Expert panels tackle reform
ACSA has formed five groups to develop key solutions to assist the government with health reform.
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has convened five expert panels to assist the government’s hospitals and health reform process.
The panels will focus on the key areas of consumer choice, the interface between aged care and the broader health system, access and assessment, workforce issues and managing the reform process.
They will draw on the sector’s experience and consult with external stakeholders, such as specialists and geriatricians, to make recommendations to the government.
The CEO of ACSA, Greg Mundy said the association supported the government’s principles for reform but some of the ideas need further development.
“It’s about working out what this might mean in practice,” he said. “The report has given us the parameters, some options and even some potential trip points but we need to put a bit more flesh on the bones.
“For example, a lot of people say aged care can help with the discharge of older people from hospitals and add to the efficiency of the health system. That’s true but we are looking at how that can be done because there are some important details that need to be worked through.”
The five panels will issue reports by the middle of the year and ACSA will share the findings with the federal government and the Productivity Commission.
