What does our health care system need?

clem_lun

With an increasing population, we just need to increase funding.

bj

We need staff who will stay in the workforce for a long time. Therefore we need conditions and pay to keep them happy. We need to start at the high school level to encourage students to look at career options

ivory

More staff is needed in hospitals. I had a friend go to hospital and had to wait 40 minutes for assistance to go to the toilet.

ab

When I hear ‘standard,’ I think of ‘quality’ of care, not so much ‘availability for appointments.’ You can receive a high standard of care that might be difficult to access or conversely, easy access to a low standard of care. But for the sake of this discussion, I’ll accept that it could be bundled under broad definition of standard.
That said, I’ll try to cover the areas you ‘ve raised, as best I can.
Bulk billing – I’m happy that I have a GP that bulk bills, while the media reports that fewer are bulk billing, she continues work within the bulk billing system. As of November, last year, the Govt improved the payments that a GP can receive for a standard consultation presumably to lure them back into the system. I don’t know if it has worked. I don’t know what I’d do if my GP stopped bulk billing either pay the extra $60 or start looking for a new GP that bulk bills. Maybe an online register all the bulk billing doctors would be a useful tool if not unethical… I don’t know.
Appointments
I only ever made appointments during the Covid pandemic, so now I’m back to doing the walk in. if there are 4 people ahead of me, I fully accept that it may be anything from 1 to 1.5 hours before it’s my turn. I don’t care, I’ll wait… the only way to improve that is have more doctors working in that surgery or fewer sick people needing attention. It is what it is.
Doctor and nurse competence
In Australia, doctors and nurses undergo a rigorous process to maintain their licenses and registrations. The Medical Board of Australia oversees the registration of medical practitioners. Doctors must meet mandatory registration standards, complete continuing professional development (CPD) activities, and undergo periodic revalidation to ensure they remain competent and up-to-date with medical advancements.
Nurses too, follow a similar process. They must meet the standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, which includes completing CPD activities and renewing their registration annually. This type of rigor is global for the medical profession.
It appears the process to ensure healthcare professionals provide the best care possible is there. But, a friend of mine who underwent a double mastectomy as part of her cancer treatment might say that the system is letting us down. Her doctor assured her he had experience in reconstructive work but did a terrible job. So much so that she had to find another doctor the fix what was done. So, it seems, yes, like any other service, there are good and not-so-good providers.
I don’t have any solutions, but bulk billing is important for the reason you pointed out.
And I wouldn’t want to pay $60 just to get my prescriptions renewed. Maybe bog-standard prescription renewal could be automatically renewed, and the only need to see a doctor would be if something in your well-being, changed.

I don’t think it’s going to get better… I believe it’s symptomatic of a world that wants everything quicker…houses need to be built, approvals are needed, skills are needed that aren’t available while people are being trained…the result? corners are cut, inspections dropped, people self-regulating, standards are dropped to meet an ever-growing demand.
Maybe AI will save us…

sheena

24 hour clinics next to hospitals are needed for those with non emergency conditions, to free up accident and emergency

chickenman

i can't help but agree with you Vanessa, but i can't think of any viable solutions.

dee

Definitely add bulk billing

MandMm

Our emergency departments need one full time Dr, assessing the non urgent patients. To filter out the 'oh i need a sick not for work' or the, I was told to come back in 6 months if my healed broken leg was hurting.These are not emergency dept things. And they significantly clog up the department.

aunty gran

I am extremely fortunate to have an excellent GP who is really on the ball with my health needs he is not always easy to get into when something acute happens as he is fully booked. It is the cost of the specialist that is so prohibitive, the our of pocket fees are astronomical and even with the highest cover health care you are only covered for inpatient services. If you attend an ED at a private hospital you can be up for an expensive attendance fee currently $285 which is non refundable/ claimable even if you are admitted. This of course places an incredible burden on the public health sector and the ever growing waiting lists for surgery. If you need in patient treatment as a private patient the actual cost of the surgical procedure is not completely covered which also applies to the anaesthetic fees. The other concern is the language barrier which is a two=way street, sometimes the treating physician or nurse cannot understand what we are trying to explain in terms of symptoms not can we always understand the treatment logic.
A 10 minute appointment is not always long enough especially for an elderly person or a person suffering from a mental health condition or with a sick child to explain their symptoms.
As an ex nurse l am saddened by the overall decline in patient care which is more relevant to an inpatient setting. There is a lack of basic nursing care which is due to both the physical workload of the nursing staff and the ridiculous amount of documentation to cross you ts and dot your is. The bed numbers keep getting smaller while the administration offices grow.
Seeing a pharmacist for prescriptions in my opinion is a band aid a Pharmacist whilst being highly trained is not a medical doctor ,
There needs to be an objective review of the health system. Australia and the user pays system is becoming more and more like America so very sad that the basic needs of every citizen is prioritised in a monetary manner.

jatz50

Our GPs have just bought in taking away bulk billing but they still allow for DVA patients (understandable there) but it depends on the dr at the practice for other people. If they want to still bulk bill you they can or if you are under a care plan, apparently that is bulk build also.

