“We are excited to have Debra Bourne at the helm of Northern Health and are confident that her vision, expertise and commitment will drive the organisation forward.”