Part 2.2 Portfolio Outcomes and Performance Reporting

Portfolio Outcomes

Outcomes are the Government’s intended results, benefits or consequences for the Australian community. The Government requires government agencies, such as the department, to use outcomes as a basis for budgeting, measuring performance and reporting. Annual administered funding is appropriated on an outcomes basis.

In 2009-10, Health and Ageing portfolio agencies worked within a 33 outcome structure. Fifteen outcomes were specific to the department. The remaining 18 were specific to the portfolio agencies listed at Table 2.2.2.

Department-specific outcomes

The outcomes relevant to the department, the programs managed under each, and the divisions responsible, are detailed in the table below.

Table 2.2.1: Department of Health and Ageing Outcomes

Outcome 1. Population Health A reduction in the incidence of preventable mortality and morbidity in Australia, including through regulation and national initiatives that support healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.
Programs 1.1 Chronic Disease – Early Detection and Prevention 1.2 Communicable Disease Control 1.3 Drug Strategy 1.4 Regulatory Policy 1.5 Immunisation 1.6 Public Health	Divisions Responsible Acute Care Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme Office of Health Protection Office of the Gene Technology Regulator Population Health Division Regulatory Policy and Governance Division Therapeutic Goods Administration
Outcome 2. Access to Pharmaceutical Services Access to cost-effective medicines, including through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and related subsidies, and assistance for medication management through industry partnerships.
Programs 2.1 Community Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Awareness 2.2 Pharmaceuticals and Pharmaceutical Services 2.3 Targeted Assistance – Pharmaceuticals 2.4 Targeted Assistance – Aids and Appliances	Division Responsible Pharmaceutical Benefits Division
Outcome 3. Access to Medical Services Access to cost-effective medical, practice nursing and allied health services, including through Medicare subsidies for clinically relevant services.
Programs 3.1 Medicare Services 3.2 Alternative Funding for Health Service Provision 3.3 Diagnostic Imaging Services 3.4 Pathology Services 3.5 Chronic Disease – Radiation Oncology 3.6 Targeted Assistance – Medical	Divisions Responsible Acute Care Division Medical Benefits Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division
Outcome 4. Aged Care and Population Ageing Access to quality and affordable aged care and carer support services for older people, including through subsidies and grants, industry assistance, training and regulation of the aged care sector.
Programs 4.1 Aged Care Assessment 4.2 Aged Care Workforce 4.3 Ageing Information and Support 4.4 Community Care 4.5 Culturally Appropriate Aged Care 4.6 Dementia 4.7 Flexible Aged Care 4.8 Residential Care	Divisions Responsible Ageing and Aged Care Division Office of Aged Care Quality and Compliance (The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd also contributed to the achievement of this outcome)
Outcome 5. Primary Care Access to comprehensive, community-based health care, including through first point of call services for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of ill-health, and for ongoing management of chronic disease.
Programs 5.1 Primary Care Education and Training 5.2 Primary Care Financing, Quality and Access 5.3 Primary Care Policy, Innovation and Research 5.4 Primary Care Practice Incentives	Divisions Responsible Health Workforce Division Medical Benefits Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division Primary and Ambulatory Care Division (General Practice Education and Training Ltd also contributed to the achievement of this outcome)
Outcome 6. Rural Health Access to health services for people living in rural, regional and remote Australia, including through health infrastructure and outreach services.
Programs 6.1 Rural Health Services	Division Responsible Primary and Ambulatory Care Division (Other areas across the department also contributed to this outcome)
Outcome 7. Hearing Services A reduction in the incidence and consequence of hearing loss, including through research and prevention activities, and access to hearing services and devices for eligible people.
Programs 7.1 Hearing Services	Division Responsible Regulatory Policy and Governance Division
Outcome 8. Indigenous Health Closing the gap in life expectancy and child mortality rates for Indigenous Australians, including through primary health care, child and maternal health, and substance use services.
Programs 8.1 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health	Divisions Responsible Office for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Health Workforce Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division (Other areas across the department also contributed to improved Indigenous health outcomes)
Outcome 9. Private Health Improved choice in health services by supporting affordable quality private health care, including through private health insurance rebates and a regulatory framework.
Programs 9.1 Private Health Insurance	Divisions Responsible Acute Care Division Medical Benefits Division
Outcome 10. Health System Capacity and Quality Improved long-term capacity, quality and safety of Australia’s health care system to meet future health needs, including through investment in health infrastructure, international engagement, consistent performance reporting and research.
Programs 10.1 Chronic Disease – Treatment 10.2 e-Health Implementation 10.3 Health Information 10.4 International Policy Engagement 10.5 Palliative Care and Community Assistance 10.6 Research Capacity 10.7 Health Infrastructure	Divisions Responsible Ageing and Aged Care Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division Portfolio Strategies Division Primary and Ambulatory Care Division Regulatory Policy and Governance Division
Outcome 11. Mental Health Improved mental health and suicide prevention, including through targeted prevention, identification, early intervention and health care services.
Programs 11.1 Mental Health	Divisions Responsible Health Workforce Division Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division
Outcome 12. Health Workforce Capacity Improved capacity, quality and mix of the health workforce to meet the requirements of health services, including through training, registration, accreditation and distribution strategies.
Programs 12.1 Rural Workforce 12.2 Workforce	Divisions Responsible Health Workforce Division Primary and Ambulatory Care Division
Outcome 13. Acute Care Improved access to public hospitals, acute care services and public dental services, including through targeted strategies, and payments to State and Territory Governments.
Programs 13.1 Blood and Organ Donation Services 13.2 Medical Indemnity 13.3 Public Hospitals and Information	Divisions Responsible Acute Care Division Regulatory Policy and Governance Division
Outcome 14. Biosecurity and Emergency Response Preparedness to respond to national health emergencies and risks, including through surveillance, regulation, prevention, detection and leadership in national health coordination.
Programs 14.1 Health Emergency Planning and Response 14.2 Surveillance	Divisions Responsible Office of Health Protection
Outcome 15: Sport Performance and Participation Improved opportunities for community participation in sport and recreation, and excellence in high-performance athletes, including through investment in sport infrastructure and events, research and international cooperation.
Programs 15.1 Sport and Recreation	Division Responsible Population Health Division