I have noticed since the change came through, there aren't many people coming to the practice now as they can be charged from $70 to $90 but they do get back some money from Medicare. I just went the other week and paid the $70, was only in there a few minutes and it cost me $27 with something like $42.85 back from Medicare.
If I only saw my GP twice a year, it wouldn't worry me but when you have an autoimmune problem and need constant things done, it means I have to go up to the drs more often. She did mention putting me on a Care Plan next session though, which is really weird as I was on one with them before all this change over.

Something needs to be done with the health system. I do wish that everyone still had to have Health Insurance as it would bring prices down. I can't afford to not be on it with all the medical problems I have.

Michael Walker

I had an emergency trip to hospital last month and spent four nights there and the care I got was fantastic. We had two ambulances and a fire engine at our house within a few minutes of my wife calling. The nurses and doctors at the hospital were fantastic to me. Maybe I was lucky

chocogirl

Health care has deteriorated here. We cannot afford to see GPs because their fees are getting higher every few months and they do not bulk bill. The government may say there are more GPs bulkbilling now but it us not true.
Wait times to see specialist doctors in public hospitals are now between 2 to e years long. It makes no sense that the government cannot address this because a healthy population benefits a country.

Anne3255

My daughter had her husband up at our local hospital recently.They arrived up there on a Tuesday around 5.The emergency department was so busy there was no seats available to sit down.Eventually he was seen to and arrived home Wednesday morning at 6am.This is a hospital that is going to get busier as the population is increasing in this area and I feel that we could do with a hospital for children and one for adults like Westmead and Randwick have

Ruskie30748487

It needs something, more beds, more staff, even with building new hospitals, there's not enough staff and same with ambos, there's not enough to answer our calls early enough. We need more staff first.

heeleen

Having been a nurse for over 40 years I have seen the difference between the past and now, I think having
University trained nurse is good, but they need to do 6 months in the hospital and 6 months at University, having recently been a patient I could tell the standard of nursing has really gone downhill, they do not have the proper training for patient care, yes they are very knowledgeable and they have to be with the technology of today, but the patient care is woeful, I actually felt really sad about it.
Cleaning was almost nonexsisent , bedridden patients are not given bed baths anymore they are given a packet of microwaved disposable cloths to clean themselves with.
It took ages for patient call buzzers to be answered, I actually found myself getting out of bed and helping the other patients in my room.
The doctors are all working such long hours in the hospital system they are exhausted.
Bulk billing needs to stay as so many low income people really need help with that, when Medicare first came out it covered 75% of the fee, these days it is something like 51%,
Not sure how to fix that , I know healthcare is expensive and the money has to come from somewhere. But where.
You could say maybe if the politicians gave up some of their high incomes and perks some could go to healthcare.
Ambulance ramping is becoming a big problem in some states, and people laying in beds in hallways should not happen in this country at all.
Again, the solution, more money for health care but again where does it come from.
Health funds jut keep putting their fees up and up , the cost of seeing a specialist is way out of some peoples reach.
The thing is everyone pays for Medicare out of their income, and if you earn over a certain amount you pay the levy as well . So it is not as though the government has to fund the whole amount .
Again - the solution is hard .
Health care is becoming like America where your healthcare is covered by your employer, and if you are not employed you have to go to the few public hospitals that are there.
Sad but true.

chocogirl

Having been a nurse for over 40 years I have seen the difference between the past and now, I think having
University trained nurse is good, but they need to do 6 months in the hospital and 6...

You are absolutely right.Healthcare is in a terrible state.

Tragk

Bulk billing needs to be prioritised, and dental needs to be included as part of it. Competence too—some of these GPs are allegedly qualified but the treatment their patients receive is terrible, and sometimes the diagnoses are outright wrong so by the time the correct one is made, it's too late and the damage has been done.

The cost of appointments needs to go down as well because it's $110 upfront just to try and formulate a mental health plan with my local GP, or $85 for a 10-15 minute general appointment. Neither of those are an option for me, or anyone else I know.

Support for health services in regional and rural areas needs to be increased as well. It's easy to get care if you live in the city, not so much if you're hours away from Sydney or Melbourne etc.

chocogirl

Bulk billing needs to be prioritised, and dental needs to be included as part of it. Competence too—some of these GPs are allegedly qualified but the treatment their patients receive is terrible,...

