Australian Healthcare System: HLTENN001 Nursing Assignment Solution

This assignment solution provides a detailed overview of the Australian healthcare system, covering its history, funding sources, and key initiatives. It defines primary, secondary, and tertiary health care, outlining the services offered in each. The document explores primary health care targeted population groups, considering specific health and lifestyle conditions and social determinants. It also discusses the vision for Health Care Homes, health promotion campaigns, and illness prevention programs. The assignment further identifies funding sources for both the public and private sectors, providing statistics on registered nurses and midwives. Additionally, it includes a brief history of Medicare, its purpose, coverage, and related financial aspects. The solution offers insights into reciprocal agreements within the healthcare system, making it a comprehensive resource for understanding the Australian healthcare landscape.

Running head: AUSTRALIAN HEALTH SYSTEM
1
Nursing within the Australian Health Care System
Student’s Name
Institution Affiliation

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1. Briefly outline the history of the Australian Health Care System in including (3)
forms of Australian government funding sources.
Australia’s health care is delivered as a mixed system mainly involving private insurance
providers and universal public healthcare. The most considerable part of health care is given
publicly through public hospitals and primary health care such as general practitioner. The
private sector is allied with health care such as dental and physiotherapy and private hospitals.
A main policy underlying Australia’s health care system is universal means to most
health care notwithstanding one’s ability to pay. Revenue for the health care system is mainly
through taxation. Health services are funded by the government through three main forms:
Federal initiatives, state programs and non-government organizations. Federal initiatives include
the Medicare Australia and the pharmaceutical benefits schemes (McManus, Birkett, Dudley &
Stevens, 2001). The Medicare Australia is responsible for providing Medicare, which offers
financial assistance in health services. It is fundamentally concerned with the financing of state-
run hospitals and payment of doctors and nursing staff. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme
provides patients with subsidized medication. Registration for this benefit scheme is voluntary
and patients, especially low-income earners, are issued with cards managed by the federal
government. State programs include Public hospitals and health care initiatives. Each state in
Australia is responsible for the running of public hospitals. States issue projects that from time to
time are set up to target certain problems such as indigenous youth health programs or breast
cancer screening programs(Caughey, Vitry, Gilbert &Roughead, 2008).Non-government
organizations such as the Australian Red Cross blood service collect blood donations and give
them to Australian health providers. Patients covered by the Medicare Benefit schedule can

AUSTRALIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 3
claim services such as medical imaging and other health services from private corporations. The
National Health and Medical Research council funds medical research and competitive health. In
addition to giving advice to the government, the council also publishes information and
guidelines in relation to health care and health ethics.
2. Define Primary Health care, identify the types of services that can be delivered and
the relevance to your work role
Primary Health Care refers to providence of accessible health care services to all families
and individuals in a community and is a health equity-producing social policy. Methods and
technology of providing these medical health care services should be socially acceptable and
scientifically sound (Keleher, 2001). Areas that play a role in health such as environment,
lifestyle and access to health services are includes in the Primary health care. Since attainment of
better health services is the main goal of primary health care, elements to achieve this goal such
as reducing exclusion in health, health integration to all sectors, increasing stakeholder
participation and setting service delivery reforms are put in place. Primary health care services
are provided to individuals through general practitioners. The general practitioners are co-located
with pathologists and other specialists to provide the bulk of medical care to the public.
Individuals in a community are free to choose which general practitioner to consult and their
wishes can be restricted only by availability of a physician. Allied health professionals who offer
primary health care include physiotherapists, dieticians, dentists and pharmacists.
Other professionals who provide primary health care are nurses. Nurses give a
significant amount of primary care in public community health centres, general practitioner
clinics and other venues. Services rendered by nurses to the public include immunizations,
reproductive health checks, health checks and health counselling, The roles and functions of

AUSTRALIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 4
nurses are expanding and they can therefore undertake more primary care practices such as
prescribe a limited range of drugs and other medical tests. Nurses have evolved to work more
independently. Nursing services in homes are primary health care services that nurses can
provide in public sector mother and baby health clinics. Nurses can also operate in community
health centres that operate as multiservice centres for a range of health and social services.
3. List the Primary Health Care targeted population groups & include specific health
& lifestyle conditions.
The primary health care services are targeted to specific population groups such as
maternity and child health, older persons, youth health, people living in remote and remote areas,
refugees, or people from low social-economic backgrounds (Exworthy, 2008). Each of this
population groups are targeted with primary health care services according to their specific
health and lifestyle conditions such as oral health, sexual health, diabetes, obesity, cancer, mental
health, cardiovascular diseases and drug and alcohol services.
Service delivery to rural and remote areas in Australia suffers from poor health and
encounter significant hindrances in accessing health care services due to difficulties in retaining
health professionals in the rural communities. Most of the rural population may encounter
specific health conditions that require medical attentions. Regional health service programs are
put in place by each state to ensure primary health care services are made available to the
individuals in the rural and remote areas. Maternity and child health care are fundamental to the
population growth. Children are provided with immunization services by the government to
ensure proper growth and prevent diseases.

