Dr Simon Lockwood
Federal Budget 2022-2023
Greetings. I hope this newsletter finds you all well and refreshed after the Easter break.
I watched this year’s Federal Budget with a keen eye. My focus was on primary health care announcements and the accompanying funding commitments to support them.
In August 2019, the Federal Government (the Government) commissioned the development of a Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan. The draft version of Future focused primary health care: Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022-2032 (The Plan), was released for consultation in October 2021. The Plan represents a high-level response to the recommendations of the Primary Health Reform Steering Group and was developed as part of the Government’s commitments under the Long-Term National Health Plan. In the 2022-23 Federal Budget the Government has committed $632.8 million to Primary Care measures – taking the total investment in The Plan to $1.7 billion.
As Chair of one of Australia’s 31 Primary Health Networks, I am pleased to see this significant funding to support the objectives of The Plan to strengthen the primary healthcare sector. We are hopeful that the Budget funding commitments will enable us to build on current programs and improve service delivery as well as to develop new and improved programs and services.
The overarching aims of The Plan are to:
- Improve people’s experience of care
- Improve the health of populations
- Improve the cost-efficiency of the health system
- Improve the work life of health care providers.
The objectives of The Plan are:
- Access: Support equitable access to the best available primary health care services
- Close the Gap: Reach parity in health outcomes for Torres Strait Islander people
- Keep people well: Manage health and well-being in the community
- Continuity of care: support continuity of care across the health care system
- Integration: support care system integration and sustainability
- Future focus: Embrace new technologies and methods
- Safety and quality: Support safety and quality improvement.
It is arguable that these aims and objectives and approach echo those of Country SA PHN and the work that we do every day to bridge the gap in health inequity for country South Australians. It is pleasing to see our priorities matched by The Plan’s aims and objectives.
In country South Australia bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic have shaped a new focus on emergency preparedness, community resilience and flexibility. Country SA PHN funding and establishing the Community Resilience Officers is a great example of a program responding to community need. The recent bushfires and the pandemic have taken a significant toll on community’s mental health.
Country SA PHN continues to invest significantly in new and extension activity across our Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs and Aboriginal Health portfolios. Supported by the Budget commitment, this includes commissioning and funding two new Head to Health centres in Mount Barker and Mount Gambier. These services form part of a development of a national network of mental health treatment centres to offer support to adults with moderate to severe levels of mental illness over the short to medium term. Care will be delivered by multidisciplinary teams consisting of psychiatrists, general practitioners, psychologists, alcohol and drug specialists, mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, mental health workers and lived experience workers. Country SA PHN will be consulting with the community to ensure that the services provided meet local needs.
COVID-19 has seen dramatic shifts in health care practices across the country. The rapid implementation of digital and MBS telehealth services will continue to rise and be an integral component of the primary health care system. This includes the use of telehealth consulting platforms, MyGP and My Health Record as digital health pillars.
In the Budget the Government is investing more than $4.2 billion over four years for the ongoing health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This commitment to support access to health care services and reduce the risk of community transmission of COVID-19. It includes the continuation of the COVID-19 vaccine program and measures to support re-opening in line with the National Plan to Transition Australia’s National COVID-19 Response. There are also additional prevention measures for Residential Aged Care Facilities.
The Plan also states that rural health will be a major focus, “with systematic scaling up of innovative approaches to supporting general practice and comprehensive primary care teams in areas of market failure. This will include the development of local community-developed and supported models to provide improved primary health care for rural and remote communities.”
There are many other areas of action for primary health care outlined in The Plan and the Budget. For those interested, The Plan can be read in detail at https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/australias-primary-health-care-10-year-plan-2022-2032
As Country SA PHN Chair, it is pleasing to see that our focus on improving people’s access to and experience of primary health care in rural and remote South Australia is mirrored by The Plan and the Budget funding commitment. Keeping people well, improving health literacy, Closing the Gap, improving access to appropriate care for all people at risk of poorer health outcomes and continuing the health response to COVID-19 continue to be our mission and we look forward to collaborating with our partners - service providers, SA Health, Local Health Networks, Aboriginal Controlled Health Organisations and above all our communities for who we strive to improve their primary health experience every day.
