Outcome | 10

Section 2 – Department Outcomes – 10 Health System Capacity and Quality

Outcome 10

Health System Capacity and Quality

Improved long-term capacity, quality and safety of Australia’s health care system to meet future health needs, including through investment in health infrastructure, international engagement, consistent performance reporting and research

Outcome Strategy

The Australian Government, through Outcome 10, aims to improve the long-term capacity and the quality and safety of Australia’s health care system. This will be achieved by improving the management of chronic disease, including supporting the fight against cancer, supporting electronic health system reform, improving health information programs, engaging in international forums, improving access to palliative care, supporting health and medical research, and improving infrastructure through the Health and Hospitals Fund.

In 2011-12, as part of the Australian Government’s reforms to the health and hospital system, the Government will support the design and development of a personally controlled electronic health record system. The national system will provide the infrastructure, standards and tools to enable an individual’s key health information to be available when and where it is required across the health and hospital system while ensuring the security and privacy of their health information. With the patient’s permission, key health information may be viewed by their authorised participating health care providers across different locations and care settings. The Government will also promote the use of Healthcare Identifiers[1] (HI) by supporting implementation projects across a range of health care settings, providing information on the use of health services delivery and working with states and territories to promote the use of eHealth tools and standards.

Furthermore, to support its aims of improving the capacity, quality and safety of the health system, the Government will invest in health infrastructure to provide patients with the care and treatment they need, as well as invest in health and medical research, and programs that translate research findings into clinical care. The Australian Government will promote the exchange of information among states and territories, engage with international organisations and participate in relevant international, regional and bilateral forums on health issues.

The management of chronic disease, including the fight against cancer, will be improved through support for evidencebased best practice, infrastructure investment, and by controlling the incidence of preventable diseases. The Government will improve access to palliative care by promoting better planning, delivery and coordination of health services and developing an integrated palliative care system.

As a result of the Strategic Review, some programs have been consolidated into new flexible funds. Outcome 10 now includes the Health System Capacity Development Fund (Program 10.3); the Health Surveillance Fund (Program 10.5); and the Quality Use of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Pathology Fund (Program10.5). For further information on the outcomes of the Strategic Review, please refer to Section 1.4, page 47.

Outcome 10 is the responsibility of Acute Care Division, Mental Health and Chronic Disease Division, Pharmaceutical Benefits Division, Population Health Division, Portfolio Strategies Division, eHealth Division, Regulatory Policy and Governance Division, and the Office of Health Protection.

Programs Contributing to Outcome 10

Program 10.1: Chronic disease – treatment
Program 10.2: e-Health implementation
Program 10.3: Health information
Program 10.4: International policy engagement
Program 10.5: Research capacity and quality
Program 10.6: Health infrastructure

Outcome 10 Budgeted Expenses and Resources

Table 10.1 provides an overview of the total expenses for Outcome 10 by Program.

Table 10.1: Budgeted Expenses and Resources for Outcome 10


Table 10.1: Budgeted Expenses and Resources for Outcome 10 (Cont.)

1 The 2010-11 estimated actual and the 2011-12 estimated expenses are based on the new program structure to be implemented 1 July 2011 by the department as part of the Health and Ageing Portfolio - administrative efficiencies measure.

2 This program includes National Partnerships paid to state and territory governments by the Treasury as part of the Federal Financial Relations (FFR) Framework. National partnerships are listed in this chapter under each program. For budget estimates relating to the National Partnership component of the program, please refer to Budget Paper 3 or Program 1.10 of the Treasury Portfolio Budget Statements.

3 The Health and Hospitals Fund is recorded as an expense by this department and by the Treasury. For more detailed estimates relating to this program refer Budget Paper 3.

4 Departmental appropriation combines ‘Ordinary annual services (Appropriation Bill No 1)’ and ‘Revenue from independent sources (s31)’.

5 ‘Expenses not requiring appropriation in the budget year’ is made up of depreciation expense, amortisation expense, make good expense and audit fees.


Program 10.1: Chronic disease – treatment

Program Objectives

Through Program 10.1, the Australian Government aims to:

·  improve detection, treatment and survival outcomes for people with cancer.

