​Australia's Long-Term National Health Plan charts the way forward over the next 10 years in the key areas of mental health, primary care, hospitals, preventive health, and medical research. The Plan will provide accelerating benefits as it continues to be rolled out and expanded.  

The Plan was developed hand in hand with consumers, health practitioners and health agencies, and will improve our health system's ability to prevent disease and promote health. Under the Plan, NSW healthcare will be more focused on patients' multidisciplinary needs, more affordable, and more accessible to all Australians.

The Plan has four key pillars:  

1. Guaranteeing Medicare and improving access to medicines through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
2. Supporting our public and private hospitals, including improvements to private health insurance
3. Prioritising mental health and preventative health
4. Investing in health and medical research

The third pillar is the foundation for Integrated Care. It focuses on a system that is more integrated, efficient, focused on patients, and equitable. It aims to ensure that Australians will receive better support to manage chronic conditions and to stay healthy in the community.

There are currently eight NSW Integrated Care scaled initiatives that focus on improving population outcomes and support the implementation of the Plan:

1. Planned Care for Better Health (PCBH)
2. Emergency Department to Community (EDC)
3. Residential Aged Care (RAC)
4. Paediatrics Network (PN)
5. Specialist Outreach to Primary Care (SOPC)
6. Vulnerable Families (VF)
7. Secondary Triage (ST)
8. Alternate Referral Pathways (ARP)

More information about these initiatives is available on the key initiatives page.