Healthy Futures – Building a better health system

ABC pic of Will Hodgman

The Liberals’ Future Directions 5 – Healthy Futures, sets the framework for building a better health system for Tasmania.

It starts by recognising health as an essential service that is responsive, and provides at least the same level of care as the rest of Australia.

It sets an ambitious but achievable goal of Tasmania having the healthiest population in Australia by 2025.

And it takes a “whole system” approach to health, to ensure all sectors work together to deliver a fully-integrated system for the benefit of Tasmanians.

Unlike Labor and the Greens we do not believe you can fix Tasmania’s health system by bleeding it dry. Rather than reducing supply as the Government is doing, we will reduce demand, by investing strategically into the right areas of health.

A majority Hodgman Liberal Government’s approach to Building a Better Health System will be underpinned by 10 key actions:

1. Recognising health as an essential service
Health should be a government priority. From day one in government we will prioritise health, education and public safety, to free up more resources to build a better health system for the future.

2. Shorter waiting lists for essential surgery
Elective surgery is essential surgery. We will invest $76 million to provide up to 15,000 additional elective operations.

3. Ensuring Tasmania has the healthiest population in Australia by 2025
It is not good enough that Tasmanians have some of the poorest health outcomes in the country. Unless we improve these results, we face a crisis of need in treating preventable chronic disease.

4. Delivering health care in new ways, in your community and your home
Reducing hospital demand with a range of innovative and proven out of hospital programs.

5. Driving innovation in health to make long-term efficiencies
Investing in improved health practices for better health outcomes and less cost. This includes a co-operative approach to work with the Victorian Government.

6. A home-grown workforce for the future
Retaining our Tasmanian-trained nurses and doctors with the provision of a graduate year.

7. Making every health dollar count
Directing the majority of health funding into frontline, patient care. The Liberals commit to having the leanest health bureaucracy in the nation. We will also engage with health workers at all levels to identify and slash waste.

8. Delivering budget certainty and stability
Guaranteed minimum three year budgets to stop the boom/bust crisis approach and deliver certainty and stability for our health services and workforce.

9. Partnering in health for everyone’s benefit
Establishing partnerships across the public and private health sectors including sharing the high cost of technologies and equipment.

10. Planning for tomorrow’s health services today
Five year rolling action plans developed with clinicians and health professionals, with clear priorities and measurable outcomes.

The Liberals’ Healthy Futures strategy will build a better, well-integrated health system and will deliver significant outcomes for Tasmanians and for the Tasmanian health system, including –

• Slowing hospital demand, reducing admissions/readmissions, Emergency presentations and delivering shorter hospital stays;
• Shorter waiting lists and surgery within clinically-recommended timeframes, fewer elective surgery cancellations
• Health care when you need it, in a range of settings
• A healthier population and support to prevent lifestyle diseases
• After-hospital support programs and help to manage disease out of hospital
• Health care programs, delivered closer to home, or in the home
• Seamless pathways from the GP to the hospital and back home
• Taking pressure off GPs
• Improved patient care and better health outcomes.*

• Download Future Directions document:
Liberals_Future_Directions_5-_Healthy_Futures_Building_a_better_health_system.pdf