4:59pm, 02 Mar 2010 Jonny Levy

Yes, people should have more out-of-hospital access to healthcare.

This needs to be backed up by more doctors and extended equally to those in rural/remote areas - not just metropolitan locations.

We need to look very carefully at medical provision in those regional areas, the current (19AB) legislation has had the effect of severely limiting the regional medical workforce.

Until this is addressed, further meaningful reforms will be largely unattainable.

10:40am, 14 Feb 2010 unis

Mental Health seems for years has been pushed to the back fence due to so many other needs but mental health though it may not hit everyone it does everyone in the community therefore Out-patients should have specialty people working there who know and understand this illness.

12:15pm, 21 Jan 2010 melbguy

It would be wonderful to be able to access specialist care "on site" at the same time you see your GP. The current system is like having to go to a greengrocer for vegies, a butcher for meat, a winery for wine etc.... now we can get it all in one place in a supermarket. The same should be encouraged for health care, as long as high standards are maintained.

In my experience specialists and primary healh providers don't communicate well with eachother either, so that needs to be improved as a priority no matter where the providers are located.

1:02pm, 20 Jan 2010 DebbieS

Providing antenatal care in a women's home or community would be of great benefit. Midwives known to a women would be able to provide continuity of care in the antenatal setting in their communities. Preferably, the midwives should then be able to provide care during the birth and early postnatal period: attending the women in hospital, birth centre or home depending upon where they choose to birth and then providing postnatal care at home. Research shows that providing antenatal, birth and postnatal care in these continuity of carer models improves outcomes and would be consistent with the recommendation of the Federal Maternity Services Review.

6:40pm, 19 Jan 2010 nigeldad

Community based services are appropriate for some patients. The problem comes where you have complex needs and the need for a multidisciplinary team approach. It is difficult to build team competency at arms length. Professionals need to consult face to face with each other and the patients to get the best level of care and outcomes.

9:04am, 19 Jan 2010 betterhealthcare

Absolutely! as long as it's not privatisation of public services. I have yet to see a more meaningful reform of anything. I am so sick of hearing how much better our health system is compared to other countries! So it should be!..We pay one of the highest taxes in the world and classed as a developed country, we shouldn't just be one of the best. We should be THE best. So lets not be dissappointed about this reform!

Whenever a Government feels the problem is too hard...a reform is had..So much public money and time is wasted on one commission after another just to be told the same thing in different ways.

It really doesn't take rocket science to figure out that there is a cronic shortage of health workers. Put the money into educating more nurses, more doctors and allied health professionals..We know how many health care workers are going to retire in the next five years but do we plan for that..NO!..WHY NOT??We rely on importing them instead. What does that do to countries who cannot afford to lose their health professionals?..Do we care?? NO..Meanwhile our own kids can't go into health for several resons..Too expensive, entrance marks are set too high, not enough places, the list goes on.

This doesn't make sense when there is a cronic need for them. And then if by some stroke of luck they do get in, they complete their studies, go out to work and lo and behold, there is no support for them on the ground!..thats the root course of them not staying. How many accademics does it take to figure that one out!..if we don't fix the main reasons, we will never resolve the issues of better public services. There is no service of any kind unless there are people to work it. Again, Hello! It wouldn't matter what model of care or service is in place, it is nothing without the properly qualified people to do it!!

10:51pm, 18 Jan 2010 ruralnurse

Attending an ED at your local hospital can be a quite distressing event due to the long wait and some ED triage nurses not being very capable. [And I must add, run off their feet] Care in the community would be just wonderful, albeit rather difficult to administer. The authorities need to talk to people on the ground, rather than form committees.

7:52pm, 18 Jan 2010 looky40

The NH&HRC recommendation to make outpatient services available in the community and home is an excellent one which is a hundred years overdue.

The main benefits would be to the elderly and disabled and to the hospitals themselves in allowing them to relocate nursing staff away from purely clerical duties.

After many years of total frustration with follow up outpatient appointments it is now routine for me to simply cancel them for the following main reason. As a 76 year old disabled person I was expected to travel 18 kilometers in all kinds of weather , then wait around for anything up to five hours to finally be asked "Do you feel o.k.??" or similar. On replying "Yes" I am them told I can go home. A simple phone call would have delivered the same result. Of course this would not apply if practical tests were required.

On discharge as an inpatient the hospitals here in Adelaide require you , regardless of your condition or welfare , to report back within seven days to outpatients to experience that stated above. A total waste of everybody's time and traumatic for the patient in many cases.

At present we have a home visit by Home Care nurses on discharge from hospital. This excellent service could be expanded to include a phone enqury by the specialist as to the patient's condition at that time which would put the patient first ,which is where he/she should have been in the first place.Keep patients away from hospitals when it is not necessary for them to be there.