This survey seeks to understand how Shigella is being tested for in Australian public health laboratories, and how antibiotic susceptibility testing for multi-drug resistant Shigella is being reported from reference laboratories to public health authorities.
The following questions will be used to analyse the testing and reporting processes for MDR Shigella of each jurisdiction. The information provided as part of this survey will be identifiable at the jurisdictional level and...More
Public consultation on the National Rural and Remote Nurse Generalist Framework (the Framework) is now open.
The intent of the the Framework is to describe the unique context of practice and core capabilities for remote area nursing practice, and rural nursing practice. The Framework is designed as a tool and guide and will benefit Registered Nurses in rural and remote practice settings, their employers, education providers, health administrators and nursing and midwifery...More
The Department of Health - Prostheses List Reforms Taskforce invites submissions in relation to proposed improvements to the Private Health Insurance (PHI) Prostheses List (PL) as approved by Government and reflected in the 2021-2022 Federal Budget.
The Prostheses List reforms - Consultation Paper No 3 concerns proposed modern listing pathways, a contemporary fit-for-purpose process to be adopted for the PL which allows for applications of differing complexity to be dealt with...More
Please visit our new engagement hub for the latest updates on the Australian Cancer Plan.
Cancer touches every Australian in some way.
Across Australia, health professionals, charities and other organisations are working tirelessly to care for and support people affected by cancer. Researchers are seeking new ways of preventing, diagnosing, treating and living with the disease in all its forms. And governments, policy makers and industry groups are developing plans,...More
The Department of Health - Prostheses List Reforms Taskforce invites submissions in relation to proposed improvements to the Private Health Insurance (PHI) Prostheses List (PL) as approved by Government and reflected in the 2021-2022 Federal Budget.
The Prostheses List reforms - Consultation Paper No 2 concerns amendments to Part B of the PL, and it will be presented in two parts:
1- The present paper (2a) reflects the design stage of the reforms to Part B of the PL. It...More
UPDATE:
The Department of Health is currently finalising arrangements for recommencing the NMP Review and further advice will be provided in the near future.
Published in 2000, Australia’s National Medicines Policy (NMP) is a well established and universally endorsed framework that aims deliver positive health outcomes for all Australians through their access to, and appropriate use of, medicines. The NMP guides the range of activities encompassing...More
This survey seeks to understand how Shigella is being tested for in Australia, and how antibiotic susceptibility testing data for multi-drug resistant (MDR) Shigella is being reported to and used by public health authorities.
The following questions will be used to analyse the testing and reporting processes for MDR Shigella in each jurisdiction. The information provided as part of this survey will be identifiable at the jurisdictional level and will be used by the Public Health...More
The purpose of this consultation is to seek initial input from medicine supply chain industry stakeholders about a National Medicines Traceability Framework (NMTF). This activity follows international developments in medicine track and trace systems, and the 2020-21 Budget measure: Improving Access to Medicines – development of Unique Identification framework for PBS medicines .
The Department’s NMTF Consultation Paper highlights the rationale and contemporary...More
The Department of Health invites submissions in relation to a proposal to introduce a cost recovered pathway for applications received from commercial entities seeking reimbursement decisions from the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC).
This proposal is to introduce a cost recovered pathway for the following application types received, from commercial entities:
codependent technologies (medical services and health technologies that...More
The Department of Health is undertaking a two-stage consultation process to inform thinking around primary health care data and the use of electronic clinical decision support systems in primary health care. The two topics have been combined into a single Issues Paper given the overlap in stakeholders and links between primary health care data and eCDS in the broader health care ecosystem. The combined process will enable stakeholders to consider and share their views regarding one or both...More
The Australian Government is seeking your views about new requirements to strengthen the governance of approved aged care providers.
Legislation being considered by Parliament will need approved providers to meet new requirements.
We are seeking your views about how the following requirements should be implemented:
the quality care advisory body that will report to the approved provider’s governing body
the content of an approved provider’s...More
The Australian Government is seeking to align regulation across the aged care, disability support and veterans’ care sectors. The 2021-22 Budget included a range of measures that form a short to longer term program of reform.
The Department of Health, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission), the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (ACQSC), the Department of Social Services (DSS) and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) are working together to deliver on...More
Overview
The Department of Health is working with Specialised Support Services (SSS) providers to ensure that this service type is still achieving the best outcomes for clients and carers, and to align these vital services to the new Support at Home Program, due to begin 1 July 2023.
In late 2021, the Department of Health ran an initial SSS Survey which sought to better understand current service delivery and clarify the role of those services from 1 July...More
Background
Australia has a long history of successfully managing the use of radiation technologies. There are well established safety standards in Australia to protect the community and the environment from the harmful effects of radiation.
A review of Australia’s systems for radiation safety by the International Atomic Energy Agency identified opportunities for Australian governments to improve the consistency of regulation across the...More
The Department of Health is developing a 10 year plan for nurse practitioners. The purpose of the Nurse Practitioner 10 Year Plan is to describe a set of actions that can be taken to address nurse practitioner workforce issues of national significance and enhance the delivery of nursing care to the Australian community. The Plan will include 1 to 3 year, 5 year and 10 year goals. Development of the Nurse Practitioner 10 Year Plan will occur concurrently with development of the National...More
We want to hear from you about what is important in the design of high quality residential aged care accommodation.
