A NATIONAL health report released yesterday has highlighted a number of issues and recommendations relating to rural Australia.

The Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce: Scope of Practice Review follows over a year-long review process.

Chief executive of the National Rural Health Alliance, Susi Tegen, said she was particularly pleased to see the focus on rural and remote barriers highlighted in the report.

“The National Rural Health Alliance congratulates the team led by Professor Mark Cormack for this important review which will provide the direction for health policy for many years to come,” she said.

Recommendation 18 seeks government commitment to prioritise implementation of reforms in rural, remote and underserviced areas, and to engage with relevant organisations and stakeholders to collaboratively design implementation solutions specific to rural, remote and underserviced communities.

Further, the specific needs of rural communities are noted with recognition of the need for specific support mechanisms to enable students to travel and stay in rural and remote locations while completing education and training/placement and the need for programs that incentivise establishment and spread of innovative multidisciplinary models of care including rural generalists, nurse/allied health/ midwifery led clinics, and advanced remote service delivery models.

“We all know that Australians in rural, regional and remote communities experience poorer health outcomes and much shorter lives, compared to their urban counterparts,” Ms Tegen said.

“Many recommendations in this report address that fact and create a road map to address some of the inequities faced by rural Australians when it comes to accessing healthcare.”

“On average, a person living in rural Australia receives $848 less in healthcare funding each year, which equates to a $6.55 billion annual underspend across the country.

“This is despite rural industries generating about 80 per cent of Australia’s exports and providing about 90 per cent of the fresh food in our markets,” she said.

The report calls for the implementation of a blended (or block) payment model in a staged program commencing with rural and remote regions (Modified Monash Model 5-7, i.e. for communities which serve less than 5000 people) and underserviced regional areas (Recommendation 10.8). This aligns well with the model of care advocated for by the Alliance – Primary care Rural Integrated Multidisciplinary Health Services (PRIM-HS), which is very much a grass roots, population health need led model.

The report also notes that other recommendations should start outside of cities including the implementation of the bundled payment for maternity care with a targeted rural and regional model (Recommendation 11); Direct referral pathways – commence implementation in rural and remote regions (Recommendation 12) and primary care system integration and support through Primary Health Networks (PHNs) – focus capability uplift in rural and remote PHNs to support the above targeted implementation efforts (Recommendation 14).

“The alliance was pleased to be a key contributor to this consultation and that our input, as well as that of our members and rural community members via our Friends of the Alliance, is quoted throughout the report,” Ms Tegen said.

“We look forward to working with the Federal Government and Minister as they consider the findings and recommendations.”

The National Rural Health Alliance comprises 53 national organisations committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the more than 7 million people in rural and remote Australia. Our diverse membership includes representation from health professional organisations, health service providers, health educators, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector and students.

Source: National Rural Health Alliance