Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research

The latest Radar Issue from the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has spotlighted the Deeble Institute Issues Brief No. 60 – Measuring what really matters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples: racism and cultural safety in healthcare. This Brief underscores that Australia’s health system remains a long way from ensuring culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Authored by 2025 Deeble Scholar Dr Elissa Elvidge and A/Prof Rebecca Haddock, the paper calls for a nationally coordinated approach led by Indigenous voices and backed by clear policy direction, consistent standards and comprehensive data collection. Thanks to the ACSQHC for highlighting this important work. Read the ACSQHC Radar Issue 714: https://lnkd.in/gEr_derF Read the Deeble Issues Brief No. 60: https://lnkd.in/geebsHz7

🎓 PhD scholarship opportunity from Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority and Syd Uni. With great colleagues from Leeder Centre for Health Policy, Economics and Data - Kees Van Gool and Philip Haywood! https://lnkd.in/gWV2tgyJ

Institutional racism within Australian hospitals is a critical public health issue that profoundly impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This racism is not merely a collection of isolated incidents; it's a systemic problem that affects patients at both an individual and societal level. While tools exist to assess institutional racism, they are not consistently applied, which limits accountability and progress. The latest Deeble Institute for Health Policy Research Issues Brief, Measuring what really matters for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – racism and cultural safety in healthcare calls for a fundamental change in approach which moves away from fragmented, superficial measures toward a unified, data-driven, and Indigenous-led strategy To achieve this, the Brief recommends to: • Establish a national framework for cultural safety and anti-racism • Mandate and standardise cultural safety and anti-racism education and training • Implement independent and transparent complaints and reporting mechanisms • Strengthen data collection and measurement of racism and cultural safety • Enhance meaningful community engagement and shared decision-making 2025 Jeff Cheverton Scholar Dr Elissa Elvidge is supported by Brisbane North and North Western Melbourne PHNs. Read the Brief: https://lnkd.in/geebsHz7 Read the Media Release: https://lnkd.in/gmj_2jkT

Healthcare’s digital transformation has delivered substantial benefits, including improved patient monitoring and diagnosis, strengthened connectivity between services, and modernised record-keeping with less reliance on paper-based systems. However, these advances also bring new challenges. Australia’s healthcare system has become a growing target for cybercriminals, with ransomware and data theft aimed at accessing sensitive patient and medical information. So far in 2025, two major breaches underscored the risks: patient records at South Australia Health’s Adelaide Women’s and Children’s Hospital were compromised, and Epworth Healthcare in Victoria faced a leak of 40 gigabytes of patient data onto the dark web. A systematic review published by Taylor & Francis Online compared international and Australian health system cybersecurity landscapes, highlighting key factors that contribute to vulnerability. Employees are cited as the weakest link, but systemic issues are equally critical. These include the absence of mandatory breach reporting, limited integration of cybersecurity training into health management programs, underinvestment in digital security infrastructure, and continued reliance on outdated legacy systems. Encouragingly, there are positive steps emerging. Initiatives such as Victoria’s CareSync Exchange demonstrates how health systems’ security can be upgraded, with the centralised platform incorporating advanced security measures such as encryption, firewalls, and unauthorised access detection. While these measures mark an apt starting point, the long-term resilience demands a coordinated, system-wide approach. This includes regular investment in upgraded digital infrastructure and security systems capable of countering increasingly sophisticated and evolving cybersecurity threats. Equally important is the integration of cybersecurity education into healthcare management training programs. Without equipping future leaders with the skills to embed cybersecurity practices, health services will struggle to foster organisational cultures that prioritise security and resilience. By adopting a proactive and comprehensive approach to cybersecurity maturity, Australia can strengthen its digital health ecosystem, maintain public trust, and ensure that the benefits of digital innovation are not compromised by preventable risks. Delivering More Connected Care Across Our Health System https://lnkd.in/gXKeeck4 Towards understanding cybersecurity capability in Australian healthcare organisations: a systematic review of recent trends, threats and mitigation https://lnkd.in/gVAu2JVi Australian Digital Health Agency, Digital Transformation Agency

In 2024, the National Women’s Health Advisory Council released findings from its #EndGenderBias Survey, which gathered responses from 3,000 Australian women, caregivers, and health professionals (including nurses). The results revealed that two-thirds of women reported experiencing gender bias in healthcare, and almost 80% of caregivers observed similar patterns among those they support. Earlier this year, a Monash University report reinforced these concerns, demonstrating that gender inequities persist across the health system, not only in clinical practice and workplace culture, but also in leadership and decision-making. A key recommendation was to increase the participation of women and gender-diverse people in guideline development panels to strengthen inclusivity and representation. Gender bias is also evident in health and medical research. A policy brief by the Australian Women’s Health Alliance highlighted the historic underrepresentation of women in research, noting that data collected primarily from male participants has often been generalised to women. These practices have produced gendered data gaps that have weakened the evidence base needed to address health disparities across diverse population groups. While progress is being made, such as increased collection of gender-disaggregated and intersectional data in areas like mental health, substance use, and chronic disease, priority populations of women remain underrepresented. Closing these gaps is critical for accurate needs assessments, monitoring change, and achieving equity in health outcomes. Systematic action is required to embed a more inclusive gender lens throughout the research process, from study design and data collection through to analysis, reporting, and translation into policy. This should be further supported by the development of national indicators that capture the health experiences of diverse groups, greater investment in under-researched areas, and the adoption of inclusive data standards across government strategies and policies. Ultimately, strengthening gender-responsive evidence is not only a research priority but a policy imperative. Building a more robust evidence base, grounded in equity, is essential for shaping policies, improving practice, and implementing programs that deliver more equitable health outcomes for women. Ending Gender Bias - What is it? And how can we end it? https://lnkd.in/gt2NKvyV New report reveals depth of sex and gender bias in Australia’s ‘gold standard’ healthcare guidelines https://lnkd.in/gMBnMNS8 Policy brief: Strengthening Gender Equity Through Research and Evidence https://lnkd.in/gfuMeBZv

Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) is essential for the long-term sustainability of healthcare. Yet, despite its promise, health systems worldwide continue to face challenges embedding it into practice. Learning Health Systems (LHS) have emerged as a powerful way to capture, analyse, and translate knowledge into improved care delivery. While LHSs can help deliver and embed VBHC, structural barriers within VBHC make this transition complex. Moving forward requires new competencies, investment in infrastructure, and adoption of innovative practices. The Deeble Institute’s latest Perspectives Brief by 2025 Deeble Scholar Simon Radmore, GAICD highlights how Health Research and Education Precincts (HREPs) can provide the platform to systematically embed LHS principles and advance the VBHC agenda at scale. The Brief outlines four key recommendations to unlock the potential of HREPs: - Develop a nationally consistent definition and a shared language - Create a national strategic framework to ensure HREPs are recognised as core infrastructure for research translation, workforce development, and system innovation. - Establish national coordination and governance to help move HREPs from fragmented initiatives to a nationally integrated system. - Secure sustained financial investment, prioritising initiatives aligned with VBHC, outcomes focused principles. By aligning VBHC through HREPs we can accelerate transformation and strengthen the foundations of a sustainable, learning-driven health system. Read the Perspectives Brief: https://lnkd.in/gptzJz9B Read the Media Release: https://lnkd.in/gGWVZjzt

Fantastic news! and great to see the important work of the interim CDC that is already being done valued and supported. Mark Butler

️🙋🏻️ 🙋🏻️ We are seeking expressions of interest for the Medical Research Future Fund’s Reducing Health Inequities Mission Expert Advisory Panel. This panel will play a pivotal role in shaping national research priorities to improve health outcomes for priority populations. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and areas of expertise—including those with lived experience. If you’re passionate ❤ about health equity and want to help shape the future of health and medical research in Australia, apply by 17 October 2025. 📅 For more information, check out the comments below. 👇

In Australia, accessibility to healthcare services remains an ongoing problem, with disparities evident across geographic and socio-economic lines. The Mirror, Mirror 2024 report illustrates this paradox: while ranking Australia as the world’s leading health system overall, it identified weaknesses in two critical performance indicators. Compared with 9 other OECD countries, Australia placed ninth for access to care (with US ranking last), and fifth for care processes, highlighting the gaps between system performance and the lived experiences of patients. These concerns are further reflected in last week’s ABC article, which reported that patients and carers in New South Wales described the state’s public mental health system as ‘broken’. Hospitals across NSW face mounting pressures, which according to ABC Four Corners Investigation is driven by a mixture of workforce shortages (resignation of 180 public psychiatrists), poor continuity of care and inadequate staff training. While these systemic pressures are statewide, the burden is often greater in regional and rural areas, where adverse health outcomes are more pronounced than those in metropolitan centres. Rural Australians face higher levels of disease and poorer health outcomes, in part due to limited access to timely and appropriate services. Contributing factors include difficulties in attracting and retaining health professionals, limited specialist expertise linked to fewer training opportunities, and the compounding effects of socio-economic disadvantage such as higher unemployment, lower incomes, and poorer housing conditions. Addressing these entrenched inequities requires structural and systemic reform, supported by strong national leadership to shift from fragmented, input- focused systems to coordinated, outcome-driven approaches. The Deeble Perspectives Brief Policy alignment for place-based solutions for better health outcomes in rural and remote communities, identifies four priority areas for reform: • Informing local investment and integration • Prioritising care over administration • Enabling a flexible, sustainable workforce • Achieving aligned purpose across systems While these reforms are framed around rural and remote health, the issues are far-reaching and demand broader, system-wide change if Australia is to achieve equitable health outcomes for all citizens, regardless of where they live. Mental health patient calls for improved regional services to reduce trauma https://lnkd.in/g7XfmNS5 Policy alignment for place-based solutions for better health outcomes in rural and remote communities https://lnkd.in/guaK8qyV Mirror, mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Health System https://lnkd.in/gPsutDRA

Earlier this year, the Grattan Institute reported that more than 1 in 5 Australians who saw a specialist in 2023 were charged a fee deemed ‘extreme’, more than three times the Medicare schedule. Today’s Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Radio National Breakfast interview with Dr Rachel David, CEO of Private Healthcare Australia, further highlighted the systemic nature of the issue. Dr David noted that specialist fees have surged post-pandemic, particularly in high-income areas where fees tend to be higher and appointments harder to secure. She also called for reform to the process of informed financial consent, emphasising the need for stronger consumer protections and greater transparency. These issues aren’t new. In a Deeble Institute Issues Brief published back in 2020, we raised the need for precisely these types of reforms. The Brief, Optimising health care through specialist referral reforms, outlined how outdated referral rules contribute to cost blowouts and inequities, and proposed practical solutions, including decoupling billing from referral status and introducing protections against increased costs for patients under long-term specialist care. 📄 Read our Brief: https://lnkd.in/gsFhWbQB 🎧 Listen to the ABC segment: https://lnkd.in/gAZ6HG3g #HealthPolicy #ReferralReform #DeebleInstitute #AHHA #Medicare #EquityInHealthcare #ValueBasedCare #InformedConsent