$9.6 million investment to strengthen healthcare for all Australians

High healthcare service utilisation in Australia is associated with advancing age and often driven by other factors such as complex health needs and sufficient access to timely and appropriate care.

Administered under NHMRC's Targeted call for Research (TCR): Addressing the Needs of People with High Healthcare Service Utilisation grant opportunity – 4 projects will examine current healthcare delivery approaches, explore potential improvements and develop new models and ways to better implement them.

Dr Chontel Gibson of the University of New South Wales will work with Aboriginal Elders, community and government organisations to create approaches that improve their social and emotional wellbeing. 

Older Aboriginal people experience complex health and ageing issues, leading to higher service utilisation, yet service providers lack the skills to offer culturally appropriate support.

Through a co-design approach, Dr Gibson will develop resources for service providers that are culturally safe, trauma informed and aligned with Indigenous human rights.

Other projects receiving funding include:

• Professor Ruth Hubbard from the University of Queensland will co-design a frailty response framework that seeks to deliver community based care with continuous support and enhanced access to transform care for older community dwellers living with frailty.
• Professor Jane Pirkis of the University of Melbourne will examine a model for working with Lifeline Australia’s frequent help seekers, whose calls are taken by specially trained crisis supporters, to test whether they make fewer calls than their counterparts who receive standard care.
• Professor Suzanne Nielsen of Monash University will use co-design approaches to inform key analyses of national data and innovative care models that reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes for Australians with opioid dependence.

A TCR is a one time request for grant applications to address a specific health issue where there is a significant research knowledge gap or unmet need.

Full details of the researchers and projects funded are available to download on NHMRC’s outcomes of funding rounds page.

Quotes attributable to NHMRC CEO, Professor Steve Wesselingh:

• “There is lack of research on the experience, needs and healthcare journey of people with high healthcare service utilisation and the key factors that lead to frequent use of health services.
• “This research will help us gain an in depth understanding of the challenges facing people with different types of high healthcare service utilisation when managing their health, leading to improved patient outcomes.”