About Australia’s Health Landscape
Australia's health landscape is an infographic, which was first released in 2017. This infographic visualises how Australia’s health system works, including health services, promotion and prevention, determinants of health, system pressures and enabling factors to improve health outcomes for Australians.
The vision of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing is: better health and wellbeing for all Australians now and for future generations.
A person is likely to use the health, disability and aged care systems in various ways throughout their life. This diagram reflects their health needs at various stages, the social and environmental impacts on their health and wellbeing, and their personal circumstances.
The diagram also shows Australia’s role in global health.
It is a diagram with multiple levels of the health system in the centre, pressures that impact the health system on the left, and enablers that influence the health system on the right.
Pressures
Pressures are factors that increase system demand, or complexities. This includes:
- Fragmented and complex health, disability and aged care systems
- Growing fiscal constraints
- Impact of technology
- Consumer and clinician expectation
- Socioeconomic inequality
- Growing health burden
- Demographic change
- Environmental and climate change
- Geographically dispersed population
- Global risk of emergent communicable diseases
Enablers
Enablers are key levers that support the system. Enablers include:
- Expenditure and financing
- Governance and evaluation
- Accurate, accessible and integrated data
- Knowledge sharing, research and innovation
- Health, disability and aged care workforce
- Therapeutic goods and services
Contribution to global health
Australia contributes to global health through:
- Capacity building
- Health diplomacy
- Surveillance
- Preparedness
There are 4 layers beneath this.
1. Specialist, Acute and Residential Care
- Public hospitals
- Private hospitals
- Specialist services
- Diagnostic and pathology
- Local Hospital Networks
- Residential care
2. Primary health and community care:
- Dental
- Urgent Care Clinics
- General practice
- Primary Health Networks
- Pharmacy
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
- Allied Health
- Care in the community
- Care at home
3. Health promotion and disease prevention:
Activities that reduce illness and support wellbeing include:
- Screening
- Immunisation
- Nutrition
- Sport and physical activity
- Sleep
- Illicit drug use
- Tobacco and novel nicotine
- Alcohol
4. Determinants of health:
Health outcomes are influenced by social, economic and environmental conditions, including:
- Education
- Employment
- Income
- Housing
- Social support network
- Environment
- Food security
- Living in a rural and/or remote area
Australia’s health outcomes are shaped by the interactions between the different care services, prevention activities, social determinants, policy, funding and global cooperation. All elements work together to support the health and wellbeing of Australians.
The past version of Australia’s health landscape can be found on Trove.