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Chronic underfunding of public hospitals has led to declining performance, putting lives at risk.

In the first half of 2021, we have heard stories of people dying waiting to be seen in public hospitals that are operating at breaking point, and ambulance ramping outside public hospitals because there aren’t enough beds and staff to cope with demand.

There are both human and financial costs to our public hospitals operating in crisis mode. Access block and emergency department (ED) overcrowding appear to be getting worse, and this is associated with increased mortality, morbidity and length of hospital stay.

This module sets out the AMA’s vision for a new funding approach to supplement the current focus on activity-based funding – one that includes funding for positive improvement, increased capacity, and reduced demand, and puts an end to the blame game.

Details

1. Explain key components of the report
2. List main recommendations
3. Recognise the benefits as a result of implementing the changes.