Major Activities

Improving detection, treatment and survival outcomes for people with cancer

The Australian Government aims to build a world class cancer care system through the Health and Hospitals Fund (HHF) cancer infrastructure projects.

Under the HHF, the Government will continue funding for ‘state of the art’ integrated cancer centres in Sydney and Melbourne: The Chris O’Brien Lifehouse at the RPA in Sydney and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Melbourne.[2] The work of Lifehouse will be supported by the Kinghorn Cancer Centre (formerly known as Garvan StVincent’s Cancer Centre) which also received funding through the HHF.

The Government is committed to improving access and support for cancer patients in rural, regional and remote Australia. Through the HHF, the department will continue to fund 21 Regional Cancer Centre projects. These cancer centres will help close the gap between those living in metropolitan areas and country areas by providing cancer treatment and support services in regional, rural and remote Australia.[3]

The new Cancer Australia will be created through the amalgamation of the national lead cancer agency, Cancer Australia, and the Government’s centre on breast and ovarian cancer control, the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre. The amalgamation of the two agencies, expected to be implemented in early 201112, will create the single national cancer control agency necessary to provide clear leadership across all cancers, and will continue the Government’s focus on cancer research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

In 2011-12, the Government will continue to fund CanTeen to establish youth cancer networks across Australia to improve services and to support and care for adolescents and young adults with cancer. The networks are expected to establish robust linkages between medical and psychosocial cancer services for adolescents and young adults at the local level, and link the local networks to a national network.

The Government will continue to fund the McGrath Foundation for the placement of breast care nurses across Australia and the Children’s Cancer Centre in Adelaide. The department will work with these partners toward the successful delivery of these programs.

In addition, the HHF will support the early detection of breast cancer by funding the national rollout of digital mammography technology in BreastScreen Australia services. In2011-12, states and territories will be supported to transition from analogue to digital mammography technology. This technology will reduce the time taken to report results to Australian women.

The department will continue to work in partnership with Victoria and collaborate with other states and territories, under the auspices of Health Ministers, to lead work on a report to the Council of Australian Governments in 2011 on the most effective cancer diagnosis, treatment and referral protocols.

Following a review of administrative arrangements in the Health and Ageing Portfolio, the Australian Government will transfer three programs from the Department of Health and Ageing to the nation’s lead cancer agency, Cancer Australia. These programs are: Supporting Women in Rural Areas Diagnosed withBreast Cancer project, Breast Cancer Network of Australia – funding for the ‘MyJourney Kit’ for women diagnosed with breast cancer, and Breast Cancer Network of Australia – funding for the ‘Hope and Hurdles Pack’ for women withsecondary breast cancer. The transfer will take effect from 1 July 2011 and complements the Australian Government’s strengthened focus on cancer control being achieved through the amalgamation of Cancer Australia and the Government’s expert centre on breast and ovarian cancer control, the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre. The new Cancer Australia will be the primary point of contact for organisations focused on improving health outcomes for people with cancer.

Program 10.1 is linked as follows:

·  This program includes National Partnerships payments for:

-  Children’s cancer centre, Adelaide; and

-  Health and Hospital Fund - national cancer statement.

These Partnerships payments are paid to state and territory governments by The Treasury as part of the Federal Financial Relations (FFR) Framework. Forbudget estimates relating to the National Partnership component of the program, please refer to Budget Paper 3 or Program 1.10 of the Treasury Portfolio Budget Statements.

Program 10.1 Expenses

Table 10.2: Program Expenses

1 The Health and Hospitals Fund is recorded as an expense by this department and by the Treasury. For more detailed estimates relating to this program refer to Budget Paper 3.

Program 10.1: Deliverables[4]

The department will produce the following ‘deliverables’ to achieve the objectives of Program 10.1.

