Foreword

Prime Minister and the Minister for Health and Ageing

The provision of an affordable and accessible health system is vital for a fair and just Australia.

Our country must act now to ensure our health system can cope with the demands of the future.

Demand for health services is increasing as our population is ageing and more people are living with chronic disease.

That is why we are implementing far-reaching health reform.

The Government has worked for two years to deliver a package of health reforms. Patients, doctors and nurses were consulted across the length and breadth of the country.

And now the Commonwealth Government and seven states and territories have agreed to a fundamental shift for delivering vital services and for our federation.

The establishment of the National Health and Hospitals Network will be the most significant reform to our health system since the introduction of Medicare.

Our hospital system will be funded nationally and run locally. The Commonwealth will take on 60% of the efficient cost, with hospitals managed by Local Hospital Networks.

The Commonwealth will take 100% funding and policy responsibility for GP, primary care and aged care services. Medicare Locals will be established to coordinate services in local areas.

The accessibility, performance and safety and quality of services will be measured and reported on – and this information will be used to drive improvements across the system.

Reaching agreement at COAG was a significant achievement – and we now need this change to have an impact at the bedsides, operating theatres and GP practices across the country. It is vital that the implementation of the reforms is carefully planned and well executed.

New funding for emergency departments, elective surgery, sub-acute beds and upgrades to GP clinics will start to flow immediately. In other cases – such as establishing Medicare Locals and implementing national clinical standards – the implementation of reforms will take a lot of hard work that we are starting now.

Many Australians will want to know how these reforms will be progressed, when changes will happen and how they can provide input. This document provides just that - outlining our program of implementation for this massive program of reform.

We’re going to need the expertise and enthusiasm of the almost one million people who work in the health system – and the many millions of patients who rely on it every year.

The delivery of these reforms will ensure that these patients receive high quality, better coordinated and sustainable health care in the decades ahead.