First Ministers affirming their commitment to health as a priority at this week’s meeting of National Cabinet is critical in ensuring a person-centred and sustainable healthcare system. 

“The early announcement of a $2.2 billion package in the 2023 federal budget measures to address immediate challenges in primary care is welcomed,” says AHHA Chief Executive Kylie Woolcock. 

The need for integrated, team-based models of care has been promoted for decades, yet effectively operationalising them at scale has continued to allude our system. 

According to Woolcock, to enable team-based care, sector-wide commitment is required across a wide range of topics.  

The initiatives that have been announced reflect some of the key enablers, including our dedication to having a workforce that works above and beyond the call of duty, funding structures that reward value over quantity, and investments in digital health. 

The establishment of integrated health and social services should be made possible by the introduction of patient registration, which could also facilitate wraparound care and better population health planning.  

With models of treatment that are proactive and preventive rather than just reactive to patient demand, it might be possible to focus health improvement programmes on populations and communities. 

“Both globally and here in Australia, there is significant evidence for the outcomes that can be achieved with skill-mix innovations, but the evidence for how best to implement and scale these new models of care is comparatively less.” 

“With these shared priorities and commitments, we urge governments to ensure that the system is set up to learn from the rollout,” she added.  

Woolcock highlighted that they look forward to working with their members, governments and stakeholders as these initial measures lay the foundations for long-term Medicare reform.