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Prue Bagley, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne, Victoria, 3086, Australia, 03 9479 3526, p.bagley@latrobe.edu.au
International efforts to define essential public health functions and establish performance standards and measures have been paralleled in Australia. The National Public Health Partnership has developed a nine-point statement of core functions and further work is being undertaken in areas such as performance measurement and workforce development. Central to this work is the question of appropriate levels of infrastructure. Whilst something is known about infrastructure for population health at national and state levels, comparatively little is known about infrastructure requirements at the local level. It is here that the majority of population health services are delivered through a diverse array of organisational arrangements. Senior population health managers in Australia’s two most populace states were asked to identify and reflect on the critical components of infrastructure required at the local level. These in-depth interviews reveal that senior managers have clear ideas about those elements of infrastructure they believe act as facilitators or barriers to the effective delivery of population health services, particularly in regard to systems for financing, planning and workforce development. They also indicate that we may need to rethink our expectations of partnership and leadership in public health, areas both currently receiving a great deal of attention. This research indicates areas for action. It suggests that diverse organisational structures may result in different infrastructure requirements. It raises the questions of whether it is possible to develop capacity standards for infrastructure for population health at the local level, and whether such standards would be beneficial.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Infrastructure, Public Health Administration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.