Interim Report: Improvement of Access, Quality and Distribution of Allied Health Services in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia
This Interim Report is prepared for, the Hon Mark Coulton, Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government (the Minister), and contributes to priority one of the 2020 Statement of Expectations received by the Commissioner, December 2019. It continues the work of the Commissioner carried out in 2019 at the Minister’s request to provide advice on distribution, quality and access of rural allied health services.
This Interim Report provides an insight into the Commissioner’s thinking to date. It describes four key strategic themes identified through the consultations and evidence which have been considered within the context of broader health and rural health policy. The strategic themes have been tested and refined through further consultations with the peak bodies named in the Statement of Expectations, other key stakeholders such as the Commissioner’s Consumer Expert Reference Group and National Rural Health Student Network, and with relevant areas within the Australian Government. These consultations, supported by the literature review, have provided a sound evidence base for the Commissioner’s work.
The Commissioner will continue working closely with key stakeholders and with the Department of Health to develop specific recommendations to improve access, quality and distribution of allied health services in regional, rural and remote Australia. The culmination of this work will form the final Rural Allied Health Report which will be presented to the Minister in June 2020.
Improvement of Access, Quality and Distribution of Allied Health Services in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia (PDF 459 KB)
Improvement of Access, Quality and Distribution of Allied Health Services in Regional, Rural and Remote Australia (Word 283 KB)
Role of the National Rural Health Commissioner
The Commissioner’s role was established as part of the Government’s broader agenda to reform rural health in Australia, and will provide policy advice to the Minister responsible for rural health.
The Commissioner works with regional, rural and remote communities, the health sector, universities, specialist training colleges and across all levels of government to improve rural health policies and champion the cause of rural practice.
Priorities for the Commissioner include:
- Assisting the Government to better target interventions in regional, rural and remote areas to support access to services and quality of services;
- Consulting with stakeholders to give consideration to the needs of the entire rural health workforce;
- If requested by the Minister, consulting with state and territory governments to identify, assess and develop policy options to address current or emerging regional, rural and remote health reform opportunities on a national level, and to ensure effective information exchange across jurisdictions;
- Liaising with national peak professional organisations, consumer organisations, rural health stakeholders and other advisory committees in developing solutions that reflect community needs;
- Providing national leadership for regional, rural and remote health, and work with the Government to progress nationally agreed goals in the sector, including flexible models of service delivery and workforce development, best practice approaches, and future national policy responses.
Current Work
Following the work in 2018 towards the development of the National Rural Generalist Pathway for Medicine, the Commissioner was asked for Advice for improving the quality, access and distribution of allied health services in regional, rural and remote Australia. The Commissioner’s focus for 2019 is contained in the current Statement of Expectations.Statement of Expectations - 2019 (PDF 470 KB)
Statement of Expectations - 2019 (Word 17 KB)
The Commissioner travels across Australia to work with students, allied health peak bodies, associations and professional bodies, rural allied health service providers, clinicians, universities and schools, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative bodies and health services, consumers and consumer groups, and local, state, territory and Australian Government representatives to develop a comprehensive understanding of the current opportunities and challenges for the allied health sector.
The final Advice for improving the quality, access and distribution of allied health services is due to the Minister responsible for rural health, the Hon Mark Coulton, Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government no later than 30 December 2019.
The Commissioner is also working with the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners towards recognition of Rural Generalist Medicine as a specialised field within General Practice.
Legislation
The National Rural Health Commissioner is appointed under Part VA of the Health Insurance Act 1973.What the Commissioner does not do
The Commissioner does not get involved in individual cases or advocate for individual people or groups. Instead the Commissioner will champion rural health, advocate for system wide improvement in achieving rural health outcomes for regional, rural and remote communities of Australia.The office of the National Rural Health Commissioner is not a fund holding body. The Commissioner does not provide services, grants or funding for unsolicited projects or campaigns.