Publications
Integrated Care in the ACT Region: Conversations with service providers
Published: 2023
The ACT has sought more integrated health care for several decades as can be seen through the many health related policies and frameworks. Across Australia and internationally, better integration of health services serves to improve consumer experience of care, provide high quality care for the increasing number of people with long-term health conditions, and overcome fragmentation between services and parts of the health and social services system. The increasing proportion of people in our community with long-term health conditions has increased the urgency to develop ways of achieving integrated care for people with chronic and complex health needs.
What is integrated care?
Despite the interest in integrated care, there is currently no agreed definition of what integrated care is, and no consistent approach to its implementation. This is partly due to the different perspectives and purposes of the stakeholders involved in designing, funding, regulating, and providing services within health care systems.
Because the overarching aim of the project is to elicit consumer experiences of integrated care, HCCA uses the consumer-led definition of integrated care established by the National Voices UK and recognised by the World Health Organisation:
“My care is planned with people who work together to understand me and my carer(s), put me in control, coordinate and deliver services to achieve my best outcomes.”
Care can be integrated within the health care system and between health and community or social service systems. The latter aspect is essential to enabling better health and wellbeing for people complex and chronic condition health conditions.
This report:
- identifies what integrated care means to services and providers that support people with chronic and complex conditions in the ACT region.
- highlights the experiences of not only health care professionals, but also community services who support individuals in managing their chronic and complex conditions and consumer advocates.
- documents what integrated care looks like on a practical level.
- identifies the enablers and barriers to achieving the integration of care.
Use the ‘Download Document’ button to read the full report.