Australia - National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP) launch

Citation

(2008), "Australia - National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP) launch", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 21 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2008.06221gab.004

Australia - National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP) launch

Article Type: News and views From: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Volume 21, Issue 7

Keywords: Primary health care, Team-based care, Partnership working

The Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) welcomed the launch of the National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP). The CHF is part of the NPHCP and will be working with the other members to achieve a consumer-focused and coordinated system of primary health care for all Australians.

The NPHCP is a partnership of 19 peak health provider and consumer organizations, which aims to strengthen the primary health care sector and improve the health of Australians by increasing team-based care.

“This will deliver better health outcomes for consumers and improve the overall performance of our health system”, CHF Executive Director Helen Hopkins said.

“A key challenge will be to address the current lack of coordination within the primary health care sector.”

For many people, particularly those with a chronic condition or recently discharged from hospital, this can lead to them missing out on important services and have a serious impact on their long-term health.

“Changing this situation will require changing the way in which we organize and deliver primary health care. Instead of isolated health care providers providing individual health services, we need a system of coordinated and structured care that involves multiple health care providers working in partnership with consumers.

“This means breaking down some existing professional boundaries and finding new ways to support health professionals to work in partnership with each other and with consumers. For many health care providers this may be a challenge.”

However, if our health system is to adapt to meet the growing health care needs of our community, the roles and responsibilities of health professionals will also need to change.

“What is essential is that all stakeholders have a say in the evolution of our primary health care system and that any changes support the delivery of high quality and accessible health care. This is why the NPHCP is so important.”

By bringing primary health care providers together with consumers, we ensure that all stakeholders have input into the reform process and that the proposed changes meet the needs of all.

“Strengthening our primary health care system has to potential to deliver significant health care gains to consumers and to improve the overall performance of our health system.

“CHF welcomes the launch of this important partnership and looks forward to working with the other members to strengthen the primary health care sector and improve the experience of primary health care for Australian consumers”, Ms Hopkins said.

For more information: www.aushealthcare.com.au