Home arrow Community Control arrow Health Planning

Health Planning

The Northern Territory Framework Agreement on Aboriginal Health was signed in April 2007 by the three key partners with responsibility for Aboriginal health: the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing, NT Department of Health and Community Service and AMSANT.

The Framework Agreement sets out cooperative structures for improving health services to Aboriginal people. These structures aim to ensure government and community share information and plan the priorities and principles of health service delivery. The Framework is currently being renegotiated.

The Northern Territory Aboriginal Health Forum (NTAHF) was established in 1998 under the Framework Agreement. The NTAHF meets every three months and is made up of representatives from the three partners (AMSANT, OATSIH and DH&CS).  Since the NT Framework Agreement was signed in 1998, the NTAHF has:

    • Established a collaborative partnership between NT health care providers and the funding bodies and a framework for strategic health planning:

    • Achieved a better coordination and allocation of health resources through joint strategic planning (in particular through the Primary Health Care Access Program (PHCAP) roll-out):

Endorsed and developed a number of NT wide strategic health plans being;

    • The Central Australian Health Planning Study of 1997 View.

    • The Top End Health Planning Study 2000: View.

    • NT Renal Strategic Plan 2003-2007. View. Endorsed April 2003.

    • NT Ear Health and Hearing Strategic Plan 2003-2006. View. Endorsed April 2003.

    • NT Emotional and Social Well Being Strategic Plan 2003 - 2006. View Strategic Plan. View Monograph. Endorsed October 2003.

    • NT Workforce Implementation Plan View. Endorsed October 2003.

    • NT Sexual Health Strategic Plan.

As of November 2003 the strategic plans attached above have been endorsed, however the final electronic versions are not yet available. Until October 2003 NTAHF regional planning was carried out by the Central Australian Health Planning Committee (CARIHPC) and Top End Regional Indigenous Health Planning Committees (TERIHPC). Both these regional bodies were made up of representatives from the NTAHF partner organisations. In October 2003 a review of the NTAHF recommended the regional planning committees and action groups under the NTAHF be disbanded.

The NTAHF is now redefining its operations to work to a five-year Business Plan and Annual Action plans with NTAHF operations now organised under six core priorities and business themes:

  • PHCAP and Health Financing Reform

  • Social Determinants of Health

  • Workforce

  • Consolidation of Existing Plans

  • Stronger Aboriginal Medical Services

  • Stronger Families
 
comverj