Safety and quality in healthcare: what can England and Australia learn from each other?

Abstract

Australia and England have similar healthcare systems. They are affordable and accessible to all; both are blessed with health professionals of great skill. Anybody who falls ill in either country can expect a high standard of care. And yet, all is not well. The care we give our patients is not as safe as it should be and the community is becoming well aware of this. Our public healthcare systems never seem to have enough resources; our public hospitals show varying degrees of dilapidation. Access to care, while universal, is too often delayed. The medical workforce is understaffed, maldistributed (or both) and the shortage of nurses is of great concern. In both professions, morale is fragile. What, then, can be done to improve the safety and quality of healthcare in Australia and England?