Published 9 May 2023
Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA) welcomes the initiative to invest $6.1 million to support allied health professionals to develop connections to My Health Record. The measure is designed to ensure all members of a consumer’s primary care team have access to their key health information to support clinical decision making at the point of care. AHPA CEO Bronwyn Morris-Donovan says ‘This investment is the first significant step toward integrating allied health in the MHR and improving the consumer experience of primary care.’
AHPA also welcomes funding for PHNs to commission multidisciplinary care from allied health professionals, nurses and midwives ($79.4 million over 4 years). ‘We are looking forward to working closely with the PHNs to improve access to multidisciplinary allied health services’ says AHPA CEO.
$3 million to undertake a scope of practice review that examines current models of care and recommends appropriate expansion to scopes of practices and models of care is a positive step forward. AHPA is pleased to see both registered and self-regulated practitioners will be included. ‘This measure is an important step toward establishing models of care that support allied health professionals working to their full scope,’ says Morris Donovan.
The organisation is pleased that the budget included $47.2 million over five years to trial integrating services and explore the use of joint commissioning across primary health, disability, aged care, and veterans’ care sectors in up to ten locations. This will aim to improve access to services, including allied health, in rural and remote locations and First Nations communities.
A full response to the budget and further commentary will be available on the AHPA website soon.