Page 3362 - Week 09 - Thursday, 24 August 2017
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of a national and international response. The rapport established with other jurisdictions in all types of emergencies will assist the ACT in seeking support when faced with major emergencies of its own in the future.
Deployments such as these also provide personal and professional development to personnel who are exposed to the new environment and firefighting practice. Simply, the deployment personnel will come back better firefighters. They will have enhanced remote firefighting skills and enhanced ability to lead and train local teams.
This ensures that the experience gained in international deployments benefits not only the individuals who participated in the deployment but also their colleagues back here in the ACT. The experience gained is invaluable in enhancing individual skills, developing long-term response capabilities within the ACT and adding to our numbers of highly skilled and experienced senior bushfire personnel.
ACT Health—policy framework
MS CODY: My question is to the minister for health. Minister, what impact will the territory-wide health services framework have on health services in the ACT?
MS FITZHARRIS: I thank Ms Cody very much for the question. As with everything we do in health, our aim is to keep Canberrans healthy and well. The territory-wide health services framework will have a positive impact on health services in the ACT. It will focus on the integration of services across three key areas of health care: prevention, community-based care and care in the hospital and acute setting.
As our city and surrounding region continue to grow, demand for health care is rapidly increasing, creating some challenges. The framework acknowledges the demand for health services on the horizon and provides the strategic direction and key priority areas for ACT Health to focus on. It also focuses on the opportunities in healthcare services and delivery.
It sets the scene for an innovative and genuine territory-wide approach to health service delivery, with health services being delivered across the continuum of care through partnerships and collaboration with the private community and broader health sectors.
It will allow patients to access and understand care at every stage of their health needs, a journey that is easier to navigate with multidisciplinary teams coordinating the delivery of care to the patient. A patient can enter care at any stage of the healthcare continuum and receive services that are coordinated, responsive and accessible, resulting in the best possible patient outcomes.
The development of an integrated healthcare system is a dynamic process that will continually evolve to adapt to new challenges and accommodate advances in medical technology, research and best practice. The outcome is a redesigned health system able to provide coordinated and accessible care to patients across all health settings. This will mean there is no wrong door for consumers or patients in our health service. Ultimately, it will help to improve their health and wellbeing.
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