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Social determinants strongly influence the health of individuals & communities. Outline
the factors of influence to be considered when planning & delivering Primary Health Care
services
The health of individuals and communities are greatly determined by social determinants
which affect the accessibility and sustainability of public health services. The planning and
delivering of public health care services should therefore consider factors such as transport,
education, infrastructure, housing, and employment of those living in a community. The primary
health care service should build relationships with the sectors that provide these factors when
there is a need to communicate certain issues affecting a community.
4. What is the vision for the governments “Health Care Homes”?
Health care homes are general practices that ensure better coordinated and a more pliable
care for Australians with fatal and complex health conditions. The vision for the government is
to ensure any citizen who suffers from a chronic disease gets access to health care homes. These
chronic diseases include diabetes, arthritis or heart conditions.
Define Secondary Health Care & identify the types of services offered.
Secondary health care services are health services provided by medical physicians and
other health practitioners who do not have first contact with patients. Services offered in
secondary health care include child birth, medical imaging and intensive care. Secondary health
care providers include clinical psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists or dental
specialists. Physical therapists, speech therapists, dieticians and respiratory therapists are some of
the allied health professionals who generally work in secondary care.
7. Define Tertiary Health Care & identify the types of services available

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Tertiary health care is exclusive consultative health care for patients that are referred by
either primary or secondary health care practitioners. Most of these patients are inpatient.
Tertiary health care facilities, such as tertiary referred hospitals, mostly have personalities and
equipment for advanced treatments and medical investigations. Some examples of tertiary health
care services are severe burns treatment, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, and neonatology services
at advanced levels, cancer management and other surgical interventions that are of a complex
medical level.
8. Name three (3) Australian Health Promotion Campaigns & provide a brief
evaluation of one (1) of the named campaigns.
1 Improving quality of health care
2 Health for all
3 Cost-effectiveness improve on health care
Evaluation (100 words)
Improving cost-effectiveness: Schemes have been set up to increase the effectiveness and
efficiency of health care services and medication throughout Australia. Healthcare services
include drug distribution to the community (Bambra & Scott-Samuel, 2005). A scheme that
ensures the flow of drugs to the citizens is the pharmaceuticals benefit scheme. Blended
payments to drugs are implemented in the scheme to reduce the fee of drugs. Pharmacists are
encouraged to offer diverse classes of drugs. These alternative drugs include the generic
substitution. The increased campaign promotions in advancements in pharmaceutical drugs in
Australia have and will help in more affordability and effectiveness of the drugs to citizens.
9. List four (4) Illness Prevention Programs available in the community.
1. Heart foundation program

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2. Kidney health program
3. Cancer prevention programs
4. Nutrition programs
10. Identify who funds the Public Sector.
The government funds the public sector through funds from general taxation and mandatory
tax-based health insurance. Empowered under the constitution to collect income taxes, the
commonwealth collects total revenue from public sources. The states in Australia are
responsible for the bulk of revenue outlays (Smith & Williams, 2008). Funding of the
government to the public sector is mainly through the Medicare Australia scheme, which
provides universal access to hospital treatment and subsidizes outpatient medical treatment.
The Medicare scheme is funded by taxpayers from different states in Australia. The
taxpayers pay a two percentage tax levy on their incomes which should be above a threshold
amount.
11. Identify who funds the Private Sector.
The private sector is funded by a number of private health insurance organizations.
The private health insurance organizations fund their health care services by an extra 1% levy
charge on incomes of high income earners taxpayers. The private health sector in Australia
runs on community rating where premiums do not scale mainly because of an individual’s
previous medical history, age or current state of health. Funds can only benefit a covered
patient within a period of up to 12months for any medical condition. If the signs and
symptoms of the insured person do not show after six months then the insurance is
terminated.
12. In 2015, how many nurses & midwives were registered in Australia

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In 2015, over 360,000 nurses and midwives were registered in Australia (Roche,
Duffield, Homer, Buchan & Dimitrelis, 2015)
13. How many were registered as enrolled nurses?
Of the 360,008 registered nurses and midwives, the number of enrolled nurses was
51,070 out of 256,034 registered nurses (Roche, Duffield, Homer, Buchan & Dimitrelis, 2015).
14. The Medicare System
Write a brief history of Medicare.
Medicare system plan was first introduced in 1975 as Medibank by the Whitlam
Government and was later re-introduced by Hawke labour government as Medicare universal
health care in 1984. The Medicare system is operated by the department of human services in
Australia (Australia, 2010). The system is the primary funder of health care in Australia and
therefore it funds primary health care for citizens in Australia and permanent residents.
. A great change was however noted across Australia since offices of the universal health
care system increased by a large number. The number of staff employed by the system also
increased largely including the offices that became widespread through all states in Australia..
The Medicare levy surcharge was introduced to encourage individuals with higher incomes to
maintain health insurance and use the private hospital system. Individuals under the Medicare
system can choose to have free medical, nursing and free accommodation in state-funded
hospitals. Treatment is hence free under the Medicare system in public hospitals as a public
patient by physicians and specialists employed by the hospitals.
What is the purpose of Medicare?
The purpose of Medicare is to cover the medical bills for citizens of Australia.
What percentage of tax do you pay to provide for Medicare’s Health Insurance?

