Publications
Reflections from the HCCA Election Forum (2024)
29 July 2024
Written by Darcy Whitmore
On 17 July 2024 HCCA held an election forum, bringing together HCCA members, staff and key health spokespersons from the major political parties. This event provided a platform for these representatives to share their commitments and priorities for health care in the ACT. The forum was held in person in the community room at our new offices in Chifley. The panel was Ms Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA from ACT Labor, Ms Emma Davidson MLA for ACT Greens and Ms Leanne Castley MLA from the Canberra Liberals.
The Focus of the Forum
The forum aimed to address the priorities for investment and focus on the ACT’s health care system which are set out in the HCCA Statement of Priorities for the 2024 Election Key topics included:
- Improving access to outpatient clinics
- Supporting consumers needing to travel interstate for care
- Enhancing multicultural health services
- Improving the ‘streaming’ of older patients in emergency departments (geriatric streaming)
Key Contributions from the Panellists
In their opening statements the panellists highlighted their priorities and commitments for Health care in the ACT.
Leanne Castley MLA, Sportsperson for Health, Canberra Liberals
Ms Castley was first elected in 2020 and has had responsibility for the health portfolio since 2022. Ms Castley emphasised that no new health policies were to be announced at the forum, focusing instead on previously introduced measures. The central theme was the importance of primary care and preventative health, highlighting the need to keep people out of hospitals by addressing their health needs proactively and holistically. Ms Castley also acknowledged the important role of community sector in the health system, the need to support the health workforce and address cultural issues.
Emma Davidson MLA, Minister for Mental Health and Population Health
Ms Davidson Was elected to the Legislative assembly in 2020 and has been a minister in the ACT Government since 2020. The Minister spoke about the need to access quality, free health care in response to ongoing climate, cost of living, and public health crises. The Minister raised the need to address health inequity and fragmentation across private and public systems, as well as across state and federal systems. The emphasis of the ACT Greens is on addressing the holistic needs of individuals and acknowledging the social determinants of health that often exacerbate health issues. The importance of drawing on existing community knowledge and research to improve access to primary care was also stressed. The Minister recognised the role of consumer organisations and NGOs
Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA, Minister for Health ACT Labor
Rachel Stephen-Smith was first elected in 2016 and has been Minister for Health since 2019. The Minister spoke about the need to address low-value care, advocating for a more accessible, accountable, and sustainable health care system. The Government has created multiple strategies in this term and the focus for Labor is shifting to implementing these new strategies. This would include expanding services and continuing to build necessary infrastructure. The Minister also highlighted several key initiatives:
- Infrastructure improvements and workforce planning, including a new Northside hospital
- Virtual care opportunities, such as telehealth rooms at community health centres
- Improving navigation and emergency department wait times, as well as elective surgery rates
Consumer Questions
Darlene Cox facilitated the panel discussion.
Interstate Travel for Health Care
The first question asked in the forum addressed the complicated process of interstate travel for health care, particularly through the current Interstate Patient Travel Assistance Scheme (IPTAS) system. Panellists, particularly the Minister for Health, acknowledged that IPTAS is not meeting consumer and carer needs and emphasised the need to improve and increase liaison and navigation services to support patients and families. A shift towards virtual care solutions would remove the travel barrier and lessen the burden on patients and families. Darlene stressed that IPTAS is not fit for purpose and needs a review and that liaison and navigation support make a difference. HCCA wants to see this addressed in all party policies.
Multicultural Health Care
The importance of language services and community engagement was discussed. Ms Davidson noted the barriers faced by multicultural communities due to social determinants of health, and the necessity for culturally appropriate mental health services. Ms Davidson also highlighted that an effective way to support communities is to strengthen partnerships with community organisations and improve commissioning practices. Ms Stephen-Smith recognised HCCA’s calls to reinstate a multicultural health policy unit, acknowledging that in recent years the approach to mainstream multicultural health rather than have a dedicated unit has not been the most effective approach for community. Ms Stephen-Smith discussed Labor’s commitment to more Easy English translations that use language that is more suitable for multicultural communities. Darlene highlighted that we have also recently created Easy Read resources to help people before, during and after hospital visits, as well as the fact HCCA is also asking for increased resources around community language materials. HCCA is pleased to see the acknowledgment of the need to do more but stressed the need for investment to meet this need.
Reducing Outpatient Clinic Waiting Times and Improving Visibility of Waitlists
Both Ms Davidson and Ms Stephen-Smith acknowledged the long-standing issue of outpatient clinic waiting times and the need to improve performance in this area. Ms Castley shared anecdotes from consumers related to this issue. The possible solutions discussed included better use of digital health records for transparency and consumer agency, addressing workforce shortages, and increasing the number of appointments available to new patients to alleviate the burden on specialists. Consumers also raised that the lack of visibility around waiting times is also a cause of stress, not just the length of wait time itself.
Preventative Health Programs
Preventative health was a significant focus of all candidates, with Ms Stephen-Smith detailing Labor’s support for existing programs including funding the Chifley community gym as well as designing and constructing new facilities that will serve as health hubs for integrated care. Panel members acknowledged the need for affordable preventative care with discussions ongoing with the Commonwealth to integrate these efforts into a broader reform agreement.
Integrating Health Systems
All panellists acknowledged the importance of better coordination between public and private health sectors to reduce overall costs and improve navigation for consumers. Ms Davidson and Ms Stephen-Smith talked about the role of the Health System Council, which includes various stakeholders and aims to address these challenges strategically.
Streaming Older Patients in Emergency Departments
Concerns about the long wait times for older patients in emergency departments were addressed by Ms Stephen-Smith, who outlined plans for geriatric streaming in the new Emergency Department at the Canberra Hospital (building 5) with guidelines being developed for appropriate patient management and triage. The GRACE and RADAR programs were also mentioned as initiatives to keep older patients out of hospitals when possible. Darlene and the audience raised the risk of delirium and falls, when older people are in hospital for longer than they need to be, places pressure on the public system. HCCA wants to see all parties commit to continuing programs to improve access to care for older people and their experience of care.
The forum ended with a focus on the future, including the planning of the new Northside hospital and considerations for staff residences and accessible facilities. The importance of inclusive design, staff who represent the community, and ongoing community consultation was emphasised to make sure that the health system meets the diverse needs of the ACT population.
As the ACT heads towards the election in October, the commitments and discussions from this forum underpin the ongoing efforts to create a more effective, equitable, and integrated health care system for consumers. HCCA will continue to advocate for the needs and voices of health care consumers, ensuring that their concerns and priorities are at the forefront of health policy and practice.