That’s the view of Mid North Coast Local Health District chief executive Stewart Dowrick.

Accreditation lasts for three years and evidences an ongoing, sustainable commitment to the prevention of violence against women.

“It’s such a great achievement to be the first local health district to achieve accreditation as a White Ribbon workplace,” Mr Dowrick said.

“It reflects the values of who the district is and who we wish to be.”

Mr Dowrick also named the upcoming mental health unit expansion at Port Macquarie Base Hospital as another highlight.

The building work will start in January 2018 on the $17 million project.

The expansion will increase the unit’s bed numbers to 24.

“The future 24-bed unit will really be something exciting and will help future-proof the region,” Mr Dowrick said.

The opening of the expanded renal unit at Port Macquarie Base Hospital was another highlight, he said.

On a health-related education front, University of NSW medical students can now study the six-year medical degree in Port Macquarie.

The first students to undertake a full six-year medicine degree in regional Australia through a major Group of Eight university have finished their first year of study.

Mr Dowrick said the full medical degree offering here was wonderful for the region and a reflection of confidence in health training and education services.

Charles Sturt University introduced its physiotherapy degree at the Port Macquarie Campus in 2017.

Mr Dowrick said the local health district looked forward to health services working with the health education sector.

Meanwhile, the Mid North Coast Local Health District also received accreditation under the National Safety Commission Quality Framework.

Mr Dowrick thanked staff and volunteers across the region for their dedication.

One of the focuses for the local health district in 2018 will be to improve the relationship with general practice and how best to improve the way they all delivered services and care, as well as developing better ways of improving care between the acute setting and general practice.