The obsession with structure in the ACT health system continues. Last week the Government announced it would establish a new statutory authority overseen by a board. Legislation to come into effect on July would establish a Health and Community Care Service separate from the department and a Health and Community Care Board to oversee the management and operations of the service.
It may well be slightly different from past structures, but it is still based on earlier models to separate the provider of services from the department. But the formal separation fools no-one. The health system is still the health system and the government and minister are responsible for it and accountable to the people of the ACT for it through the Assembly. If, under the “”new” model, the provider is not up to scratch, does the government and department get a new provider? No; it must still deal with why it is not up to scratch and in that respect a board and a service-provider model may be more a nuisance than a help.
Past experience shows that if an “”independent” statutory board wants to get fair-dinkum about health delivery for costs comparable to the rest of Australia it gets stymied by government or other political forces.
Sadly, this government’s performance looks like being no different from its predecessors: have an inquiry; change the structure and continue spending more money to provide the same services as elsewhere in Australia.