Supporting better integration of complex and fragmented service systems

The need for better integration of our health systems in Australia is driven by a range of factors including:

• Complex structural barriers arising between Commonwealth and State funded services
• Diverse funding streams across private and public (Federal and State) sources that are not linked
• No single line of accountability for the health system in Australia as a whole
• Disparate governance and reporting arrangements
• Poor coordination of service planning and a lack of integration between the health sector and the social and welfare sector
• An increase in the complexity of health needs requiring greater coordination between practitioners across tertiary, primary and community settings
• A rise in consumer expectations of accessible, responsive and personalised services that engage consumers in the active management of their own care
• A shift away from services designed around diseases and health institutions towards
• person-centred models of care that reach across the various silos of wellbeing and healthcare and that take into account the unique circumstances of patients

Our research contributes to the national response to these challenges by: 

• Examining models of care within and external to hospital environments
• Measuring consumer experiences and engaging them in driving improvement in care
• Strengthening transitions in and across health service providers
• Supporting continuous improvement in performance, safety and quality of health service delivery
• Optimising discharge planning for people with multi-morbidities
• Evaluating models of care to meet the psychosocial needs of cancer patients and their carers
• Supporting health care interventions to optimise transitional care across primary, acute and community care sectors