Challenges and Responsibilities in Australian Healthcare System

This document discusses the challenges faced by the Australian healthcare system, including shortages in healthcare professionals. It also explores the impact of legislation allowing nursing practitioners to diagnose and prescribe medications. Additionally, it examines the division of responsibility between different levels of government in the healthcare system.

RUNNING HEAD: Australian healthcare system 1
Foundations of Australian Healthcare System
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation
Due date

Australian healthcare system 2
Question 1
Nursing in Australia has had various challenges that has necessitated changes in nurse
responsibilities as well as change in legislation all over the country. Some of the changes I the
legislation includes allowing nurses to diagnose various illnesses and prescribe various
medications. This is important in various aspects and to various stakeholders such as the
government, hospital management, health workers as well as patients. This legislation allows
various diseases to be handled by smaller healthcare facilities which eases congestion at the
higher level facilities.
According to Scanlon, Cashin, Bryce, Kelly, & Buckely, (2016) allowing nursing
practitioners to diagnose some diseases and also prescribe some drugs is one of the ways in
which various challenges have been addressed. From the government’s perspective. This is quite
a good approach as it helps the government to achieve its objectives in the provision of
healthcare such as the universal healthcare Medicare programs. Allowing nurses to diagnose and
prescribe treatment to a limited number of diseases helps to reduce shortages of healthcare
personnel while at the same time maintaining high quality standards of healthcare and clinical
competence
According to Duckett, & Willcox, (2015), it is also important to allow nurses to diagnose
some diseases and prescribe various medications. This improves their clinical competence levels
as they are able to continue learning even as they work. It also helps the more qualified doctors
to deal with more serious conditions which eases the workload. However, one of the challenges
facing the implementation is nursing shortages in the country and such a legislation does not
provide for the solution to the shortage.

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Question 2
Key roles and responsibilities of all levels of government in Australian healthcare system
Australian federal State and territory Local
Provides funds for healthcare
programs
They also fund hospitals to
supplement federal funding
Regulation of food standards
in the community.
Supports the states as well as
health professions indirectly
Have a greater responsibility
over ambulance services and
public hospitals
Community health programs
Subsidization of primary care
through MBS and PBS
Community health, mental
health as well as
Preventative health measures
such as immunization.
The division of responsibility between the various levels of government in Australian
healthcare system has contributed to various challenges. Some of these challenges include
misappropriation of funds, gaps in management as well as conflicting roles (Grey, & Janus,
(2018). There are often conflicting roles in levels of government as the public has not been made
fully aware of the system and roles. Shortages of funds in one of the levels of government or
mismanagement causes some services not to be delivered. This makes serious gaps in the
delivery of the services as well as management hitches.
In conclusion, it is important to note that the Australian healthcare system has been
experiencing several challenges such as shortages in healthcare professionals. It is therefore
necessary for the government to also focus on ways that can be used to address these challenges.

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References
Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford
University Press.
Grey, M., & Janus, I. (2018). Improving interactions between transgender and other gender-
diverse persons and the healthcare system. FEATURE: Manifesto à la mode (p. 2), 18.
Scanlon, A., Cashin, A., Bryce, J., Kelly, J. G., & Buckely, T. (2016). The complexities of
defining nurse practitioner scope of practice in the Australian context. Collegian, 23(1),
129-142.