Primary Health Care Congress - Statement

The Australasian College of Paramedicine (the College) is a proud partner of the Primary Health Care Alliance.

On 26 July 2024, the inaugural Primary Health Care Congress (PHC Congress) was convened at the International Convention Centre, Adelaide. The Congress was attended by approximately 60 health leaders from medical, nursing, allied health and university peak bodies and professional organisations, along with representatives from the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Against the backdrop of significant health reform discussions in Australia, the PHC Congress recognised that effective and timely reform of the primary health care system requires clear and visible alignment from multiple stakeholders. However, few opportunities exist to discuss and highlight the areas of consensus.

To understand where consensus exists, a pre-event survey sought input from all participants, showing unanimous agreement on the three following topics:

• That primary health care in Australia needs reform
• That primary health care funding needs reform
• That primary health care funding is not optimised.

For clarity, at the PHC Congress primary health care was defined as being services provided outside the hospital setting; generally being the first service a person has with the health system, as well as aged care services.

Read the full PHC Congress Statement.