Yes cost of seeing a GP is just increasing. We know all too well the impact of wrong diagnosis in my family!

Ellessri

Bulk billing needs to be expanded, there are no longer any bulk billing gps in my area which means that when people need a dr but cant afford it they are going to the hospital emergency room. They also need to add more public specialists, not just things like a gastro but also dermatologists and expand the physio and dental that already exist so that people are able to use preventative medicine and get help when something first arises instead of sometimes years later when its so much more expensive and invasive to fix

Samantha3260

Bulk billing is a must!
It is becoming nearly impossible to get appointments, with extremely long wait lists for specialists.

squeekums

Bulk billing is a must - that alone keeps many away
Add dental to bulk billing

Samantha3260

Bulk billing is a must!
It is becoming nearly impossible to get appointments, with extremely long wait lists for specialists.

bearman

there needs to be a standard of who qualifies to be seen in an emergency room in a hospital. People use it for minor complaints to save having to pay for a doctors visit. The times I have been in an emergency department for myself or my children waiting to be seen and I have observed others with sprains or cuts that should not be there and taking up valuable doctors time. I pay into NIB and would prefer to go to my own doctor for minor medical problems. I go to an emergency department because the problem was an emergency and my doctor was not open at that time.
We also need more doctors but universities only take in a set number of students each year as set by the Australian medical board.

marchi

Health care standards vary greatly depending on which state you live in. In South Australia beds at public hospitals are impossible to get due to mental health patients and elderly patients having nowhere to go. Build more facilities for the mental health and elderly would release beds for those needing them. Ambulance ramping is another major problem in South Australia. Nearly impossible to find a GP who does bulk billing as the Medicare rebate is far too low. There is no quick solution to the health care problem the government needs to spend more money on health and less on sport and tourism especially with the aging population.

Superstar666$

I’m in Victoria. My husbands oncologist gave him a referral for a CT scan recently, first appointment available is 9/1/25!
Also dental under health care system has decreased. Once you had appointment for check up & any work needing wax scheduled. Now, you have to call if you’re in pain! And you may get appointment that day if one is available.
Suggest the government stops frivolous spending on other countries and looks after its own citizens first.

chocogirl

I’m in Victoria. My husbands oncologist gave him a referral for a CT scan recently, first appointment available is 9/1/25!
Also dental under health care system has decreased. Once you had...

Absolutely right!

chocogirl

I’m in Victoria. My husbands oncologist gave him a referral for a CT scan recently, first appointment available is 9/1/25!
Also dental under health care system has decreased. Once you had...

Absolutely right!

chocogirl

I’m in Victoria. My husbands oncologist gave him a referral for a CT scan recently, first appointment available is 9/1/25!
Also dental under health care system has decreased. Once you had...

Absolutely right!

Mondayitis

I can only vouch for Victoria. Things have gone down hill a lot. My own gp used to give me time to listen, figure out a plan and explain the things I needed to know. Now she is rushed to get people in and out and we are lucky to get 5 minutes. Her attitude has changed and she has become distant and removed from the personal touch. What I’ve written so far sounds like I’m blaming the doctor. No I’m not. She’s under enormous pressure every day to obey the rules and regulations of the “controllers”, the high taxes imposed by the VIC government on doctors and a failing Medicare system. Of course I don’t like the decline and I think twice about going to the doctor, as it is no longer bulk billed and I’m not getting a proper consult. However, the whole medical system is under enormous pressure and I don’t know it’s going to be remedied anytime soon.

Alixxx

Standards of health care vary greatly depending on where you live. My Mum lives in inner city Sydney. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and received immediate amazing care (fully funded) at the Lifehouse, Royal Prince Alfred. I have friends that live in far western NSW where there is a lack resourcing across health care.

Parsimony

There two fundamental things that I think would improve the public healthcare system - 1) My experience of the clinicians is that they are good but the systems supporting them are outdated. The administrative staff at a major public hospital tried to convince me that I had requested an appointment for 2 different specialities at the same time on different floors at the same hospital. Not sure how any shared system could make conflicting appointments and not send an alert - system completely out of date and not fit for purpose. Similarly when there was an issue with the same hospital and a mix up in getting me a script I asked for them to send me an E-script. Response 'we do not have that technology' - again system out of date and not fit for purpose.
2) I wrote to the federal health Minister 4 times and never an acknowledgement or reply. As a result I wrote to the PM about the same issue who replied that the issue I had raised fell within the responsibility of the Health Minister. I replied that maybe the PM could tell the Health Minister that because 4 attempts from me to the Health Minister had been unsuccessful. Simple improvement Ministers acknowledge and respond to constituents contacts.

