The Rudd Government will invest $58 million to establish Lead Clinicians Groups in Local Hospital Networks and at a national level.
Lead Clinicians Groups will provide local health professionals - doctors, nurses and allied health professionals - with a permanent and influential voice in the National Health and Hospitals Network.
Lead Clinicians Groups are a critical plank in the Government's National Health and Hospitals Network which will deliver a nationally funded and locally run health and hospitals system.
The Groups will give medical professionals the resources to develop innovative clinical solutions to improve the running of their hospitals.
A key finding from the Government's health reform consultation process was that clinicians feel locked out of and disengaged from the operation of public hospitals.
This damages staff morale, increases turnover and disrupts patient care.
By establishing Lead Clinicians Groups in Local Hospital Networks, the Government will ensure that local health professionals have a say on:
- improving quality and safety in hospitals;
- planning the most efficient allocation of services within a Local Hospital Network;
- developing innovative solutions that best address the needs of local communities; and
- translating national best practice into local delivery of services.
Lead Clinicians Groups in local communities will be supported by specialist National Lead Clinicians Groups, who will develop and disseminate evidence based clinical guidelines.
This will drive safe and high quality hospitals services for Australians.
The Government will work with States and Territories who have already moved in this direction on making sure this commitment is complementary.
Provision for this announcement has been made in the 2010-11 Budget and it is fully offset along with the Government's investments to build a National Health and Hospitals Network.
The Government's historic National Health and Hospitals Network will deliver:
- the Australian Government as the majority funder of hospitals and the dominant funder of primary care and aged care;
- strong national standards for emergency department and elective surgery waiting times; and
- a record $7.3 billion in new investments across hospitals, GP and primary care, aged care, mental health and eHealth.
This will deliver better health and better hospitals for all Australians and ensure that our health system reflects the excellence of the professionals who serve the needs of patients every day.