Integrating health care in Australia: a qualitative evaluation

With aging populations, a growing prevalence of chronic illnesses, higher expectations for quality care and rising costs within limited health budgets, integration of healthcare is seen as a solution to these challenges. Integrated healthcare aims to overcome barriers between primary and secondary care and other disconnected patient services to improve access, continuity and quality of care. Many people in Australia are admitted to hospital for chronic illnesses that could be prevented or managed in the community. Western Sydney has high rates of diabetes, heart and respiratory diseases and the NSW State Ministry of Health has implemented key strategies through the Western Sydney Integrated Care Program (WSICP) to enhance primary care and the outcomes and experiences of patients with these illnesses.

Maturity Model in Practice – SCIROCCO self-assessment tool

The SCIROCCO self-assessment tool is an online self- assessment tool with an objective to assess a region’s readiness for integrated care. It builds on the conceptual Maturity Model for Integrated Care developed by the B3 Action Group on Integrated Care of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of their regional context for integrated care  and inform national, regional and local policy-makers about potential areas of  improvement;
• Adopt and transfer integrated care good practices by identifying their maturity  requirements and requirements for the potential transferability and scaling-up;
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues on progress towards the implementation and  delivery of integrated care;
• Facilitate twinning and coaching activities that help regions and organisations to better  understand the local conditions that enable the successful deployment of integrated care

The SCIROCCO tool can be accessed online by using the following link ...

Service Delivery Reforms for Asian Ageing Societies: A Cross-Country Study Between Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines

Japan’s health policies to address the most advanced-aged society have been the target of focus in Asia, but no studies have investigated this issue using tools for cross-country comparisons.

A cross-country study design was used to compare healthcare reform policies with a framework in Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Data were collected via document reviews and key informant interviews.

Three distinctions were identified. First, all countries except for the Philippines have policy decisions regarding reforms for the existing service delivery systems for healthcare, long-term care and welfare. Second, the most extensive service delivery reform is currently being implemented in Japan, whose system is shifting to primary health care. Third, the direction of the transformation of service delivery system is different between Thailand and China despite a similar level of ageing society. China has made progress on facility-based care integration between health and social care, whereas Thailand ...

How can Ireland mobilise social care community networks across the island to better support people to live healthily and ‘age in place’ throughout the life course?

Population aging is a phenomenon affecting almost every developed country worldwide and one that is increasingly prevalent in many of the globe’s most advanced economies such as Japan, USA and Europe. In seeking to address the impact of this issue, policy-makers are often heavil  focussed on the social and economic consequences of aging populations, such as a reduction in economic growth or increased pressures on public expenditure. However some have argued that policy should instead be more future-focussed, supporting states to build greater resilience to demographic changes and ensuring resources are redistributed to maintain wellbeing across the life course.