Comprehensive Report: Australian Social Policy and Health Initiatives

This report provides a comprehensive overview of Australian health policies, focusing on the initiatives undertaken by the Department of Health to promote societal well-being. It begins with a literature review that examines the Australian healthcare system, its strengths, and the challenges it faces, such as rising costs, complex health conditions, and inequities. The report then discusses the complexities of the system, including the roles of federal and state governments, and analyzes specific policies related to smoking, obesity, and resource allocation. It also explores structural reforms aimed at improving integrated care and patient outcomes, including the implementation of uniform health record systems and the promotion of multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The report concludes by emphasizing the importance of data collection, public reporting, and patient involvement in decision-making for the continued improvement of the Australian healthcare system, referencing various sources to support its analysis.

Development of Australian social
policies

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
1. Literature review on Australian health policy.........................................................................1
2.Discussion.................................................................................................................................2
3.Reliability..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................4

INTRODUCTION
In Australia, department of health takes several initiatives for the well-being or welfare of
society. Such department is involved in developing various measures of policy along with
initiatives for promoting inclusive societies as every individual has responsibilities and right
regardless social as well as economic status. The present report will discuss about health policy
of Australian government along with critical analysis. It will also articulate about issues related
to this policy and how to resolve has been presented. In the same series, it will also reflect
appropriate discussion and reliability and validity of this research.
1. Literature review on Australian health policy
According to McClelland & Smyth (2006), Australian healthcare system is considered as
best in Organization for Economic Co-operation and development, however, it is undertaken in
intense pressure because of alteration in requirement of healthcare for increment in cost and
demand of healthcare, complex health conditions, inequities and push for improving the result.
The Australian healthcare system does not face inefficacies and shortage of workforce with
expectation of reporting greater public with huge availability of services. In the similar aspect,
Australian health sector must be prepared for dealing with alteration in need of technological
advancements. Here policymakers are directly advised for addressing patients' need, care
coordination, patients involvement in healthcare delivery for redesigning mechanisms of
funding.
As per views of Duckett & Willcox (2015), Australian health system is fully complex
combination of state and federal government responsibility along with funding and is difficult for
navigating patients. Australian's universal health system attains good outcome which are
efficient. The Australian healthcare system is facing two issues such as allocation of resources
and improvement in outcome of patient. There is presence of interdisciplinary approach in
performance measurement areas as there is need of adopting or to discover new insights with its
implementation. However, there is mistake on applying bureaucratic capacity for optimising
outcome and requirement of evaluation has been highlighted for current reimbursement method
along with regular scrutiny of care appropriateness.
According to de Leeuw, Clavier & Breton. (2014), there is range of public initiatives
which Australia has attained with lowest rate of smoking in world. Australia has presence of
forefront of different world efforts for decreasing social and health consequences of consuming
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Tobacco. There are different policies and programs which comprises world's first tobacco plain
legislation of packaging which are emulated by other countries. In the similar aspect series of
smoking is banned across country and some states are moving forward for prohibiting smoking
especially in outdoor areas.
While contrasting this Hall (2015) stated that, Australia has presence of higher obese
population with context of OECD. As it is fifth obese population with age of 15 and over. Only
the Mexico, Hungary, United States and New Zealand has higher proportion of adults who are
obese. Obesity is directly associated with conditions which are preventable like chronic disease
and diabetes. For overcoming smoking and obesity delivering health promotion messages on
basis of diet and physical activity via mass media and in schools. Different fiscal incentives are
provided like raising food price with huge sugar or fat content. However, Jowsey & et.al. (2014)
replicated that exposure of children for advertisements of fast food must be limited. The
comprehensive information be given on food labels for helping consumers to make various
informed choices. Further primary care physicians must be encouraged for counselling risk
patients and to make choices of healthy lifestyle.
According to Willis, Reynolds & Keleher (2016), complex split of territory, federal and
state funding along with responsibilities undertaken are difficult for navigating patients. In the
similar aspect, health system could be broadly characterised in which public hospitals are funded
through stated government and directly managed through territories and state. However, Sallis, J.
F., Owen, N., & Fisher (2015) states that managers of hospital system with retaining lead
responsibility for purpose of primary healthcare through federal government. The private
hospitals are mix of state and federal requirements as states have responsibility for licensing
private hospitals for regulating federal government with insurance of private health. Further,
complexity is presenting challenges in giving various integrated pathways for purpose of
ongoing people's care along with chronic conditions with requirement of co-ordinated access to
services among community, acute care and private sectors.
2.Discussion
It has been assessed from health policy that structural reform would be helping for
promoting integrated care as it recommends health services could be aligned for patients and to
gain care for various multiple providers. There should be implementation of uniform health
record system for improving the information transfer among various health care services. It must
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be capable for promoting medical home style initially with health care centres along with direct
featuring with multidisciplinary teams. There must be creation of primary healthcare eco-system
around various general practitioners and to promote function as care co-ordinators of chronic
disease patients. It is articulated that there is continuation of monitoring variation in health care
and to increase awareness via public reporting. In the same series, data should be collected and
reported along with outcome of care. The patients which are involved in sharing decision must
be directly ensured about treatment.
3.Reliability
The above research will be useful for Australian government and its researchers for
analysing health care sector. This report will be used for evaluating other researchers as well as it
is created from analysing the latest data. It could be implicated for clinics, private and public
hospitals for observing the latest affects on health care sector with its policy for social
development.
CONCLUSION
From the above study it had been concluded social development policy is directly
concerned about whole welfare and well-being distributed in various groups as per significant
facets of life like employment, income, health and education. It has been articulated that
Australian healthcare provides mandatory public insurance scheme along with giving healthcare
coverage to its citizens, refugees, permanent residents and citizen of countries with reciprocal
coverage agreement in Australia. It could be summarized by stating that Australia has the highest
obese population as on 5th position at age of 15 and over.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
de Leeuw, E., Clavier, C., & Breton, E. (2014). Health policy–why research it and how: health
political science. Health research policy and systems. 12(1). 55.
Duckett, S., & Willcox, S. (2015). The Australian health care system (No. Ed. 5). Oxford
University Press.
Hall, J. (2015). Australian health care—The challenge of reform in a fragmented system. New
England Journal of Medicine, 373(6), 493-497.
Jowsey, T, & et.al. (2014). What motivates Australian health service users with chronic illness to
engage in self‐management behaviour?. Health Expectations. 17(2). 267-277.
McClelland, A., & Smyth, P. (2006). Social policy in Australia: Understanding for action.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health
behavior: Theory, research, and practice. 5. 43-64.
Willis, E., Reynolds, L., & Keleher, H. (Eds.). (2016). Understanding the Australian health care
system. Elsevier Health Sciences.
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