Dr Carla Saunders and David Carter from the UTS Centre of Health Service Management (CHSM) have recently published a new study in the Australian Health Review journal [opens an external site]
The study, entitled 'Is health systems integration being advanced through Local Health District planning' investigated the current key health service plan of each NSW Local Health District (LHD) to evaluate the extent and nature of currently planned health systems integration strategies. Delivering genuine integrated health care is one of three strategic directions in the NSW Government State Health Plan: Towards 2021 [opens an external site].
A scoping review was conducted to identify common key principles and practices for successful health systems integration to enable the development of an appraisal tool to content assess LHD strategic health service plans.
The research found that the strategies planned for health systems integration across LHDs focus most often on improvements in coordination, health care access and care delivery for complex at-risk patients across the care continuum by both state- and commonwealth-funded systems, providers and agencies. The most common reasons given for integrated activities were to reduce avoidable hospitalisation, avoid inappropriate emergency department attendance and improve patient care.
Despite the importance of health systems integration and finding that all NSW LHDs have made some commitment towards integration in their current strategic health plans, this study suggests that health systems integration is in relatively early development across NSW.
“Establishing robust ongoing mechanisms for effective health systems integration is now a necessary part of health planning,” said Dr Saunders.
“This research identifies several key areas and strategies that are wide in scope and indicative of efforts towards health systems integration, which may support Local Health Districts and other organisations in systematic planning and implementation.”