The best way to take the pressure off hospitals is to ensure that most people don’t need to go there in the first place. In this new paper Jennifer Doggett explains how we can reorient Australia’s health system towards primary and preventative care. more
Health Sector Reform Part 2: Primary Care and Wellbeing
I have no doubt that we have over-invested in hospitals and treating sickness and under-invested in primary care and wellbeing. Primary care is the Cinderella in Australian health. There is ample evidence that we have got the cart before the horse in healthcare with our emphasis on hospitals and sickness. We have more hospital beds per capita than comparable countries – about 50% above the Canadian rate and 30% above the US rate. In some … more
The Hospital tail wags the Health Dog
Two key principles in any health system must be: 1. Health care and information based on the patient and as close to the patient’s home as possible. Institutional care and hospitals should be the last resort. 2. An actively involved community in determining health priorities because we can’t have all we want. Unless the community is involved, resources will go the influential and media savvy. One clear example of where our health system does not … more
The importance of primary and community care
The Australian primary health and community care system is inequitable, inefficient and there is only very limited information about its quality. Yet it is highly likely that demographic, technological, social and economic change will result in increased demand for these services. Notwithstanding the available evidence, to date attempts at reform have been piecemeal. There is an urgent need to develop a national strategy for primary health and community care. Primary health and community care is … more