A major new report has raised fears that Australia's healthcare is not adapting to technological change quickly enough, and could soon fail to meet population needs. The biggest problem lies in sustainably delivering high-quality, accessible care to the people who need it at the right time, in the right place and with the right intervention, according to KPMG Health, Ageing and Human Services Partner Evan Rawstron and Policy, Programs and Evaluations Partner Steven Casey.

Why treat people and send them back to the conditions that made them sick? – Michael Marmot, The Health Gap, 2015 These are cautionary warnings for Australia, where concerted efforts to end homelessness are up against an affordable housing crisis and huge public housing wait lists. Alarming numbers of people are released from Australian prisons to homelessness each year.

The cost of treating patients can be almost twice as high depending on the hospital, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). The report shows that some hospitals spent up to $6,400 to deliver a notional ‘average’ service for acute admitted patients, which cost as little as $3,300 in other hospitals.

Mandating improved patient-to-staff ratios is only one step required to improve quality and safety for our aged in Australia. Recognising and addressing the issues in our existing model is the next. Ensuring that personal and clinical care delivered to older persons living in aged-care institutions is high quality, safe and effective is a widely accepted community and societal norm and expectation.