Our petition is asking the Victorian and Federal government to pilot frameworks of accessible and integrated care systems that already exist elsewhere, in a couple of Victorian communities devastated by historic, systemic institutional child sexual abuse. The Ballarat community, and the Bayside communities of Melbourne. These pilots would represent the implementation of the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Report, Recommendation 9.1:
"The Australian Government and state and territory governments should fund dedicated community support services for victims and survivors in each jurisdiction, to provide an integrated model of advocacy and support and counselling to children and adults who experienced childhood sexual abuse in institutional contexts. Funding and related agreements should require and enable these services to:
a. be trauma-informed and have an understanding of institutional child sexual abuse
b. be collaborative, available, accessible, acceptable and high quality
c. use case management and brokerage to coordinate and meet service needs
d. support and supervise peer-led support models.”
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In April 2022, the UK government passed the Health and Care Act 2022, confirming the creation of statutory integrated care systems. On 1 July 2022, statutory integrated care systems arrangements were established. In December 2022, Integrated care partnerships developed their interim integrated care strategies.
"The UK Lords Integration of Primary and Community Care Committee just published its report 'Patients at the centre: integrating primary and community care'. This provides a wealth of information, on both the benefits of integrated care systems, and how to implement them.
The benefits are both the reduction in cost of health and care services, and the improvement in health and wellbeing outcomes for patients.
There must be significant reform in terms of better staff training, improved data-sharing, flexible healthcare structures and collaboration across different professions in the healthcare system.
These reforms will realise the potential of an integrated NHS and deliver more efficient healthcare services ensuring value for money and satisfied, healthier patients. This is the major conclusion of the report 'Patients at the centre: integrating primary and community care'.
The report highlights the need for a seamlessly integrated patient-centric healthcare sector where patients are given the type of care they need, when, where, and how they need it; whether that be access to a GP, a pharmacist or a district or mental health nurse.
The Government should focus more on preventative rather than reactive care to tackle the needs of an ageing population, many of whom are coping with complex health issues requiring intricate and continuous care."
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The legislation of integrated care systems (ICS) in the UK, and their implementation and constant reviews of ICSs, provides the Australian Federal government and the Victorian government with the opportunity to learn from the UK's experience.
We will continue to communicate with members of the Australian federal government, Catherine King MP, Federal Member for Ballarat, Josh Burns, Federal Member for Macnamara, Amanda Rishworth, Federal Minister for Social Services, and Mark Butler MP, Federal Minister for Health, about this opportunity. In addition to copying in the relevant Victorian government ministers on our emails.
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We remain so grateful to every single one of our supporters. We are stronger together.