This collaborative project with National Farmers' Federation and the Country Women's Association of Australia has been completed. A survey of over 450 country people drawn from every state and territory, saw one-third of responses (32.5%) name doctor and medical specialist access as their key priority.

Emergency departments are a critical component of Australia's health-care system, providing care for patients who require urgent attention. This report presents information on the Australian public hospitals that have purpose-built emergency departments staffed 24 hours a day, which reported to the National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database. Data for 2015–16 for the Australian Capital...

Overview Longer stays in an emergency department (ED) are associated with poorer patient outcomes. Long waits to see emergency staff can discourage people who need care from waiting and may lead to reduced morale among ED staff. In 2015, the Department of Health & Human Services (the department) set a target for 81 per cent...

Background Limited studies have explored the actual usage of the ‘after hours GP helpline’ (AGPH). Objective/s The objectives of the article are to describe medication-related calls to the AGPH and compare callers’ original intentions versus the advice provided by the general practitioner (GP). Methods We performed a detailed descriptive statistical analysis of medication-related queries received...

Currently there is no publicly available source of consolidated information on attacks on health care in emergencies. This report is a first attempt to consolidate and analyse the data that is available from open sources. While the data are not comprehensive, the findings shed light on the severity and frequency of the problem. Over the...