The idea is that area health bureaucracies provide regions with comprehensive health services.
This is a myth according to Jeremy Sammut research fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies who reckons that State community health services have never taken responsibility for the non-hospital clinical care of most patients. Instead the cost of this has been shifted on to the federally funded Medicare scheme. Most community health services provide non-patient-focused public health type services which diverts funding away from essential hospital services according to Jeremy who believes that political factors rather than good policy is an issue.
For us here in The Grove now we no longer have a local hospital in the area what ‘local’ health networks would mean for us is far from clear. It is quite possible that ‘local’ could mean a Super Clinic in Strathpine even.