key australian government documents
yourHealth from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing contains information regarding the National Health Reform, including a section dedicated to Medicare Locals.
The Medicare Locals Discussion Paper on Governance and Functions explains what Medicare Locals will do and look like and how they will interact with patients and health care providers.
The Role and Function of the Medicare Local National Body discusses the importance of support for Medicare Locals at the national level. Once established, the national body will work closely with the Commonwealth to ensure the efficient and effective functioning of Medicare Locals.
Improving Australians’ access to effective after hours primary care services is an important goal of the National Health Reform, as detailed in the fact sheet Establishment of Medicare Locals and Better Access to After Hours Care. A guideline document that is available from Medicare Locals – After Hours Primary Care Responsibilities outlines the specific roles and responsibilities of Medicare Locals in order to improve access to after hours care.
The Medicare Locals Boundaries Review contains the final boundaries for the 62 Medicare Locals in Australia.
Profiles of 57 Medicare Locals are available from: Improving Health Care for All Australians –Establishing Medicare Locals. The document includes the Medicare Locals that have commenced operation from 1 July 2011, as well as the organisations that will do so in 2012.
Profiles of the 37 Medicare Locals that have commenced operations are available from: Improving Health Care for All Australians –Establishing Medicare Locals. The remaining 25 will commence 1 July 2012.
Medicare Locals Video showcases three Medicare Locals, with a focus on improvements for consumers, health professionals and communities.
related resources
 Needs assessments in primary health care
Australian health reform matters
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Stakeholder documents
The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) has made available a Transition Toolkit, which presents a guide to the process of transitioning from General Practice Networks to the establishment of Medicare Locals. The Toolkit is designed to be used by individual Network members and focuses on the establishment phase up to 1 July 2012.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) has a dedicated Medicare Locals webpage, which includes links to the AMA’s position statement on Medicare Locals and an alternative model put forward by the Association.
The National Primary Health Care Partnership (NPHCP) has released a Medicare Locals Fact Sheet for NPHCP Members, which provides information about the functions, formation and operation of Medicare Locals in an easy to understand format.
The National Rural Health Alliance (NRHA) released Fact Sheet 29: Medicare Locals in rural Australia in June 2011. The document discusses the main features of Medicare Locals and focuses on issues specific to rural and remote communities in Australia, such as resource and workforce shortages.
The Mental Health Council of Australia (MHCA) published a Medicare Locals Position Paper, which discusses how Medicare Locals will affect the mental health sector and includes a series of position statements.
The Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) has a webpage that includes a collection of documents and factsheets that discuss the impact of Medicare Locals on physiotherapy in Australia. General information about the main features of Medicare Locals is also provided.
The Adelaide Western General Practice Network (AWGPN) has a webpage dedicated to Medicare Locals, which provides background information with a particular focus on the changes that will occur in South Australia.
The Australian Psychological Society has published Medicare Locals and the changing primary health care landscape. This article details the ways in which Medicare Locals will change the delivery of primary health care, with a particular focus on the impact of these changes on psychologists.
Comments from others
The following websites provide further information about Medicare Locals.
- Prime Minister of Australia Press Office
- The Hon Mark Butler MP
- National body to coordinate Medicare Locals. The Australian Government will invite the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) to create a new national body to coordinate Medicare Locals across Australia. 19 July 2011
- The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
- The Hon Nicola Roxon MP
- Croakey, the Crikey health blog
- Australian Health Information Technology blog
- Gawaine Powell Davies, The Conversation
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