Media Releases

2019-10-19

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The Australian Health Care Reform Alliance (AHCRA) today called on all political parties to work together to find solutions to the current private health insurance crisis and to develop a joint approach to the future funding of private health care in Australia.

Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

6 days ago

Obesity Policy Coalition - Put health first!The Australian Government is redesigning our food regulatory system for Australia and New Zealand, setting the foundation for how food is made, sold and marketed into the future. Public health must be front and centre to ensure the system is equipped to prevent diet-related disease, protect the health of the community, and promote a resilient population to support economic growth. There is concern that the proposed reforms favour food industry profits over protecting public health. Read the Obesity Coalition open statement here: https://bit.ly/2TO5fbK ... See MoreSee Less

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Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

2 weeks ago

Deputy Rural Health Commissioners appointedLast year the Federal Government expanded the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner to have a broader focus, which included the appointment of two Deputy Commissioners. https://bit.ly/3fuSLOEBoth these positions have now been filled - with the appointment of Associate Professor Dr Faye McMillan @DrFayeMcMillan and Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan. @NowlanShelley AHCRA congratulates these outstanding women on their appointments.Dr McMillan is a founding member and former Chair of Indigenous Allied Health Australia, and was the 2019 NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year. She holds a Doctor of Health Science, a Master of Indigenous Health Studies, Bachelor of Pharmacy and is Australia's first registered Aboriginal Pharmacist. https://bit.ly/3fuMqm5Queensland Health’s Chief Nurse and Midwifery Officer, Adjunct Professor Shelley Nowlan, is a registered nurse with more than 30 years’ experience in healthcare, including 17 years in a range of metropolitan, regional and rural public sector health leadership roles at strategic and operational levels. Her experience within the nursing profession extends nationally and internationally and includes significant experience in capital works programs and commissioning of health services, along with the development and implementation of patient models of care. https://bit.ly/3hYn7e5Both Deputy Commissioners are appointed until 30 June 2022.With the appointment of two Deputy Commissioners to provide expert advice on allied health, nursing, and Indigenous health disciplines, the government envisages that they will play a key role in increasing access to rural health services and addressing rural workforce shortages.AHCRA wishes them well in those tasks. ... See MoreSee Less

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Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

3 weeks ago

CHF releases findings of Health Panel on prevention strategyThe results of a new survey by the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) Australia’s Health Panel find that an overwhelming majority (94%) agreed that Government has a responsibility to promote conditions that support individuals leading healthy lives. https://chf.org.au/AHPpreventionstrategy“The survey shows there is widespread support for the Government to foster healthier living in Australia, whether it be through such measures as a sugar tax or incentives for healthier environments and support for public transport,” the CEO of CHF, Leanne Wells said.“The survey showed that only 12% of panellists believed that the current Australian health system has got the balance right between ‘preventing illness and disease’ and ‘treating illness and disease’, showing strong community support for reviewing and changing how we currently approach preventive health.“These findings are timely as they come as the Health Minister considers the final shape of the National Preventive Health Strategy 2021-2030. The CHF lodged a response to the Government's National Preventive Health Strategy Consultation Draft survey, following consultation with members, other organisations and consumers. This position paper reflects the views expressed in the survey response. You can read the position paper here: https://bit.ly/3oIZw2e ... See MoreSee Less

What Australia’s Health Panel said about the draft National Preventative Health Strategy

chf.org.au

I believe that expenditure on prevention should not lie with the "health system". That system will always be focused on cure and rightly so. So many of the preventative factors are more social than cl...

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Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

4 weeks ago

Build Back Fairer: The COVID-19 Marmot ReviewAs the UK emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic ‘Build Back Better’ has become the mantra. That's a common cry in many places as politicians seek a return to the status quo. It's important to attain the goal of sustainable health and economic activity, but there is compelling evidence that we need to Build Back Fairer. The levels of social, environmental and economic inequality in society are damaging health and wellbeing.In Australia, a wake-up call was made by the Grattan Institute's Stephen Duckett who wrote last September about the myth that Australia is an egalitarian society and that we are the land of the ‘fair go’. https://bit.ly/3yo6FJHThe reality is that health and care are riddled with inequalities that have been exposed in the course of the pandemic. https://tinyurl.com/y66yfobhIt was the principles of fairness and the need to do things differently that prompted the recommendations set out by Marmot and his collaborators in their 10 Years On Review, just before the pandemic hit with devastating intensity. https://bit.ly/3oF11hVInequalities in mortality from COVID-19 and rising health inequalities as a result of social and economic impacts, have made such action even more important.The aim of this report is three-fold: - To examine inequalities in COVID-19 mortality. The focus is on inequalities in mortality among members of BAME groups and among certain occupations, alongside continued attention to the socioeconomic gradient in health – the more deprived the area, the worse COVID-19 mortality tends to be - To show the effects that the pandemic, and the societal response to contain the pandemic, have had on social and economic inequalities, their effects on mental and physical health, and their likely effects on health inequalities in the future - To make recommendations on what needs to be doneIt's a sobering but important read to inform policy directions.Build Back Fairer - Executive Summary: https://bit.ly/3ozkDnqBuild Back fairer - Full report: https://bit.ly/3f19uZy ... See MoreSee Less

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Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

1 month ago

The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (ACQSHC) has published the Second Edition of the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights.This is an updated guide to the healthcare rights that patients can expect when receiving care and treatment. It is the outcome of a consultation process that was reported by AHCRA in February 2019. https://bit.ly/3fdZUBCThe second edition reflects an increased focus on person-centred care and empowers consumers to take an active role in their healthcare.The guide outlines the seven rights of care that recipients may reasonably expect. These rights include Access, Safety, Respect, Partnership, Information, Privacy and Feedback. <image> These rights apply to anyone receiving healthcare in Australia, including in public and private hospitals, day facilities, general practices, community health centres, and dental and specialist clinics.The guide materials are available on the ACSQHC website here:https://bit.ly/3uHQNzFGuide for Consumers https://bit.ly/3y83UMrSummary Booklet https://bit.ly/33AF3CX ... See MoreSee Less

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Australian Health Care Reform Alliance

1 month ago

Open letter to Prime Minister - climate change and health58 Australian health and medical organisations have signed the Open Letter to the Prime Minister, calling on the government to take urgent climate action, reduce emissions and save lives! Read the Open Letter at http://caha.org.au/openletter ... See MoreSee Less

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The Australian Health Care Reform Alliance (AHCRA) is a coalition of peak health groups working towards a better health system for Australia’s future.