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Portfolio Agency Outcomes

The outcomes belonging to all Health and Ageing portfolio agencies in 2009-10, are identified below.

Table 2.2.2: Health and Ageing Portfolio Agencies’ Outcomes

Portfolio Agency	Outcomes
Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd	Outcome 1. High quality residential aged care for older people, including through accrediting Australian Government funded aged care homes, identifying best practice, and providing information and education to the aged care sector.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare	Outcome 1. A robust evidence-base for the health, housing and community sectors, including through developing and disseminating comparable health and welfare information and statistics.
Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority	Outcome 1. Improved access to organ and tissue transplants, including through a nationally coordinated and consistent approach and system.
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency	Outcome 1. Protection of people and the environment through radiation protection and nuclear safety research, policy, advice, codes, standards, services and regulations.
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority	Outcome 1. Protection of the health of athletes and the integrity of Australian sport, including through deterrence, detection and enforcement to eliminate doping.
Australian Sports Commission	Outcome 1. Improved participation in structured physical activity, particularly organised sport, at the community level, including through leadership and targeted community-based sports activity. Outcome 2. Excellence in sports performance and continued international sporting success, by talented athletes and coaches, including through leadership in high-performance athlete development, and targeted science and research.
Australian Sports Foundation	Outcome 1. Improved Australian sporting infrastructure through assisting eligible organisations to raise funds for registered sporting projects.
Cancer Australia	Outcome 1. Minimised impacts of cancer, including through national leadership in cancer control, with targeted research, cancer service development and consumer support.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand	Outcome 1. A safe food supply and well-informed consumers in Australia and New Zealand, including through the development of food regulatory measures and the promotion of their consistent implementation coordination of food recall activities and the monitoring of consumer and industry food practices.
General Practice Education and Training Ltd	Outcome 1. Improved quality and access to primary care across Australia, including through general practitioner vocational education and training for medical graduates.
Health Workforce Australia	Outcome 1. Improved health workforce capacity, including through a national approach to workforce policy and planning across all health disciplines, which effectively integrates research, education and training.
National Blood Authority	Outcome 1. Access to a secure supply of safe and affordable blood products, including through national supply arrangements and coordination of best practice standards within agreed funding policies under the national blood arrangements.
National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre	Outcome 1. Improved knowledge about breast and ovarian cancer control, including through the translation and dissemination of research into evidence-based information, clinical best practice, policy and health service delivery.
National Health and Medical Research Council	Outcome 1. Improved health and medical knowledge, including through funding research, translating research findings into evidence-based clinical practice, administering legislation governing research, issuing guidelines and advice in health and the promotion of public health.
Private Health Insurance Administration Council	Outcome 1. Prudential safety and competitiveness of the private health insurance industry in the interests of consumers, including through efficient industry regulation.
Private Health Insurance Ombudsman	Outcome 1. Public confidence in private health insurance, including through consumer and provider complaint and enquiry investigations, and performance monitoring and reporting.
Professional Services Review	Outcome 1. A reduction in the risks to patients and costs to the Australian Government of inappropriate clinical practice, including through investigating health services claimed under the Medicare and Pharmaceutical benefits schemes.

Agencies’ performance against agency-specific outcomes is reported in their respective annual reports. Contact details for these organisations can be found in Part 6.2.

Review of portfolio outcomes

The department reviewed the portfolio’s outcome structure in 2008-09 and 2009-10 for the 2009-10 and 2010‑11 Budgets, as part of the Australian Government’s reform agenda to improve the transparency of public sector budgetary and financial management, and to promote good governance practices (Operation Sunlight). The department worked with portfolio agencies and the Department of Finance and Deregulation to revise the outcome statements so they more clearly identify: the Government’s intended results; target groups; and activities undertaken by the relevant agency that contribute to the achievement of the intended results.

In 2009-10, the department amended the outcome structure to include two new portfolio agencies identified above:

the Australian Sports Foundation www.asf.org.au which was established by the Australian Government to assist eligible organisations raise funds for the development of Australian sport; and
Health Workforce Australia, www.hwa.gov.au which was established to meet the needs of providing a health workforce responsive to the needs of the community.

Approval from the Minister of Finance and Deregulation was received for the new Australian Sports Foundation outcome statement and the revised Food Standards Australia New Zealand outcome statement in December 2009.

Approval from the Minister for Finance and Deregulation was received for the new Health Workforce Australia outcome statement in March 2010.
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