Joint nursing organisations submission to inquiry on access and affordability of medical specialists in Australia
CNSA recently contributed to a joint submission on behalf of several key nursing organisations, including the ACN, ACNP, APNA, ACMHN, CRANA, CATSINaM and ACM, to respond to a House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability inquiry into access and affordability of medical specialists in Australia. The scope of the inquiry included addressing current levels of medical specialist access and barriers, the effectiveness and equity of referral pathways, affordability of services including out-of-pocket costs in the private system and access through the public system, the impact on patient outcomes, and innovative and emerging models of care that may improve access for patients.
This joint submission enabled CNSA to provide a cancer nursing perspective to the consultation while joining with other nursing and midwifery organisations to advocate for improving equitable, affordable, and timely access to specialist healthcare for all Australians. The submission contends that Australia’s challenges in specialist access and affordability stem not only from specialist workforce shortages and rising costs, but also broader structural issues in the way healthcare services are organised, funded and delivered, including workforce utilisation, service integration, referral systems and models of care. Nurses and midwives are highly qualified to deliver, coordinate, lead and support care across a wide range of settings, yet funding, regulatory and administrative barriers continue to limit their contribution.
This joint submission examines specialist access through a whole-of-system and whole-of-workforce lens. It focuses on opportunities to improve the equity, affordability and timeliness of specialist care through better workforce use, integrated models of care, capability-based approaches and person-centred system design. The recommendations identify practical opportunities to improve access, affordability and equity through workforce reform, care integration, modernised funding arrangements and capability-based models of care.
This inquiry is important to ensure people receive cancer care from the most appropriate provider, at the appropriate time, in the most appropriate setting. Improving access and affordability of cancer care will require policies and funding arrangements that support the full utilisation of workforce capability and enable more integrated, accessible and responsive models of care. This is why CNSA recognised the importance of responding to this inquiry and joining with other nursing and midwifery organisations to amplify our voice in advocating for sustainable healthcare reform with a comprehensive whole-of-workforce and whole-of-system response.
You can read the full submission to this inquiry here.
CNSA welcomed the opportunity to work with our colleagues in other nursing and midwifery organisations to come together as a combined voice to advocate for healthcare reform that will not only increase access to affordable specialist care for all people in Australia, but also enable nurses to work to their scope of practice and deliver healthcare that improves outcomes. CNSA will monitor progress as this inquiry continues and provide updates on the committee's findings and government report.
If you are interested in learning more you can visit the inquiry homepage.