Table 10.3: Qualitative Deliverables for Program 10.1

Qualitative Deliverables / 2011-12 Reference Point or Target /
Produce relevant and timely evidencebased policy research / Relevant evidencebased policy research produced in a timely manner
Stakeholders participate in program/policy development / Stakeholders participate in program development through avenues such as regular consultative committees, conferences, stakeholder engagement forums, surveys, submissions on departmental discussion papers and meetings
Improving detection, treatment and survival outcomes for people with cancer
Improving access to information for adolescents and young people with cancer / Relevant, up-to-date and evidence based information to be provided to adolescents and young adults with cancer via a web portal
Improving cancer diagnosis, treatment and referral pathways / Report to COAG, under the auspices of Australian Health Ministers’ Conference, on options to improve cancer diagnosis, treatment and referral pathways

Table 10.4: Quantitative Deliverables for Program 10.1

Quantitative Deliverables / 2010-11 Revised Budget / 2011-12 Budget / 2012-13 Forward
Year 1 / 2013-14 Forward
Year 2 / 2014-15 Forward
Year 3 /
Percentage of variance between actual and budgeted expenses / ≤0.5% / ≤0.5% / ≤0.5% / ≤0.5% / ≤0.5%
Improving detection, treatment and survival outcomes for people with cancer
Number of breast care nurses employed through the McGrath Foundation[5] / 30 / 30 / 30 / N/A / N/A

Program 10.1: Key Performance Indicators[6]

The following ‘key performance indicators’ measure the effectiveness of Program10.1 in meeting its objectives thereby contributing to the outcome.

Table 10.5: Quantitative Key Performance Indicators for Program 10.1

Quantitative
Indicators / 2010-11 Revised Budget / 2011-12 Budget
Target / 2012-13 Forward
Year1 / 2013-14 Forward
Year2 / 2014-15 Forward
Year3 /
Improving detection, treatment and survival outcomes for people with cancer
Building a world class cancer care system: Percentage of progress reports that meet agreed requirements / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100% / 100%

Program 10.2: e-Health implementation

Program Objectives

Through Program 10.2, the Australian Government aims to:

·  provide national leadership in electronic health (eHealth) to improve health system standards and infrastructure;

·  promote the use of Healthcare Identifiers and Authentication Services to improve safety and quality outcomes for patients and support improved management of health information by health care providers; and

·  support the design and development of a personally controlled electronic health record system to increase the availability of health care information for consumers and health care providers when and where it is needed across the health care system.

Major Activities

National eHealth leadership

The Australian Government will demonstrate the benefits of eHealth to the community in terms of improved health care safety, quality and efficiency. The importance of eHealth is recognised around the world as an opportunity to fundamentally reshape and improve health service delivery. eHealth has the capacity to change the way practitioners interact with each other and with patients, leading to more efficient and effective patient-centred health care.

The department, in partnership with state and territory governments, will continue to fund the National E-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA) to develop the specifications, infrastructure, software and systems required to support electronic health systems nationally.

NEHTA is responsible for the delivery of key eHealth components, including the Healthcare Identifiers (HI) service, the National Authentication Service for Health (NASH), standard clinical terminologies and secure messaging to support the safeand secure electronic exchange of patient information. NEHTA, along with Standards Australia, plays a crucial role in the development of the eHealth standards necessary to guide the implementation and take-up of the Government’s eHealth initiative nationally.

Standards Australia is an independent, not for profit organisation, recognised bythe Government as the peak non-government body in Australia for the development of rigorous, internationally aligned standards. In 2011-12, the department will actively participate in stakeholder discussions, led by NEHTA andStandards Australia, to inform the development of national eHealth standards. The development of national standards is critical to ensure an information technology system which will allow for the sharing of health care information.

The department will promote the use of eHealth standards, particularly the foundation standards for clinical terminology and secure messaging, to ensure efficient, effective and consistent implementation of eHealth nationally. In addition, the department will lead discussions with states and territories to develop funding options for national eHealth work for 2012-13 onwards.

The department will fund early implementation of standard clinical terminology into emergency departments during 2011-12 and collaborate with Therapeutic Goods Administration, pathology companies, community pharmacies and diagnostic imaging companies to adopt the Australian Medicines Terminology.

In 2011-12, the department will continue to provide incentives to general practices, through the Practice Incentives Program[7], to promote the use of eHealth tools and systems. The department, through the Fifth Community Pharmacy Agreement, will also provide funding to pharmacies for dispensing prescriptions that are generated electronically by prescribers.[8] Through these activities, general practitioners and pharmacists will able to send and receive crucial information faster and more securely.