Achieving High Performing Health Systems : Putting the social into health care
AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND REFORM VODCAST SERIES. Highlights from Vodcast 2
A Joint Prestantia Health and AUDIENCED Production, with
– Dr Paresh Dawda, GP Lead and Adviser, Founder Prestantia Health
– Dr Wally Jammal, GP, Hills Family General Practice
– Dr Bogdan Chiva Giurca, Clinical Lead and Global Director, UK National Academy for Social Prescribing
FACILITATOR
Leanne Wells, Associate Consultant, Prestantia Health
Clinicians and consumers know only too well that life circumstances such as poor housing, income and food insecurity can have a negative impact on health outcomes. Conversely, participation in community activities, social connection and access to nature parks and leisure facilities can help maintain health and wellbeing.
More recent phenomena in public health have also focused us on the health and social care connection. Stress factors such as the sudden loss of employment and social interaction, moving to remote work or schooling, and the impacts of sudden, localised COVID-19 ‘lockdowns’ to prevent further outbreaks were triggers of increased psychological distress.
And loneliness is being described as our latest epidemic with chronic loneliness inked to a myriad of health problems and earlier death. A recent report found one in four Australians say they feel persistently lonely, and that loneliness costs $2.7 bn a year in health costs alone.
According to a 2024 Commonwealth Fund Mirror Mirror report, which compares the health performance of several countries, only 13% of Australian primary care providers (or other personnel in the practice) usually screen or assess patients for one or more social need – the third lowest in the OECD.
Primary care – predominantly general practices – is where most people get most of their health care and is a commonly visited health care setting. GPs and others in team have a continuous relationship with their patient and the opportunity to identify factors beyond immediate medical care that can impact on health and wellbeing.
Integrating health and social care is an exciting frontier in healthcare and was described as such by Australia’s Assistant Health Minister at a National Social Prescribing roundtable hosted by the Australian Social Prescribing Research Institute (ASPIRE).
Despite the recognition that primary care is a good place to start, the barriers are real. Practice systems, data systems with the capacity to capture information and make intelligent insights, the lack of flexible funding and the time pressures on practices are among them.
In this Australian Health Journal HIGHLIGHTS release, the panel discuss some of these barriers and the desire to put the social into health care.
The FULL LENGTH FEATURE of this VODCAST can be watched here https://youtu.be/KGjrLcjgFg0
Vodcast 2 was convened December 2024. Read the Prestantia Health Blog Post https://www.prestantiahealth.com/post/putting-the-social-into-health-care
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Developing the nation’s first Health and Medical Research Strategy
Professor Steve Wesselingh serves as the CEO of NHMRC, having initially trained as an infectious diseases doctor. His career includes prominent roles such as Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at the Alfred Hospital, Director of the Burnett, Dean of Medicine at Monash University, and the inaugural Director of SAHMRI. Under his leadership, NHMRC plays a critical role in funding health and medical research, allocating approximately a billion dollars annually to investigator-led projects, clinical trials, and various strategic initiatives. NHMRC also collaborates internationally with organisations such as the MRC and the EU, and manages grant allocation for the MRFF, which distributes $650 million each year.
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Values in Workplace Culture
Professor Sabe Sabesan, is the Clinical Dean of the Townsville Regional Medical Training network incorporating the Townsville Hospital and Health Services and the Townsville Clinical School of the James Cook University and the director of the department of Medical oncology at the Townsville Cancer Centre, Townsville Hospital.
The Professor recently wrote, “Workforce wellness and engagement have become buzzwords in healthcare settings since there is an intimate relationship between staff wellbeing and performance of the healthcare system. Wellness initiatives such as wellness champions and wellness committees have been set up in response to emerging workforce mental health issues. These are largely reactive rather than being proactive in addressing or preventing the root cause of mental health issues.”
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Medicinal cannabis in Australia Update
According to the Australian Journal of General Practice, published by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, more than 130,000 medicinal cannabis approvals have been issued in Australia to date, mostly by general practitioners, with approximately 65% of these to treat chronic non-cancer pain. Despite robust supportive data from animal models, current clinical trial evidence for THC and CBD efficacy in chronic pain is incomplete. In their prescribing decisions, doctors must balance patient demand and curiosity with caution regarding potential risks and limited efficacy (Source: https://www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2021/october/medicinal-cannabis)
Australian Health Journal met with 3 speakers at the recent @arcsaustralia ARCS22 Conference providing an update on medicinal cannabis. The discussion with the speakers now centres on affordability and access.