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A 2% levy is paid to provide for Medicare’s health insurance (Australia, 2010).
What does Medicare cover?
Medicare in Australia covers screening for chronic diseases such as cancer, vaccinations,
access to medical equipment and some drugs and prescriptions.
What are reciprocal agreements and whom do they cover?
Reciprocal agreements are health care terms that two countries come up with to take care
of the medical treatment costs of its citizens who are travelling on tourist or working visa and
require immediate medical attention in public health system.
Outline the Medicare Safety Nets
The Medicare safety nets are two namely: the original Medicare safety net and the
extended Medicare safety net. Both safety nets are set up to provide additional relief to
individuals who incur higher than the normal medical costs.
The original Medicare safety net, the schedule fee of 85% is increased to 100% for out of
hospital services to singles and families once a threshold gap is reached annually (Australia,
2010). Gap costs indicate the difference between the actual fee paid and the standard Medicare
rebate. The extended Medicare safety net fee cap applies to the out of pocket costs that determine
whether the threshold has been reached.
15. A new drug has been approved for treatment of breast cancer but it has not been
placed on the pharmaceutical benefits scheme. Which government division would a lobby
group approach to have it added?
In emergence of a cancer treatment drug that needs to be added to the list of
pharmaceutical benefits scheme, one should approach the pharmaceutical benefits advisory
committee (Duckett, 2004). The committee makes recommendations regarding the drugs which

AUSTRALIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM 10
should be made available on the schedule of the benefit scheme to the ministry of health. The
committee will consider factors in considering the drug for listing. Such factors include the
condition in which the drug has been demonstrated to work effectively and safely, the cost
involved in purchasing the drug by the public and if the drug has been approved by the
therapeutic goods administration.
The Australian Medical Association is seeking to increase its medical rebate. Which
government department would this body access for hearing?
The medical rebate involves medical levy and the Australian Medical Association would
approach the Australian taxation department.
The elderly and the young are particularly susceptible to flu during the winter. Which
government department would be connected with the dispersal of information concerning
immunisation programs?
The National Health and Medical Research Council is the department that recommends
standard immunizations to protect the elderly and the young.
16. Answer the following questions:
a) Who is the current Federal Treasurer?
Josh Frydenberg
b) Who is the current Victorian Minister of Health and Aging?
Luke Donnellan
c) Who is the current Victorian Minister for Health?
Jenny Mikakos
d) Who is the current Victorian Minister for Mental Health?
Martin Foley

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e) What is the role of the State Health Department?
The department of health is charged with making sure the Australia’s health system runs
smoothly, including supporting of hospital services, universal and affordable access to medical
services, and also helping citizens to stay healthy through disease prevention activities, regular
physical exercise and health promotion (Clavier & de Leeuw, 2013). The health department
deals with matters such as implementation of hospital networks and national health, funding
hospitals for continuity of health care, health services including quarantine, the national drug
strategy and primary health care among others. The head of the state health department reports to
the ministers of health, regional services, aged care and indigenous health.
16. Better Care Victoria has been established to deliver & sustain the highest quality of
care for Victorian patients through the identification, scaling & embedding of innovation
across the Victorian health system. Identify five (5) initial focus areas for innovation
projects.
One stop early detection and treatment centres of diseases
Mental ill peoples’ hospital
Improvement of patient outcomes
Reducing waiting time for patients
Increase of productivity of health systems
17. Identify key factors that determine health & the factors that may affect an
Individual’s health status.

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Individual health status may be affected by several factors. Some of these key factors
include social factors, individual behaviour, health services offered, policy-making and biology
or genetic factors.
The behaviour of an individual plays a role in health results. Interventions done by
hospitals focus substance abuse, physical activity and diet interventions on an individual.
Specific populations are affected by some biological and genetic factors (Embrett& Randall,
2014). For example, due to physical and cognitive effects of aging older adults are prone to be
poor in health biologically than adolescents. Genetic determinants of health are passed in
bloodlines for example sickle cell disease. Most biological and genetic social determinants on the
health include age sex and inherited conditions of an individual. Access to quality health services
can impact the health of an individual. Lack of access to health services can be caused by lack of
availability of healthcare facilities, high cost of health services, limited language or lack of
insurance cover (Burns, Douglas & Hu, 2019). These causes that lead to lack of access to health
services could lead to hospitalization that could have been initially prevented, health needs not
being attended to or not getting preventive services. Physical conditions of the environment in
which people work, play, learn and live can be referred to as social determinants. These
determinants may include the social supports and interactions, availability of resources to meet
daily needs, quality schools, mass media exposure, and the socioeconomic conditions such as
poverty. Policies at authority levels affect individual and population health. Some policies such
as increasing taxes on tobacco sales and products can reduce the intake of tobacco by people and
therefore improve the population health. Other policies such as mandatory safety belts set by the
Federal government to regulate motor vehicles and highways have greatly reduced the number of
accidents causing deaths and injuries.