Policy and Advocacy Library
The library is the culmination of the collaborative work of RACP members and comprises a comprehensive range of evidence-based, published RACP position statements, policies and submissions.
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Topic
Occupational and environmental health
Description
RACP-AFOEM and the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) prepared a joint submission to the Senate Community Affairs Committee inquiry on the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023 and associated consequential amendments Bill. To establish a National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry, an issue on which there has been sustained advocacy led by AFOEM since 2018, the necessary legislation must be established. The joint submission conveyed information on the elements considered essential in the Legislation to ensure the Registry is fit for purpose from the physician perspective.
Description
This College submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport Inquiry into Diabetes outlines the policies and interventions that are needed to reduce escalating rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity linked to complex obesogenic factors. The submission also discusses ways to improve the health and wellbeing of patients living with these chronic conditions.
Description
The RACP wrote to the Prime Minister about the health harms of fossil fuels. We outline the significant impacts of climate change on health and the environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion and extraction, including air pollution and water contamination. The letter also shares the RACP’s submission on the National Health and Climate Strategy and highlights the need for cross-government action to facilitate an urgent transition to renewable energy.
Description
The RACP wrote to the NT Chief Minister about the health harms of fossil fuels. We outline the significant impacts of climate change on health as well as the environmental impacts of fossil fuel combustion and extraction, including air pollution and water contamination. The letter also highlights the adverse and long-lasting impacts that climate change has on the wellbeing of children and young people.
Description
The RACP submission calls for a National Health and Climate Strategy that focusses on the health and wellbeing of communities and populations alongside the Strategy’s current health systems focus. The Strategy’s objectives must include building healthy and climate resilient communities, and climate resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare systems. We call for the Strategy to be fully funded with National Cabinet sign-off. Further, the Strategy must prioritise First Nations leadership, health equity, prevention, and reducing low-value care and mobilise sectors outside of health.
Description
This RACP submission to the Independent Hospital and Aged Care Pricing Authority’s (IHACPA) annual consultation on the Pricing Framework for Australian Public Hospital Services 2024-25 addresses the cost impacts of patient vulnerability and complexity, the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, classifications used to describe and price public hospital services, adjustments to the National Efficient Price and the National Efficient Cost. It also describes data sources to cost innovative funding models and service integration.
Description
The College provided feedback on the new National Strategy for the Care and Support Economy from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Strategy plans for a “sustainable and productive care and support economy that delivers quality care and decent jobs” in anticipation of significant increases in the overall demand for services. The Strategy, vision and goals focus on the provision of paid care and support services across aged care, disability support, veterans care and early childhood education and care. The College addressed those areas, noting that the necessary detail in action plans is to follow.
Description
This RACP submission presents a series of substantiated recommendations for reforming Australia’s oral health system. It details the extent to which the current system is inequitable and explains how the College’s seven (7) proposed reform initiatives would address key problems. Particular emphasis is given to the four (4) access barriers to dental services and the importance of monitoring quality data through a central surveillance system.
Description
The position statement considers current evidence and proposes strategies and recommendations to deliver effective health care to children and young people who are at risk of entering out-of-home care, are in out-of-home care, or are in contact with care and protection services across Australia.
Topic
Child health and young adult medicine
Description
This RACP submission focuses on enhancing the assessment and support services for individuals living with ADHD, with specific attention to the diagnosis and experiences of children and young people with ADHD. The submission strongly advocates for integrated, cross-profession, team-based approaches to care to effectively address the needs of individuals with ADHD, emphasises the importance of gaining a deeper understanding of ADHD comorbidities and advocates for consistent regulations regarding ADHD medications across different states and territories. The submission also recommends the allocation of funding for the development of community-based research into the identification and diagnosis of ADHD in First Nations families and how to better support them.
