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Perth Now
5 days ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Reforms of care services needed, commission recommends
Australia's care system could see sweeping reforms that includes a national screening system for care workers, greater collaboration between health services and a major shift towards preventive health investment. The Productivity Commission released its fifth and final interim report on Wednesday, noting an overhaul of the care sector is needed to boost the country's productivity. Commissioner Alison Roberts said care is a rapidly growing sector and proposed reforms will seek to break through government's siloed approach to decision-making. The interim report urges the government to better align quality and safety regulations across the care economy, by reducing the risk of unsafe providers and workers. This includes a streamlined national screen clearance for workers in aged care, NDIS, veterans' care and early childhood education and care sectors. It would make it easier for workers to move between care sectors and cut down on paperwork from providers. "We don't have a joined up system, which means people can move from state to state or within the sector to another (workforce) and avoid detection," Dr Roberts said. "Greater oversight and joined up systems will reduce this risk of occurring." The interim report also recommends the establishment of a national framework to support investment in prevention. This would allow governments the ability to invest in programs that bring long-term benefits to patients and communities. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said the recommendation exposes a glaring flaw in the federal budget process which hampers investment in prevention. He said the current rules don't allow for forecasting or consideration of financial and productivity benefits beyond the four-year estimates period. "That means the long-term benefits that come from preventive health measures are excluded from influencing government decision making," he told AAP. "This is nuts." Professor Slevin said the report recognises the importance of preventative health, something that is a forgotten part of the health funding model. "Prevention has an enormous benefit and of course being able to live longer and healthier lives is really the key benefit," he said. "The PC provides that economic lens for us to think again about how we approach investment in making our health better rather than just fixing us when we're crook." The report also calls for integrated and tailored care through collaboration, which would see hospital and primary health networks work together with Aboriginal community controlled health organisations. This will improve the quality of care and promote local autonomy, which could reduce potentially preventable hospitalisations and other gaps in service provision. The commission estimates a 10 per cent drop in preventable hospitalisations through better collaboration could save $600 million annually. Business, union and civil society leaders will come together with experts and government representatives at a three-day economic reform roundtable, which begins on August 19.
West Australian
21-07-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Groundbreaking WA research behind major health wins for Aussies
In 1989, Professor Carol Bower and Fiona Stanley made a landmark discovery: taking folate in early pregnancy reduced the risk of neural tube defects – such as spina bifida. It didn't stop there. They followed up their findings with decades of dedicated campaigning in the hopes the whole community would benefit from the dietary supplementation. It worked. It is estimated about 4,000 Australian children have been saved from debilitating and deadly birth defects since they started advocating for their folate research. Furthermore, they pushed for government policy to address the health needs of everyone nationwide regardless of culture, age, education or choice of hospital system. In response to the continued advocacy work, in 2009 Food Standards Australia New Zealand introduced a national mandatory fortification of wheat flour for breadmaking, resulting in a 14.4 per cent national decline in neural tube defects (NTD) from 2011 – 2016, and a 68 per cent reduction in the Aboriginal population – with rates dropping from 2.43 cases per 1,000 births between 2007 and 2009, to 0.82 cases per 1,000 births between 2011 and 2016 – roughly the same rate observed in the non-Indigenous population. It was a huge success; one now recognised by the Public Health Association of Australia as among the country's top 10 public health achievements in two decades. Not only is it a testament to the arduous work researchers do every day, but what most people don't know is that this public milestone can be traced back to Perth, at The Kids Research Institute Australia. Today, the legacy continues as WA scientists work on major health concerns including RSV, kids' physical activity and allergies, taking their research and transforming it into policy and real-world change. After more than two decades of research, modelling and collaboration, an effective RSV immunisation program for all pregnant women and newborn babies was rolled out nationally in 2025. It is expected to keep 10,000 babies out of hospital each year. Head of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases based at The Kids Research Institue Australia Professor Chris Blyth said the launch effectively reduced life-threatening complications such as severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia in newborn babies. 'Our results show that RSV immunisation reduces the risk of being hospitalised with the virus by more than 80 per cent and has seen an overall 60 per cent reduction in hospital admissions – significantly reducing the number of babies becoming seriously unwell from RSV and lessening the pressure on our health system throughout the busy winter period,' Professor Blyth said. 