Health system reform roadmap should not sit on a shelf | Region Canberra
AMA ACT president Dr Betty Ge hopes the Walsh Report’s recommendations won’t sit on a shelf. Photo: Michelle Kroll. The release of theACT Health System Inquiry Final Reportis an important moment for Canberra’s. . .
AMA ACT president Dr Betty Ge hopes the Walsh Report’s recommendations won’t sit on a shelf. Photo: Michelle Kroll. The release of theACT Health System Inquiry Final Reportis an important moment for Canberra’s public health system. It confirms what many clinicians, patients and health leaders have been saying for some time: the pressures in our system are real, they are systemic, and they require coordinated action rather than piecemeal fixes. That is why AMA ACT supports the Inquiry and its direction. The report provides a practical framework for strengthening governance, improving transparency, rebuilding trust and delivering better outcomes for patients and staff. At a time when confidence in parts of the system has been under strain, the decision to create an independent process was important. Canberra now has an opportunity to move beyond arguments over whether problems exist and instead focus on how reform should be implemented. The report’s recommendations should not sit on a shelf. They should become the basis of a phased reform agenda developed in genuine partnership with clinicians and health services. In our view, several advocacy priorities should shape that next stage. First, governance reform and clinician participation must be entrenched in the health system. The Inquiry recognises that stronger system-wide governance, clearer accountability and better use of data are essential. Doctors and other health workers need to have a formal and meaningful role in service design, implementation and review. Reform is far more likely to succeed when the people delivering care are part of building the solutions. Second, planned care reform, including elective surgery, must be reset to restore trust and improve access. The goals of fairness, transparency and better management of waiting lists are welcome, but implementation must be clinically workable, transparent and developed with the medical profession, not imposed on it. Third, workforce stability must be treated as a core reform objective. The ACT relies on a relatively small number of senior specialists, and the system also depends on the flexibility and resilience provided by VMOs (visiting medical officers). Recruitment, retention, morale and clinical leadership are not side issues. They are central to whether the health system can improve access, maintain safety and deliver sustainable care. Fourth, the ACT should move quickly on practical reforms that improve patient flow and reduce unnecessary demand on overstretched services. Smarter referral pathways, better outpatient processes and initiatives such as specialist advice models can make a real difference. For patients, these kinds of reforms can mean shorter waits for advice, earlier access to the right clinician and less confusion about where they sit in the system. When referral pathways are clearer and information flows more smoothly, patients are more likely to understand their health journey, what happens next, and how decisions about care are made. Fifth, the Inquiry is right to focus on data quality, reporting and digital systems. Digital tools and the Digital Health Record must support clinicians and patient care, not add avoidable burden or undermine confidence in performance reporting. Better information, used properly, should strengthen transparency, safety and decision- making across the system, while also helping patients navigate their care with greater clarity and confidence. In summary, the ACT community deserves a public health system that is transparent, clinically credible, fair and sustainable. The Health System Inquiry has provided a roadmap for reform. The task now is to implement its recommendations with discipline, partnership and a clear focus on better care for patients. Dr Betty Ge is President of the Australian Medical Association ACT Branch and a local GP.