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Aust. J. Rural Health (2014) 22, 47
From the Journal Associates New dawn for rural allied health Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) held its biennial National Summit in Canberra from 27–30 October 2013. Delegates included 20 allied health professionals from all states and territories who personally presented their own case studies to parliamentarians to highlight the shortage of allied health services across rural and remote Australia. Meetings were held with the new Assistant Health Minister Senator Fiona Nash, Independents Andrew Wilkie, Senator Nick Xenophon, Senator John Madigan, and Kathy Casey, Advisor to Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews. Delegates focussed their discussions on issues they saw as having the biggest impact on rural communities: • the need for government to fund a national database on the allied health workforce in order to identify service gaps and allow for realistic workforce planning • the need to address the financial burden of operating a private allied health clinic in rural settings • the limitations of telehealth consultations due to poor internet connections in rural Australia • the need to revise Medicare items to include more allied health services for chronic disease management and disability.
© 2014 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.
In some meetings, politicians were visibly moved by the stories they heard from delegates, especially in the mental health and childhood disability areas. All parliamentarians gave an undertaking to work with SARRAH to help address these issues. For this reason alone, the Summit was highly successful. However, it offered other benefits outside the political domain. Delegates were also able to share ideas on common issues facing rural providers: the older demographic that typically resides in rural Australia; the lower socio-economic profile of rural communities impacting on the ability to pay for services; the long travel times required to access therapy; and workforce shortages due to the lack of mentoring and professional support in rural settings. These issues are set to worsen if current and future governments do not intervene now. For its part, SARRAH will not let these issues rest; the calls for action raised at the Summit will be the focus of SARRAH’s advocacy work over the coming year and beyond. Louise Pemble SARRAH, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12092
Aust. J. Rural Health (2014) 22, 47
From the Journal Associates New dawn for rural allied health Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) held its biennial National Summit in Canberra from 27–30 October 2013. Delegates included 20 allied health professionals from all states and territories who personally presented their own case studies to parliamentarians to highlight the shortage of allied health services across rural and remote Australia. Meetings were held with the new Assistant Health Minister Senator Fiona Nash, Independents Andrew Wilkie, Senator Nick Xenophon, Senator John Madigan, and Kathy Casey, Advisor to Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews. Delegates focussed their discussions on issues they saw as having the biggest impact on rural communities: • the need for government to fund a national database on the allied health workforce in order to identify service gaps and allow for realistic workforce planning • the need to address the financial burden of operating a private allied health clinic in rural settings • the limitations of telehealth consultations due to poor internet connections in rural Australia • the need to revise Medicare items to include more allied health services for chronic disease management and disability.
© 2014 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.
In some meetings, politicians were visibly moved by the stories they heard from delegates, especially in the mental health and childhood disability areas. All parliamentarians gave an undertaking to work with SARRAH to help address these issues. For this reason alone, the Summit was highly successful. However, it offered other benefits outside the political domain. Delegates were also able to share ideas on common issues facing rural providers: the older demographic that typically resides in rural Australia; the lower socio-economic profile of rural communities impacting on the ability to pay for services; the long travel times required to access therapy; and workforce shortages due to the lack of mentoring and professional support in rural settings. These issues are set to worsen if current and future governments do not intervene now. For its part, SARRAH will not let these issues rest; the calls for action raised at the Summit will be the focus of SARRAH’s advocacy work over the coming year and beyond. Louise Pemble SARRAH, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
doi: 10.1111/ajr.12092
