The ACT government has signalled offering more services from walk-in centres as part of a broad range of efforts to lessen the demand for hospital beds as Canberra's population ages.
An eight-year health services plan said patients in the territory needed to better transition between and out of care services, while investment in some non-hospital services would help manage demand for hospital beds.
The plan said there was a need to expand community health infrastructure in Canberra's north in response to population growth, and continue planning for a future northside hospital.
The plan also includes developing a territory-wide public surgery plan to ensure "long-term sustainability for the public emergency and elective surgery delivery" while also increasing capacity.
"A key challenge for the health system will be managing the impact of chronic diseases and other health conditions, which have a higher prevalence in older age groups, generally making this group of people higher users of health services," the plan said.
The plan also said it was a priority for the ACT government to finalise a cross-border agreement with the NSW Health department.
"As demand on hospital services in the ACT continues to grow, it has never been more important to collaborate to explore and implement opportunities to reverse the flow of NSW residents seeking hospital care in the ACT back to NSW, particularly in areas where there is high demand and care is available closer to home," the plan said.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the plan would create a flexible health system that delivered services as close to people's homes as possible.
"As our population continues to grow and age, and as new technologies and opportunities become available, we need to ensure our health system continues to meet the needs of our community," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
The plan said emergency department presentations had grown by an average of 3 per cent a year, and this was forecast to continue over the next decade.
Most treatment areas would experience growth between 2 and 4 per cent a year over the next decade, the plan forecast.
The number of patients who are admitted to and discharged from hospital within a day grew by 20 per cent between 2015-16 and 2020-21.
Multi-day separations grew by 16.7 per cent in the period, while multi-day bed-days grew 47.8 per cent.
The ACT's population grew by 14 per cent in the same period, while people in the territory aged 70 and over grew by 28 per cent between 2016 and 2021.
The plan said some improvements could be delivered in the short term, but many of the improvements would require detailed appraisal and planning.
"To achieve these longer-term actions, the government will work with its partners to design and deliver services and consider the investments that may need to be incorporated into future planning and budget cycles," the plan said.
Actions include ensuring better public transport connections to health care, finding ways to reduce the time people spend in hospital and developing a regional cancer care services plan.
Consultation on the health services plan is open until September 9.
More to come.
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