Residential aged care providers and stakeholders – how do design elements work for your business, your staff and your residents? We also want to hear about design elements that don’t work well or make it hard to provide quality care.
Technical experts, including architects, dementia...More
New face-to-face supports to assist people to navigate and access aged care were announced in the 2021-22 Budget under the Connecting senior Australians to aged care services measure. These will complement the existing My Aged Care website and phone line and will include a My Aged Care face-to-face service to be delivered by Services Australia and a network of care finders.
A new care finder program will provide specialist assistance to senior Australians who need...More
National Initial Assessment and Referral for Mental Healthcare for children and adolescents
Consultation Drafts - Survey
As part of the 2021-22 Budget, the Australian Government announced $34.2 million to expand and implement the Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) tool into primary care settings to support General Practitioners, allied health professionals and referrers to determine a consistent and appropriate level of care for a person presenting for mental health assistance,...More
The Australian Government wrote the Easy Read paper . When you see the word 'we', it means the Australian Government.
We wrote this information in an easy to read way.
You can ask for help to read the paper. A friend, family member or support person may be able to help you.
The care and support sector provides
many different:
supports
services. ...More
Please note: An Easy Read paper and an easy to read version of the questionnaire can be found here .
The Australian Government is consulting in relation to the development of an enforceable Care and Support Sector Code of Conduct (the Code) applicable to providers and workers across aged care, veterans’ care and disability support.
Through preliminary engagement with key representatives in the care and support sector, a draft Code has been prepared using the...More
The Australian Government’s response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety outlines a plan to improve choice in residential aged care. A new residential aged care system is being designed to assign places directly to senior Australians.
This change marks the end of the Aged Care Approvals Round (ACAR), and the start of a transition towards the more competitive and consumer-driven system.
From 1 July 2024, senior Australians will have residential aged care...More
General Practitioners (GPs) are central to health care in the Australian community.
The Australian General Practice Training (AGPT) Program trains doctors to become GPs. It provides full-time, on-the-job training for Australian and overseas-trained doctors who want to specialise in general practice. The Australian Government funds the AGPT Program.
The program offers 1,500 training places in cities and regional, rural and remote areas of Australia each year.
Doctors in the AGPT...More
This survey provides Public Health Laboratory Network (PHLN) members with an opportunity to provide feedback on their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of this survey will be discussed at the PHLN meeting of 22 November 2021, and will be used to inform the development of the National Public Health Laboratory Strategy.
Feedback provided as part of this survey will only be used for the purpose of PHLN discussions and will not be communicated further without expressed...More
Future focused primary health care: Australia’s Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan 2022-2032
Consultation Draft - Survey
The Consultation Draft of the Primary Health Care 10 Year Plan (the plan) draws on input from consultations with individuals and organisations across the country from late 2019 to mid-2021. The plan represents a high level response to the recommendations of the Primary Health Reform Steering Group (Steering Group) which has been...More
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) is consulting with stakeholders on proposed changes to recommended use of BCG vaccines to prevent tuberculosis for inclusion in the Australian Immunisation Handbook, with an intention to submit the recommendation to the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) for its approval under section 14A of the National Health and Medical Research Council Act 1992.
The draft recommendations and the rationale for the...More
Obesity is a complex condition affecting our whole community. A range of social, environmental, and economic factors contribute to obesity and impact a person’s ability to maintain a healthy weight. If the current trend continues, more than 18 million Australians (two-thirds of our projected population) will be overweight or obese by 2030. Addressing overweight and obesity in Australia requires a multi-faceted, community wide approach delivered through a range of initiatives, sectors, and...More
The Department of Health is seeking input and feedback on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Genomics Health Guiding Principles (the Guiding Principles) and the associated Guiding Principles Summary Document.
The Guiding Principles have been developed by the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Advisory Group (Advisory Group) on Health Genomics. The Advisory Group consists of predominantly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members with relevant expertise in genomics,...More
The Australian Medical Research and Innovation Strategy (Strategy) is determined by the Australian Medical Research Advisory Board (AMRAB). The current Strategy covers the period 2016-2021, with the next Strategy (2021-2026) to be registered before 8 November 2021. The Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015 (MRFF Act) requires AMRAB to undertake a consultation process before determining a Strategy.
The Australian Medical Research and Innovation Priorities ...More
Published in 2000, Australia’s National Medicines Policy (NMP) aims to deliver positive health outcomes for all Australians through their access to and appropriate use of medicines. It is a well-established and universally endorsed framework based on partnerships between consumers and all segments of the medicines sector to promote the NMP’s four central objectives.
These are:
timely access to the medicines that Australians need, at a cost that...More
There are currently three medicines available for the treatment of opioid dependence under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Opiate Dependence Treatment Program (ODTP). These medicines are buprenorphine (tablets and modified release injections), buprenorphine with naloxone (films) and methadone (oral liquid).
Under the ODTP, the Australian Government pays the full cost of the medicines made available under state and territory government opioid dependence treatment...More