Our work

Health ministers in Australia asked the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman to review the process for accrediting specialist medical college training sites. Learn more about the resulting reform that’s in progress.

We are developing a regional, rural and remote (RRR) aged care policy framework and workplan to ensure older people can access safe and quality aged care services regardless of where they live.

We help the aged care sector to grow the home care workforce with targeted support for providers to recruit and retain home care workers in regional, rural and remote locations.

This program provides free Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) medicines to patients of Aboriginal health services in remote areas. It operates under section 100 of the National Health Act 1953.

The Remote Northern Territory Locum Program funds health professionals to practise in remote Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory for short-term paid placements of 3 to 12 weeks.

The Remote Vocational Training Scheme delivers structured distance education and supervision to doctors while they provide general medical services in a remote or isolated community. The 4-year program meets the requirements for fellowship of both ACRRM and RACGP.

The Research Data Infrastructure initiative will provide $100 million over 10 years from 2024–25. It will fund the creation or extension of national research data infrastructure with a focus on data registries, biobanks and data linkage platforms to support Australian medical research.

The Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry initiative was an initiative under the Medical Research Future. It funded industry placements, mentoring and exchange programs for researchers.

Residential aged care is for older people who can no longer live independently at home. The Australian Government funds residential aged care to make it more affordable and accessible.

These programs help to minimise adverse medicine events for people living in approved Australian Government-funded aged care facilities. Pharmacists visit patients in facilities to identify, resolve, and prevent medication-related problems.

The experiences of older people living in aged care provide important insights into the quality of services they access. The Residents’ Experience Survey (formerly known as the Consumer Experience Interviews) enables aged care residents to tell us about the quality of their aged care.

The Review of Auslan Interpreting Services in Primary Care recommends ways to improve primary care provider’s Deaf awareness and ability to work with Auslan interpreters. It will help improve Deaf people’s experience of primary care.

We commissioned a review of sector funding arrangements and service provider capability for First Nations mental health and suicide prevention services and the Integrated Team Care program.

The independent Review of General Practice Incentives looked at whether the Practice Incentives Program and Workforce Incentive Program are effective and fit for purpose. The panel’s final report has been delivered to government for consideration.

Learn about how the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) is reviewing long-acting reversible contraceptive MBS items.

Learn about how the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) is reviewing MBS allied health chronic disease management services.

Learn about how the Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) Review Advisory Committee (MRAC) is reviewing MBS time-tiered items for primary care.

In 2018, we commissioned a review to advise and recommend possible enhancements to guide the men’s shed movement in Australia, and Australian Government funding to the men’s shed movement.

RBTIS is an integrated information sharing system used by both the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC or the Commission) and the Department of Health and Aged Care (the Department). It is used by the Commission in the regulation of aged care and assists in identifying providers at risk.

We have implemented several initiatives based on recommendations from the Roadmap for Hearing Health. These were designed to raise awareness, build our evidence base, improve ear health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and improve hearing support among older Australians.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides free emergency aeromedical evacuations and healthcare services for people living in rural and remote communities. This is often where no other health services are available. We have funded the RFDS since the 1930s.

ROCS provides run-off cover to doctors who have stopped private practice. Find out how this scheme works and who is eligible.

The RHMT program offers health students the opportunity to train in rural and remote communities via a network of training facilities. It aims to improve the recruitment and retention of medical, nursing, dental and allied health professionals in rural and remote Australia.

The Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF) supports outreach activities that improve access to medical specialists, GPs and allied health providers in rural and remote areas of Australia.