The message came through loud and clear from the PM’s speech to the National Press Club – Mr Rudd has his sights firmly set on fixing hospitals rather than the population’s health.
And it seems that all those consultations held in hospitals have convinced him, funnily enough, of the benefits of giving local doctors and clinicians more say over service delivery. Not much mention at all of the need for greater community and patient engagement – it’s all about empowering doctors and nurses, apparently.
Not much mention at all either of the need to tackle the inequities in the system or to ensure that the new national health and hospitals network (which the PM kept calling the hospitals network) doesn’t simply mean more resources for those who already do quite well thank you very much.
I’m trying not to feel deflated. At least there’s a commitment to some action from the top dog. And he has promised that there will be further announcements on primary care and areas such as mental health and dental health.
But it still feels like everything is arse about. We’re talking elective surgery waiting lists and hip replacements, rather than reorientating the system towards better support for early childhood and families and for people with chronic illnesses or those who are otherwise under-served.
We’re talking about providing the services recommended by the service providers rather than what a clear-headed analysis of the population’s health needs might suggest. As the University of Sydney’s Alex Barratt noted in an earlier post today, clinicians may be good at patient care but that doesn’t make them experts in evaluating services.
I was struck by the PM’s thanks for the doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and health administrators who attended his NHHRC hospital road show. It seems somehow symbolic of a fundamental failure to grasp the need to reorient the system towards the broader community’s needs.
There is no doubt the PM is pitching significant structural reform. But is it visionary? Does it suggest this is a government that really gets health and is committed to improving not only the overall population’s health but also to reducing the gap between the health haves and have nots?
Perhaps it’s wisest to leave the answers to those questions hanging until the dust settles a little.
Looks like the allied health staff then currently employed by schools and other departments such as disability might then be tacked back into health soon enough to take us off the state funding. SA are leading the way with moving therapists outt of the school’s pockets back into health.
Oh dear, as a committed consumer health advocate I am disappointed but sadly not surprised, under all the huff and puff it seems quite likely that the existing power dynamics will remain. Health is about the medical lobby and the insurance buck. Rudd didn’t even make a pretense of engaging consumers, embracing wellness, or reducing the influence of medical interest. Different bag containing the same rotten fruit.
Did you actually listen to the speech Justine?
Whack! That’s the sound of the PM hitting the Health Reform ball out of the park!
I think the model for Health into the future addresses the issue of the agendas of the self-interested by stating that there will be transparent scrutiny of every ‘interest group’ in the health spectrum. We, also, as the consumers on the ground, will be able to feed into the system our assessment of it all whenever we use it and feel that need to make some comment. It appeared from the PM’s speech that there will be a Health Ombudsman position created to handle complaints and that will make sure that there is no empire building, or distortions being fed in by powerful self-interest gruops such as Big Pharma, Doctors, the Health bureaurocrats. If we, the people, identify it, we can let someone know now. This also may come about by complaining to our local MP, or via the Internet. I’m sure the gov. will facilitate all possibilities with the aim of transparency and effectiveness.
I also think you’re wrong to say that consumers won’t get much power out of the new arrangements. If you go to ABC Midday News today there was an interview with the CEO of the Consumers Health Forum and shwas pleased with the new system’s ability to engage with the Health consumer.
Also, in answer to a journo’s question the PM made a point of saying that the consumer of the health product would be welcome to have their say about it whenever they use a Health service.
The Australian has put up the text of the National Press Club speech at http://j.mp/cLkOGi
Better Jen I read it. This is hospital centric reform and I think he was very light on re consumers. I also saw similar comments tonight on the 7.30 report. The local hospital authorities will no doubt be invaded by medical interest. As for consumers having a say, whoopee, I was hoping for a lot more than lip service.
The transcript of the Q&A is now up at http://bit.ly/bpauhk
Health services will definately improve but it means everyone will have to travel to Canberra to get them