By Chris Kane, Executive General Manager – Strategy and Engagement
Health equity isn’t just another fleeting trend or buzzword. Everyone should have access to the health care they need regardless of where they are born, where they live, or how much money they
earn.
While the Australian health care system is one of the best in the world, it can be difficult to access for a variety of reasons. As the operator of Western Australia’s three Primary Health Networks, we have a responsibility to improve access to affordable, quality health care for people and communities most at risk of poor health outcomes.
In our pursuit of health equity, we have a role to play in supporting health reform through driving innovation to meet local health needs and supporting the delivery of national and local programs. Innovating new or improved ways to plan, design and deliver health services is crucial and tapping into the knowledge and experience of our networks of stakeholders within health care is key.
Integral to improving equity and access for our under-served populations is ensuring health care services are culturally safe and inclusive. This is central to the way we commission primary health care services to reach the right people in a way that meets their needs. This year we will again have a strong focus on strengthening cultural competency within our organisation along with supporting primary health care providers to ensure the services they deliver are culturally safe.
A more connected and collaborative system is crucial to furthering our vision of one health system. WA Primary Health Alliance is finalising a partnership with the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care and WA Department of Health to formalise our shared commitment to enhancing primary care and creating a unified health system in Western Australia. This is a significant milestone and will support us to adopt best practice models in joint planning, collaborative commissioning, joint funding, governance, and regional needs assessments.
Over the coming year, WA Primary Health Alliance is undertaking a number of activities to strengthen the way we perform our commissioning function across the entire commissioning life cycle. This includes a greater focus on measurement and evaluation, to ensure our commissioned services are efficient and effective and we are delivering value.
We are focused on leveraging technology as an enabler in health care for consumers, clinicians and service providers. Our leadership of national digital initiatives such as Primary Health Insights and Primary Sense helps to improve population health outcomes, nationally as well as locally.
It is not lost on me the responsibility we have to ensure more people can access health care when and when they need it. Our journey towards health equity continues.