Recommendations
Recommendation 1
The committee recommends that the government should
immediately abandon its plan to implement the $7 co-payments.
The committee is deeply concerned by the substantial body of
evidence it has received regarding the negative effects of the government's
proposed patient co‑payments. More than 100 submitters and countless
witnesses have expressed consistent and overwhelming opposition to the proposed
$7 co-payments.
Recommendation 2
The committee notes the evidence of the negative implications
of the government’s:
-
changed hospital funding indexation arrangements that will see
public hospitals funded on the basis of population growth and CPI;
-
cuts to the National Health Reform Agreements and associated
National Partnership Agreements; and
-
lack of commitment to Activity Based Funding.
The evidence points to a significant loss of health
services in Australia’s public hospitals if these changes proceed.
On the basis of the evidence to the committee, the
government should restate its commitment to Activity Based Funding and
associated reforms.
Recommendation 3
The committee recommends that, based on the evidence before
it, and the demonstrated benefits arising from the work of the Australian
National Preventive Health Agency (ANPHA) and the National Partnership
Agreement on Preventive Health, the government should drop its plans to abolish
ANPHA and reinstate the National Partnership Agreement on Preventative Health.
Recommendation 4
The committee expresses its
concern that the government's decision to abolish 61 Medicare Locals and
establish 30 new Primary Health Networks is resulting in a loss of frontline
services that will see significant cuts to services and programs at the local level.
Evidence to the committee demonstrates that Medicare Locals have been improving
health outcomes, promoting better integration of primary care services and
reducing the need for individuals to seek hospital care.
If the goal of better integration of primary care is to be
achieved, the committee recommends that the Primary Health Networks tender must
include:
-
a clear statement of the population health needs to be addressed,
including clear outcome measures;
-
a statement of the population health data expected to be
collected or used;
-
a statement on the outcomes Primary Health Networks will be
expected to achieve to improve access to primary care and improve primary care
integration for the whole population, in particular for disadvantaged groups;
and
-
a requirement that the integrity of the data collected by
Medicare Locals will be preserved.
In considering the applications for funding for Primary
Health Networks the government should have a mind to the success of Medicare
Locals in:
-
reducing hospitalisations
-
improving access to after-hours primary care services
-
reducing rates of chronic disease
-
reducing smoking rates
-
increasing immunisation rates
-
improving access to mental health services
-
improving access to allied health services
Recommendation 5
The committee expresses its concern that the government's
decision to abolish 61 Medicare Locals and establish 30 new Primary Health
Networks is resulting in loss of frontline services and will see significant
cuts to services and programs at the local level that are aimed at improving
population health, better integration of primary care services and keeping
people out of hospital.
Recommendation 6
The committee notes the
government's ongoing failure to consult with community groups, peak bodies
including GPs and allied health, and state and territory governments in
relation to Primary Health Networks transition arrangements.
The committee recommends that the government, as a matter of
urgency, ensures certainty in regards to the maintenance of the suite of services
supplied by Medicare Locals, particularly in areas of rural and remote
Australia where access to medical facilities and services is less comprehensive
than the level of access in metropolitan areas.
Recommendation 7
The committee recommends
that the government must take immediate steps to reinstate funding to indigenous
health organisations and ensure that the particular health challenges facing Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Australians are effectively analysed and responded
to.
Recommendation 8
The committee recommends that the government should cease its
planned merger of the Organ and Tissue Authority and the National Blood
Authority.
The committee could find no evidence that a thorough
consideration of the impacts of the merger within either agency or the broader
public and health sector had been undertaken. Further, based on evidence gained
in hearings, any efficiencies to be achieved are minimal and the risks to each
agency continuing to improve upon their achievements to date are high.
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