Outcome 6: Rural Health > Part 1 Outcome Performance Report

Major Achievements

• Improved viability of the Royal Flying Doctor Service through the development of new funding arrangements which will enable the service to continue to deliver vital, often life-saving, health services to rural and remote communities.
• Further ensured that people in rural and remote locations can access aero-medical services by financially assisting the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern Section to purchase an aircraft.
• Improved access to specialist and privately insurable health services for rural and remote communities. The third and fourth funding rounds of the Rural Private Access Program were completed in 2006–07 resulting in 156 approved projects from 123 applicants.

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Challenge

• Difficulties in recruiting and retaining a skilled health workforce in rural and especially, remote areas. The Regional Health Services Program faced a particular challenge in accessing needed allied health professionals.

Key Strategic Directions for 2006–07

Better Management of Rural Health Programs

Implementation of the Council of Australian Governments Health Reform Agenda

A priority for this outcome in 2006–07 was the implementation of the Council of Australian Governments Health Reform Agenda to improve the management of rural health programs. Under this initiative, the Commonwealth, State and the Northern Territory governments will separately consolidate funding for specified rural health programs.

Working with the states and the Northern Territory through the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council Rural Health Standing Committee, the Department identified Commonwealth Government programs for consolidation and contributed to the development of a proposed approach for implementation. The approach took into account important issues such as potential auspicing arrangements, the timing of new arrangements and integration with existing service delivery. It aimed to enable more flexible application of funding across programs in line with identified local needs and reduce red tape through streamlined administration and reporting. The Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council will consider the Rural Health Standing Committee’s proposed approach in 2007–08.
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Increasing Access to Primary Care and Allied Health Services for Remote and Indigenous Communities

Access through Improved Funding Arrangements for the Royal Flying Doctor Service

Following a review of the Royal Flying Doctor Service, in 2006–07 the Department developed new funding arrangements for this non-profit organisation. The new funding approach will improve access to health services by people living in rural and remote areas. In addition to a significant increase in funding by the Commonwealth Government, there is also greater clarity and purpose, with Government funding covering emergency aero-medical evacuations and the primary care clinics provided by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. Under the new arrangements states and the Northern Territory will be responsible for funding inter-hospital transfers.

Regional Health Services

Difficulty in recruiting and retaining suitably qualified staff has been an on-going challenge for health service delivery programs in rural and remote areas, particularly in relation to the Regional Health Services Program. The program services the smallest communities in some of the hardest to reach and most isolated areas of Australia. Consequently, attracting suitably skilled primary care health workers is especially difficult due to that isolation in addition to lower levels of support infrastructure. Despite this, the program achieved good outcomes in improving access to primary and community care, including the establishment of one new remote service in the Northern Territory.

Rural Primary Health

In 2006–07, the Department worked to improve access to health services for remote and Indigenous communities through the Rural Primary Health Projects Program. Achievements included funding for men’s health projects that cover both mainstream and Indigenous communities. Mensheds Australia, a lead organisation for about 70 men’s sheds across Australia, explores whether a men’s shed facility can assist the health and wellbeing of men in remote and regional Indigenous communities. A men’s shed is a specific facility in which activities can take place, including woodworking, vehicle maintenance and other ‘handy man’ activities. The concept assumes that men communicate better during activity and that a men’s shed provides an ideal context to connect men with health information and to promote awareness of their own health and access to health services.

A community-based men’s health awareness program visited Indigenous communities, including those in the Tiwi Islands and remote areas of Western Australia, holding men’s health nights which were very well attended. A number of men with significant disease issues were referred to appropriate health services. Other funded projects focusing on Indigenous communities included Lifeline investigating the use of telephone counselling services by Indigenous people.

Building Healthy Communities

The Department provided funding through the Building Healthy Communities Initiative to support projects in remote communities that implement local solutions to chronic disease and injury problems. In 2006–07, 19 of the 31 two-year Building Healthy Communities projects specifically supported Indigenous communities. Outcomes to date include a raised awareness of nutrition and healthy lifestyles at the community level and up-skilling of local Building Healthy Communities staff.
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Encouraged Specialist Access and Privately Insurable Health Services in Rural and Remote Australia

The Department actively encouraged an increase in health services in rural and remote Australia during 2006–07 through the following programs.

Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program

The Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program continued to improve the access of people living in rural and remote Australia to medical specialist services by supporting specialists to provide outreach visits to areas. The Department supported funding to the program which provided more than 1,375 medical specialist outreach services to the community – an increase of 305 services from last year.

Rural Private Access Program

The Rural Private Access Program aims to support and increase the range of privately insurable health services to rural and remote Australia where viability is under threat or more services are required.

In 2006–07, the Department approved funding in excess of $17 million for 156 projects under this program. Funds went towards the purchase of specialist medical equipment and technology upgrades for patient information systems. It also supported specialised training for medical and clinical personnel, minor capital works and refurbishments for small rural hospitals, and allied health services such as podiatry and physiotherapy.