PRESS RELEASE: Stewardship needed that drives regional innovation for improved outcomes

The Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA) is urging all parties to provide the national stewardship and support that is necessary for the health system to effectively and sustainably deliver the health outcomes that matter for people and their communities.

Australia is a diverse country, with unique, culturally rich communities distributed across a vast geography.

‘When it comes to delivering health care, we must not only draw on the evidence base, but also the regional expertise, experience and relationships within communities that can be used to inform the development of care models that are appropriate for their context,’ says AHHA Acting Chief Executive Kylie Woolcock.

‘Uncoordinated, single sector approaches don’t work. Short-term, small-scale pilots, implemented outside of a national framework that supports consistent evaluation are just setting the system up to fail.

‘National stewardship is needed from the Australian government to ensure investment in health care is strategically driving reform towards outcomes-focused, value-based models of care. This must start with re-prioritising the development of the National Health Information Strategy.

‘While efforts on developing the Strategy have stalled and are yet to be recommenced, its implementation will be critical to unifying the many parts of our health system.

‘With the right health information, regional innovation can be enabled to drive models of care that improve outcomes and value.

‘Australians are right to expect that health care can be delivered differently. That it should be able to meet their health care needs. And it’s not just about strengthening Medicare, but the many other health policies that influence how care is provided.

‘We must set our system up to enable models of care that are driven by what people’s health needs are now, and not have them based on how models have provided care in the past.

‘In this final week before the election, Australians must demand that those health investments promised by political parties support integrated care pathways and a sense of community ownership, not more fragmentation and silos.

‘Stewardship of our health system must be collaborative, proactive and transparent.’

The online version of this media release: https://ahha.asn.au/news/stewardship-needed-drives-regional-innovation-improved-outcomes
and our 2022 Election Statement: https://ahha.asn.au/2022-australian-federal-election
may be found on the AHHA website.