Archived News for Health Sector Professionals
A report released by the COAG Reform Council shows that governments have achieved mixed results in improving hospital care.
Council Chairman, Mr Paul McClintock said that areas that were in need of attention included elective surgery waiting times which, he said, "are not improving consistently across the country, particularly for those waiting the longest."
Mr McClintock said that emergency department waiting times have improved, with a higher proportion of patients were treated within national benchmarks.
An area of concern identified by the report was the affordability of healthcare.
“We are concerned by the number of Australians who can’t afford to visit a doctor or buy their prescription medicine when they need to,” Mr McClintock said.
However, the report found that there were promising results in the area of preventative health.
The COAG Reform Council report, National Healthcare Agreement: Performance report for 2009 - 2010, is available here.
Rural doctors raise concerns about Medicare Locals taking over after hours services
The Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) has called for the health reform agenda to focus on boosting the number of doctors and other health professionals in rural Australia, rather than adding ‘band-aid solutions’.
National Health Performance Authority set to go ahead
A new $118 million National Health Performance Authority will be created to monitor hospital performance, including error rates, following agreement between federal, state and territory health ministers in Melbourne last week.
Queensland launches mental health pilot program
The Queensland Government has announced a partnership between Queensland Health and the Queensland Police Service to support Cairns locals experiencing mental illness.
Funding announced for SA breast screening technology
South Australia has announced a $19.3 million spending package over four years to increase and support digital screening services at BreastScreen SA.
SA announces Royal Adelaide Hospital contract
The South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, has announced the finalisation of the contract to construct, operate and maintain the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH).
NHMRC to conduct forum into health effects of wind turbines
The National Health and Medical Research Council will conduct a scientific forum into investigating the possible effects of wind turbines on health and will hear the latest international scientific evidence and engage with stakeholders over the range of issues for which there is public concern.
Senate Committee slams health practitioner regulation body
The Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee has slammed the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) for its failure to satisfactorily set up and operate the national registration system for Australia’s 528,000 health practitioners, causing massive impacts across the health services sector.
Cancer Nursing Research Unit launched in Sydney
A Cancer Nursing Research Unit has been launched as a collaboration between Sydney Nursing School at the University of Sydney, the Cancer Institute of New South Wales and the Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
New laboratory to focus on back pain and osteoarthritis
A new Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory has been launched at the University of Sydney which will integrate basic and clinical research to develop pioneering interventions to prevent, minimise or manage injury, chronic disease and disability.
University of New England to lead rural mental health research project
The University of New England will lead a $7 million research project on rural mental health, with funding of $4.8 million contributed by the Federal Government through the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) program.
The Collaborative Research Network for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Rural Regions will work with five partners - Universities of NSW, Sydney, Newcastle, and La Trobe, and Hunter New England Area Health Service - to expand rural health strengths, and feed into the education of health professionals and better rural mental health services.
CRN activities will build links with rural communities and health providers in NSW and Victoria, with a focus on investigating and improving mental health and wellbeing.
Studies show that people living in rural regions and remote areas tend to be in poorer health than those in urban areas. There is excessive mortality in rural areas related to mental health disorders, and differences in morbidity rates are linked to access to services and quality of life for those suffering from mental health disorders.
NHMRC project to look at new diabetes services
A new collaborative National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) research project led by Clinical Professor Lin Perry of the University of Technology Sydney has been funded to develop and test a new model of diabetes services.
Alfred opens burns unit
Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital has opened the newly refurbished Helen Macpherson Smith Burns Unit after spending $2.6 million on the upgrade.
$51 million for Queensland health
The federal government has announced a $51 million injection for infrastructure, capital projects and projects to improve clinical education in Queensland’s health sector.
$1.2 million added to WA suicide prevention
The Western Australian Government has announced an additional $1.2 million injection for youth mental health, with the key aim of suicide prevention.
Funding for aged care places for NSW
The Federal Government has announced $305,000 in recurrent funding for aged places in Gulgon, central NSW, that will aim to ‘meet the needs of the local ageing population by providing high level residential care’.
Mobile eye health centre for regional and indigenous Australians
Western New South Wales has been selected as the testing ground for a new mobile eye health clinic designed to care for rural and indigenous Australians.
50% more funding for medical schooling needed
Tertiary medical training centres are becoming increasingly dependent on foreign students to fund the teaching of local students, according to the University of Melbourne's Dean of Medicine, Professor James Angus.
$8.6 million for palliative care
Federal Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler has announced an $8.6 million injection for palliative care support for patients and their families and carers.
Medical research grants for Queensland
The Queensland State Government has announced funding totalling a $1.67 million initiative for emergency medical research projects.