Bigbear

Reform to the health care system is urgently needed, it's no longer the universal one it once was and the fact is that our health care system has become less accessible and affordable.
Whilst the quality of health care services is high, there are growing gaps in affordability and accessibility and patients commonly experience care that is fragmented and disconnected due to providers failing to communicate and share information.
There should be an aim to connect primary care and the hospital network and consumers into a single effective digital system, rather than the mix of systems currently being implemented or proposed.
I need to see better access to primary health care services in remote areas, more public hospital funding, address drastic workforce shortages, more ambulances and hospital beds and free dental.
I'd introduce a system of voluntary patient registration to promote a long-term relationship with a GP and a general practice of choice.
I'd build and establish integrated healthcare neighbourhoods beginning with a focus on areas of relative socioeconomic disadvantage and rural and remote areas.
So now is the time to start ambitious innovation and reform of our primary health care system so it remains viable, effective and efficient in meeting Australia’s rapidly changing needs.
A commitment to invest in urgent reform following a decade of neglect, serial funding cuts, over reliance on 'fee for service' and blanket restrictions to Medicare rebates.

John3259

Underfunding thanks to the previous government has not helped.

ejn1985

As a chronic health sufferer it is expensive. It takes ages to see a specialist and out of pocket costs are ridiculous. Even with health insurance and Medicare rebates, there are still costs involved. The system needs to improve. There should be 0 out of pocket costs if you have private health.

Bulk billing needs to improve to cover more costs as well. I had to have a mammogram as a lump was found, but I had to pay out of pocket. Luckily the ultrasound was covered. The biopsy and pathology also had out of pocket costs. It's really hard to cover the cost of the medical bills and some people will go without important tests because they just can't cover the costs.

wendel

Life support.

victory

I think the system needs more training for on the job Drs & nurses, Bulk Billing for all health care and Dental to be included in Medicare for concession holders. Private health tailored for people who can afford it. The waiting is under stress for most and unacceptable when you have an appointment, which means that the person making the decision is not allowing for the situation and is incompetent. Better management.

victory

I think the system needs more training for on the job Drs & nurses, Bulk Billing for all health care and Dental to be included in Medicare for concession holders. Private health tailored for people who can afford it. The waiting is under stress for most and unacceptable when you have an appointment, which means that the person making the decision is not allowing for the situation and is incompetent. Better management.

baccus

Improving Australia’s healthcare system requires a multi-faceted approach. Reducing wait times and increasing appointment availability can be addressed by investing in digital health solutions and expanding telehealth services, which improve access and efficiency. Enhancing the training and retention of healthcare professionals is crucial to maintaining high standards of care. Bulk billing is indeed vital for ensuring equitable access, and to sustain it, government support for healthcare funding must be prioritised. Additionally, fostering partnerships between public and private sectors could help alleviate pressure on the system and deliver better outcomes for patients.

James3243

Its easy to say it needs funding, but then where does the funding go.
Better facilities would be one thing but the you need the staff which require training.
So yes it needs funding ut fundamentally I think it needs a better management structure.
1 to see where their funds are currently going
2 to see what training is needed where
3 to manage expectations on the public and assist allocate resources where they are needed.

Juliette31984417

we need a lot more investment into all levels of the health system by the government from salaries to equipment to buildings, We also need to turn away from a profit/corporate model, back to a human needs and human rights centric model. We need to train a lot more health professionals from support staff to specialist surgeons. We also need to look at who is being admitted to med schools. Young men from ambitious migrant families becoming doctors to enhance their family's prestige do not make for sensitive or caring or people-focussed health workers. I would also question the whole industry model where sectors such as aged care and disability support are reliant upon minimally skilled and semi-literate new arrivals who can be employed cheaply after doing a Tafe certificate or two. UPskilling health workers, making them all informed professionals rather than laborers who do not understand the tasks that they are doing. We need to have far more investment in the public health system and also into mental health, aged care, disability support, drug and alcohol rehab and support, indigenous, outlying and rural health. It is the right for the marginal people in our society to be able to access quality medical care that improves their life conditions. I believe that the government should be investing in quality health care for all Australians as a matter of human rights and not applying a profit and loss mindset. I think that the corporatisation of health services, the for-profit neoliberal attitude and the widespread employment of overseas born people who are not always engaged with the wider Australian community have all conspired to bring standards of health care down in Australia. But no government seems committed to bringing in serious reforms

chickenman

human greed personal desires play a big part of declining health services. govt's seem to be focused more on vanity issues rather than people issues. also, some health professionals seem more interested in personal profit than customer care. i find it hard to believe the issue will ever be resolved n favour or those in need of medical assistance.