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Chronic disease

Historical documents

A national chronic disease strategy, a blueprint for a national surveillance system and national service improvement frameworks were developed to encourage coordinated action in response to the growing impact of chronic disease.

National chronic disease strategy

The national chronic disease strategy provides an overarching framework of national direction for improving chronic disease prevention and care across Australia. It is a nationally agreed agenda to encourage coordinated action in response to the growing impact of chronic disease on the health of Australians and the health care system.

National service improvement frameworks

Five supporting national service improvement frameworks have been developed for:

• asthma
• cancer
• diabetes
• heart, stroke and vascular disease and
• osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis

The frameworks identify a number of opportunities where Australia might most usefully invest to reduce the impact of these chronic diseases.

Blueprint for nation-wide surveillance of chronic diseases and associated determinants

The blueprint is a framework for local and national public health surveillance of preventable chronic disease and the determinants of chronic disease. The blueprint sets out the essential elements of a national surveillance system, describes an Australian priority setting tool for agreeing information priorities and methods, and proposes immediate actions to establish the system.

Implementation

The strategy and frameworks were intended to guide policy development and service improvement and direct the development and implementation of action plans tailored to meet local requirements within each jurisdiction.

Themes common to the strategy, frameworks and blueprint include:

• an emphasis on health promotion, prevention and monitoring population trends in the risk factors for chronic disease
• supporting integrated service provision and multidisciplinary care
• promoting and supporting self-management within the health system
• progressing mechanisms to improve quality of care and
• improving access to chronic disease prevention and care services by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other under-serviced population groups.

Page last reviewed: 31 March 2011