REPORT TWO: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
REPORT TWO: SELECT COMMITTEE ON REMOTE, RURAL AND REGIONAL HEALTH; FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
The Committee continues its investigations with respect to the implementation of all recommendations handed down during the 2021/22 Inquiry into regional, rural and remote health in NSW.
Read full submission here
Findings 21 and 22 outline the funding issues for CT: IPTAAS ineligibility for patients and the ongoing need for not for profits like Can Assist to cover the out-of-pocket costs.
Recommendations 23, 25, 26
Directly recommend that isolated patients be able to claim IPTAAS when choosing community transport. The committee further supports an increase in government grant funding for community transport operators. Further funding reform is recommended through the development of pricing benchmarks.
The State Governments official response is due within 6 months. We are optimistic that the recommendations will be implemented since Premier Minns has repeatedly stated that all recommendations of the original 2021-22 inquiry will be implemented. This subsequent follow up Inquiry is clearly states that more work needs to be done.
Can Assist has impact – giving patients the financial assistance to access treatment at the grassroots level whilst affecting meaningful policy change at the network wide level.
We congratulate the CEO of the peak body of CT who Can Assist has been collaborating with for some time now on these issues. Singing from the same song sheet – it has been a powerful alliance. Should you read chapter 7, you will see that our combined evidence acts as the main source for the committee’s conclusions.
Finally, we congratulate Dr Joe McGirr – for his hard work and dedication to the cause. He has been a key catalyst for significant change – not only in his electorate in Wagga Wagga, where patients can now for the first time access cancer treatment on the same basis as all other public hospitals in our regional centers , but also for the broader population of country NSW as his committee addresses the need for change across our state.
