Author
Commonwealth Government of Australia
Description
The Australian primary Health Care Plan sets out the Commonwealth Government's strategy to support and grow primary health care services in Australia. The plan concentrates on three streams of work: future focused health care; person-centred primary health care supported by funding reform; and integrated care, locally delivered. The plan aims to support primary health care providers to embrace continuing advances in technology: in telehealth and virtual care; in digital health; and in other health care technologies including point of care testing, genomics and pharmacogenomics and precision medicine. It aims to support patient-centred continuity of care through a proposed system of voluntary patient registration with general practice.
Why is this useful for rural and remote people to read?
This is one of the many strategies, policies and reform proposals that commit to improving health care access and outcomes in rural and remote communities. Whether this has any impact in rural and remote communities will rely on the extent to which rural and remote people engage with the government to ensue that commitments are funded and delivered in their local community. The Strategy outlines funding reforms over time to support outcome-focused and multidisciplinary care and to address the challenges faced by older Australians, people in rural and remote communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disability and other population cohorts who face barriers to accessing appropriate care.Rural and remote people need to have in place, possibly through local government or regional organisations of councils, mechanisms to monitor progress of the Strategy in their communities to monitor if the Strategy is being implemented, and if it is done effectively. Upholding accountability in public policy to rural and remote residents is critical for sustainable long-term reform.
Keywords
RURAL HEALTH STRATEGIES
Suggested Citation (go to Get Document if not provided)
