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Health and Hospitals Fund

Health and Hospitals Fund (HHF)

This page provides information about the Health and Hospitals Fund (HHF), under which organisations providing health-related services may apply for capital works funding offered from time to time by the Australian Government.

Introduction

The $5 Billion HHF was established on 1 January 2009 by the Australian Government as part of its broader nation-building infrastructure program.

The HHF is guided by legislation under the Nation-building Funds Act 2008 (PDF 459 KB).

The objectives of the HHF, while not replacing State and Territory effort, are to:

• invest in major health infrastructure programs that will make significant progress towards achieving the Commonwealth’s health reform targets; and
• make strategic investments in the health system that will underpin major improvements in efficiency, access or outcomes of health care.

Three funding rounds of the HHF have been conducted and a fourth round, with a focus on regional health infrastructure, opened on 24 August 2011. Applications for funding under this 2011 Regional Priority Round will close on 19 October 2011.

Round One Health and Hospitals Fund Projects:

As part of the 2009-10 Federal Budget, a $3.2 billion nation-building package of HHF projects covering three critical areas was announced. These included:

• $1.3 billion towards building a world class cancer care system;
• $1.5 billion towards building a hospital system for the future and to undertake other projects of national significance; and
• $430.3 million towards medical research and workforce infrastructure to improve the transfer of research outcomes into patient care.

A list of the projects funded under Round One of the Health and Hospitals Fund Projects:
Summary of Health and Hospitals Fund Projects August 2010 (PDF 16 KB).

Round Two: Regional Cancer Centres

As part of the $1.3 billion provided to build a world class cancer care system, $560 million was allocated in the 2009-10 Budget to establish a network of best practice regional cancer centres and associated accommodation facilities.

The aim of the Regional Cancer Centres initiative is to help improve access and support for cancer patients in rural, regional and remote Australia, and to help close the gap in cancer outcomes between the city and the country.

In total, there are 24 regional cancer centre projects approved. Twenty one regional cancer centre projects were approved in 2010 and an additional two projects were approved in 2011 as well as the Alan Walker Cancer Centre in Darwin, which opened in 2010. These projects will enable people with cancer to access the right care at the right time, as close as possible to home and family, irrespective of where they live or their social circumstances.

A list of all Regional Cancer Centres and their approximate catchments is available here:
Summary of Regional Cancer Centre Projects November 2011 (PDF 185 KB)

Maps showing the locations of all Regional Cancer Centre projects, their satellite projects and catchment areas:
Regional Cancer Centres and satellite projects (PDF 228 KB)
Regional Cancer Centres and satellite projects (JPG 4819 KB)
Regional Cancer Centres and satellite projects catchment areas (PDF 166 KB)
Regional Cancer Centres and satellite projects catchment areas (JPG 3383 KB)

Round Three: 2010 Regional Priority Round

On 30 September 2010, the Australian Government opened a third funding round under the HHF – the 2010 Regional Priority Round – with $1.8 billion available for health infrastructure projects to improve access to essential health services for Australians living in rural, regional and remote areas.

The aim of the funding round is to assist regional communities in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Remoteness Areas (RA) 2 to 5 by providing upgrades to regional health infrastructure, expansions to regional hospitals, and support for clinical training capacity in regional hospitals.

The 2011-12 Budget provided funding for sixty three projects from the 2010 Regional Priority Round. These projects will help to close the gap in health outcomes between major metropolitan and regional areas of Australia.

A list of the projects funded under Round Three: 2010 Regional Priority Round

Round Four: 2011 Regional Priority Round

The 2011-12 Budget announced $475 million for another HHF funding round targeting regional infrastructure development. Applications for the 2011 Regional Priority Round closed on 19 October 2011.

Applicants are expected to be notified of the outcome in May 2012.

HHF Advisory Board

Under the Nation-building Funds Act 2008 (PDF 459 KB), all health infrastructure spending proposals need to be assessed by an independent, expert advisory board appointed by the Minister for Health and Ageing.

The role of the HHF Advisory Board is to advise the Minister whether proposals for funding through the HHF satisfy the HHF Evaluation Criteria (PDF 29 KB), having regard to guidelines issued by the Minister. In providing this advice, the Advisory Board may also:

• identify proposals which, due to the potential benefits to the nation of the project, need more work in order to meet the Evaluation Criteria; and
• identify conditions that need to be met for the proposal to satisfy the Evaluation Criteria.

The Advisory Board members are:

• Mr Bill Ferris AC (Chair)
• Ms Patricia Faulkner AO
• Ms Jane Halton PSM (ex-officio)
• Professor Stephen Leeder AO
• Professor Cindy Shannon
• Professor John Wakerman
• Mr Bruce Warner

Further information

For more information regarding the HHF, please contact hhf@health.gov.au