Primary Health Care Advisory Committee

Background

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is a national agency established by the Australian Government to produce independent and authoritative health and welfare information and statistics. The AIHW’s functions are to:

• collect and produce health and welfare related information and statistics 
• develop methods to assess the provision, use, cost and effectiveness of health services and technologies
• conduct and promote research into Australian’s health and health services
• develop standards and classifications for health and health and welfare services
• provide researchers with access to health and welfare related information and statistics
• report Australian Health Performance Framework (AHPF) indicators and health system information
• publish reports on its work.

The AIHW Primary Healthcare Advisory Committee provides advice to the AIHW in relation to its work in primary health care in the context of the functions listed above.

Terms of reference

Purpose of the AIHW Primary Healthcare Advisory Committee (PHAC)

The purpose of the Committee is to support the AIHW to conduct its work that relates to primary healthcare through high-level strategic advice covering:

• contemporary issues in primary healthcare in Australia as they relate to the AIHW’s functions
• priorities for work relating to primary healthcare
• the scope and nature of relevant AIHW products (including websites) to maximise their utility
• sources of advice to be sought by AIHW in reports and primary healthcare related products
• engagement processes to improve the beneficial impact of relevant AIHW work.

In all issues referred to the Committee, decision-making responsibility remains with the AIHW.

Membership

The AIHW will determine the Committee membership. Each member is appointed on the basis of their individual skills, knowledge and expertise or as a representative of their employing organisations. [Note that from January 2020 then the AIHW plans to progressively transition committee appointments from individual expertise based to organisation-based as current individual expert members step down.]

The Committee will comprise the Chair and approximately 10–15 members with individual expertise or organisation representation in one or more of the following areas:

• Commonwealth/state primary health care responsibilities
• Primary Health Networks from a policy and operational perspective
• The interface between the acute and primary healthcare sectors
• Research on primary healthcare
• Experience of health service delivery or service management and service delivery management
• Personal experience as a consumer
• Experience in rural and remote medicine
• Expertise in the legal, ethical or privacy considerations in the use and management of health data
• Safety and quality in health care
• Experience in healthcare practice management
• Experience in culturally and linguistically diverse health services
• Experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services.

Secretariat

The secretariat services for the Committee will be provided by the Institute.