'I am extremely pleased to see that our research has now translated into a nationwide immunisation program that will benefit so many Australian families,' he said. Play Active is a program being delivered in childcare centres across Australia to boost physical activity in young kids. Despite overwhelming evidence about the importance of physical movement in early childhood, Australia continues to receive a D-minus grade for physical activity levels among young kids – a rating that hasn't improved since 2015. To address this, The Kids Research Institute Australia developed Play Active in partnership with the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. Backed by more than a decade of research, the program provides practical tools and support to educators to embed active play into daily routines. Now in action in over 700 childcare centres, Play Active is set to benefit more than 80,000 children nationwide, helping change the course of Australia's physical activity crisis from the ground up. Head of The Kids Research Institute Australia's Child Physical Activity, Health and Development team Professor Hayley Christian AM said the early years were critical for promoting physical activity. 'Given young children spend a lot of time in childcare, there is a huge opportunity here to increase their physical activity levels, in particular energetic play that gets them huffing and puffing,' Professor Christian said. 'Nutrition, sleep and sun protection policies are required in national ECEC regulations but there is no guidance around how much physical activity, sedentary and screen time children should have while in care.' Since launching nationally last year, Play Active has registered 1000 educators and supported over 170 services to develop tailored active play policies, with research showing the program is delivering strong results. Families who introduce peanut butter and eggs to their baby's diet at around six months of age can significantly reduce the chances of them developing a life-threatening allergy, according to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology – In Practice. Findings from researchers at The Kids Research Institute Australia confirm the strength of the updated Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) Infant Feeding and Allergy Prevention Guidelines, giving parents confidence as they begin their feeding journey – even those with a family history of allergies. Head of the Nutrition in Early Life team at The Kids Associate Professor Debbie Palmer said prior to 2016 the advice to parents was very different, with common food allergens generally introduced when babies were closer to 12 months of age or older. It started with folate, but the epochal work continues – often unseen and under-recognised. Even more the reason to talk about it, understand it and support it. From protecting babies from life-threatening viruses like RSV to rolling out national physical activity guidelines in childcare centres, WA scientists continue to shape our health through their commitment to research and advocating for real world change. For more information, visit the website .
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Teenage ailments linked to poor diets and bad habits
While Timothy To was navigating the pressures of teenage life in high school, he had an added burden at home. With the adults in his life working, the then 13-year-old would care for his siblings and family members with intellectual disabilities when he returned from school. "It was very emotionally draining. It takes up a large portion of your personal time, and it contributes to social isolation," Mr To told AAP. Over time, the stress exacerbated his mental health issues. "The low mood was always there, but it became very intense when I was 15 to 16 and that was the first symptoms of my mental limit, and the burnout started setting in from my over-achieving academically." This strain on his immune system culminated in Mr To experiencing the chronic skin condition eczema when he was 20 years old. Almost one in two Australian teens live with chronic diseases or developmental conditions including ADHD or autism, and this has been linked to mental health as well as ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks, screen time, smoking and alcohol in the first study of its kind in Australia. A survey of more than 5000 Australian teens published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health found 45.6 per cent had some form of non-communicable disease or mental condition. While the study could not say unhealthy lifestyles caused these conditions, lead author Bridie Osman said there was a clear link which demonstrates the magnitude of the public health issue. "Modern lifestyles are quite dire for adolescents. (The system) really is stacked against them," she told AAP. The most common chronic diseases in teens were hay fever at 23 per cent, and 10 per cent said they had eczema, while nine per cent said they had ADHD which was the most common developmental condition. Being female, consuming more ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and alcohol, having more screen time or having a mental health condition were associated with higher rates of chronic disease or developmental conditions. But male teens with a mental health condition were at a disproportionate risk of these health issues compared with their females counterparts. "Poor mental health can inhibit an inflammatory response ... This can contribute to the onset of disease," the study said. Mr To has been seeing psychologists but having used all his subsidised sessions, finding another is emotionally draining and turns him off continuing to reach out. As teen health worsens, the impact will flow onto the entire population, Dr Osman said. "The system makes it very hard to live a healthy lifestyle," she said. More funding for health literacy, access to nutritious foods and supporting parents to improve their parenting styles will benefit teenagers' immune health. Public Health Association of Australia chief executive Terry Slevin said the next federal government must do more to help all Australians, particularly teenagers, choose the right foods to set them up with good physical and mental health. Lifeline 13 11 14 Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged 5 to 25) beyondblue 1300 22 4636
