Australia Health Teams Health Teams

Australia Health Teams

Health Teams in Australian Primary Health

Population, Primary Health and Partnership Health:

Addressing Australia's healthcare needs on a population-wide basis calls for the involvement of a wide array of public agencies, private companies, research institutions and treatment facilities. Because of Australia's diverse and increasingly diversifying population, it is important that primary healthcare providers act according to the differing needs of all groups. Indeed, there is a relationship between diversity and poverty which is often disregarded, but which bears a direct correlation to such crucial matters as whether an individual has access to a primary care physician or is in a locality where healthcare resources are sufficiently available. In Australia, we are faced with the sobering reality that life expectancy, infant mortality and ailment survival rate are all health indexes where white Australians fare considerably better than Aboriginal and non-white communities. These are the types of inequalities which suggest that are health system is at present poorly equipped to contend with the challenges implied by diversity. And though it may be tempting for some to dismiss this as an inherent byproduct of wealth distribution imbalance, it cannot be denied that may of these distribution lines cut across ethnic lines. Moreover, their impact on the overall quality of the Australian healthcare system is decidedly negative, with its unwillingness to adapt for diversity considerably diminishing public health as a credible source of care of those of economically disinclined ethnicities. Therefore, to the end of meeting its own mission, Australia's primary healthcare system must be more attuned to the realities of racial inequality by working in all regards to promote equal treatment to all patrons. Simultaneously, this denotes that a greater understanding of the challenges unique to individual subcultures within Australia is essential amongst registered nurses.

As the site produced by the Australian Government (2011) denotes, efforts at meeting these challenges are highly bound to Partnership Health strategies that integrate the functions, resources and goals of an array of different health-associated groups. Particularly, the Australian Government refers to HealthTeam Australia (HTA), which it describes as a consortium of groups designed to meet health metrics both domestically and abroad. Accordingly, the site reports, "HTA brings together the best in the industry to create one powerful team of healthcare professionals who offer clients innovative and reliable solutions. In the fast changing healthcare sector solutions must be robust and evidence-based whilst being flexible enough to future proof the client's business operations and minimise risk." (Australian Government, p. 1) the group brings together medical facility contractors, public health accreditation groups, global health professional recruiters and an array of other professionals and consultants to establish an allied front against the inequality and need which still permeate the Primary Health system.

Negotiations and Referrals:

The interdependence of healthcare professionals and agencies is precipitated by a system of referral that helps to place patients in the proper care contexts. Here, negotiation is generally limited by the formality which dictates when a patient does or does not require a referral. Here, Willis & Reynolds (2008) observe that "a number of health services are available to people directly in the community. These are often called primary care services. Primary care services can be accessed directly by consumers in the community without the need for referral. Most commonly, when people experience illness, they first consult a general practitioner." (p. 62) Hereafter, if the patient's condition dictates a need for more specialized attention, Willis & Reynolds report that the general practitioner may refer the patient to a pathologist, a physiotherapist or a psychologist, among other potential specialists. Negotiation of these terms is conducted by parliament, which determines when and how healthcare professionals will be reimbursed for treatment.

Working Relationships:

With its role as a central industrial power in the Asia-Pacific region bringing ever greater cultural, linguistic and racial diversity to Australia, the medical community is under increasing pressure to improve its service integration and its treatment distribution. Working relationships will center around the consistent respect paid by working professionals to the Australian Code of Ethics. This comports with a mission statement of the Code of Ethics, which claims that it "outlines the nursing profession's commitment to respect, promote, protect and uphold the fundamental rights of people who are both the recipients and providers of nursing and healthcare." (p. 1)