Anstey Matthew, Burgess Paul, Angus Lisa
Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
NT Clinical School, Flinders University, Nightingdale Road, Royal Darwin Hospital Campus, Darwin, NT 0810, Australia. Email.
Aust Health Rev. 2018 Aug;42(4):370-373. doi: 10.1071/AH16262.
Population-level assessment and planning has traditionally been the role of public health departments but in establishing Primary Health Networks (PHNs), the Australian Government has instituted a new mechanism for identifying community needs and commissioning services to meet those needs. If PHNs are to achieve the vision of nimble organisations capable of identifying and addressing local health needs via integrated health and social services, several things need to occur. First, PHN funding schedules must become more flexible. Second, the Federal health department must maintain an open dialogue with PHNs, permit waivers in funding schedules to suit local conditions and be prepared to back innovations with seed investment. Third, health data exchange and linkage must be accelerated to better inform community needs assessments and commissioning. Finally, PHNs must be encouraged and supported to develop collaborations both within and outside the health sector in order to identify and address a broad set of health issues and determinants. By following these principles, PHNs may become leading change agents in the Australian healthcare system.
传统上，人群层面的评估和规划是公共卫生部门的职责，但在建立初级卫生保健网络（PHN）方面，澳大利亚政府设立了一种新机制，用于识别社区需求并委托提供满足这些需求的服务。要使初级卫生保健网络实现通过综合卫生和社会服务来识别和解决当地卫生需求的灵活组织这一愿景，需要做好几件事。首先，初级卫生保健网络的资金安排必须更加灵活。其次，联邦卫生部必须与初级卫生保健网络保持开放对话，允许在资金安排上有所变通以适应当地情况，并准备好用种子投资来支持创新。第三，必须加快卫生数据交换和关联，以便更好地为社区需求评估和委托服务提供信息。最后，必须鼓励和支持初级卫生保健网络在卫生部门内外开展合作，以识别和解决一系列广泛的卫生问题及决定因素。遵循这些原则，初级卫生保健网络可能会成为澳大利亚医疗体系中引领变革的力量。
