NHHRC Media Release 8 May 2008

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National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission

In keeping with the Terms of Reference announced by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in December 2007, the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC) last week presented the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, with a Report on the framework for the next Australian Health Care Agreements.

Beyond the Blame Game: Accountability and performance benchmarks for the next Australian Health Care Agreements represents the Commission’s views on key issues to be addressed in the Agreements and proposes robust and relevant performance indicators and benchmarks.

Chair of the NHHRC, Dr Christine Bennett, said today that the Commission’s Report highlights twelve health and health care challenges that must be addressed in the Agreements to enhance health promotion and wellness and to make the health system work better for the people who need it and use it.

The twelve challenges are:

• Closing the gap in Indigenous health status,
• Investing in prevention,
• Ensuring a healthy start,
• Redesigning care for those with chronic and complex conditions,
• Recognising the health needs of the whole person,
• Ensuring timely hospital process,
• Caring for and respecting the needs of people at the end of life,
• Promoting improved safety and quality of health care,
• Improving distribution and equitable access to services,
• Ensuring access on the basis of need, not ability to pay,
• Improving and connecting information to support high quality care, and
• Ensuring enough, well-trained health professionals and promoting research.

Dr Bennett said that while the Commission had identified these challenges for the Health Care Agreements, the Commission also recognises that there are other challenges facing the health system as a whole.

“The Commission is preparing to hear many views from the public, frontline health workers, professional and consumer organisations, Indigenous health providers, and other health groups through an extensive community engagement process,” Dr Bennett said.

“In coming months, the Commission will be travelling around Australia engaging with communities and people from the health sector to collect ideas on the future design of the Australian health system.

“This will complement the formal submission process that is already underway, with submissions being accepted up until the end of May.”

Dr Bennett said the Commission had developed a set of draft design principles for the Australian health system that will shape the Commission’s work to develop a long-term health plan for a modern Australia. The Commission’s proposed principles to guide reform and future directions of the Australian health care system are:

• People and family centred,
• Equity,
• Shared responsibility,
• Strengthening prevention and wellness,
• Comprehensive,
• Value for money,
• Providing for future generations,
• Recognising that broader environmental influences shape our health,
• Taking the long term view,
• Safety and quality,
• Transparency and accountability,
• Public voice,
• A respectful, ethical system,
• Responsible spending on health, and
• A culture of reflective improvement and innovation.

Dr Bennett said she is confident that the Commission’s principles and stated challenges will be debated and discussed in both the community consultation and formal submission processes.

“The Commission wants to be and needs to be a catalyst for debate on Australia’s future health system,” Dr Bennett said.

“We encourage individuals and organisations to make a submission to the NHHRC to help us shape a health system that is truly people and family centred to serve the Australian community well into the future.”

Submissions to the NHHRC can be made by email to talkhealth@nhhrc.org.au, by mail to PO Box 685 Woden ACT 2606, or by calling 1800 017 533. Submissions will be accepted until the end of May 2008.

Copies of Beyond the Blame Game: Accountability and performance benchmarks for the next Australian Health Care Agreements are available at www.nhhrc.org.au or by calling the NHHRC on 02 6289 8108.

Media contact: John Flannery – 0419 494 761

Page currency, Latest update: 04 April, 2008