Defined Terms Business Plan SWOT Analysis Executive Summary Deliverables And Costs Snapshot Page To Benchmark Techniques

Annexure C (ii) - The Business Plan's comments on former Health & Ageing's strategy re encouraging a healthy lifestyle

The Business Plan is consistent with -

(a) Australian Better Health Initiative: Promoting Good Health, Prevention And Early Intervention

(b) National Chronic Disease Strategy

(d) Focus on Prevention

(e) Lifescripts - although the Business Plan contends that it is not cost effective for GPs to perform the Final Three Stages of Five Basic ‘Stages of Change'

The "Australian Better Health Initiative" collaborative strategy with the state and territories health departments focuses on preventing negligent health and management of chronic disease - a five-year, $500m national package from 1 July 2006 to reduce the impacts of chronic disease which are consistent with National Chronic Disease Strategy:

• Promoting healthy lifestyles

• Supporting early detection of risk factors and chronic disease through Lifestyle Prescriptions - abbreviated to Lifescripts.

• Supporting lifestyle and risk modification

• Encouraging active patient self management of chronic conditions through targeted training for health professionals to assist people with chronic conditions to better manage their health. The Australian government will work closely with health care professionals and state and territory health authorities to ....... ensure quality control and accreditation processes relating to a range of self-management interventions and innovative research on enhancing self-management practice.

In February 2006 the Council of Australian Governments announced funding of $500m for the Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI) incorporating Five Priority Areas For The Australian Better Health Initiative.

"Promoting a healthy lifestyle and helping Australians stay healthy - Budget 2004-2005 Health 3" contains measures to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce risk factors, such as excessive drinking and inappropriate use of medicines. Funding under the National Diabetes Services Scheme to increase by up to $15.3m over four years.

Federal Government has allocated $439.6m over four years for the continuation of a range of measures under the National Illicit Drug Strategy Tough on Drugs.

The Australian Government remains committed to providing range of preventive health initiatives such as Investment in Preventive Health involve funding of $98m over four years:

• ongoing implementation of the National Environment Health Strategy;

• expansion of the technical and content development of the HealthInsite website;

• continued funding for the Centre for Excellence in Male Sexual and Reproductive Health;

• improving the evidence base to support preventive health measures.

National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy will be funded with another $4.2m over four years.

Current Projects include Community Health Risk Factor Management Research Project - NSW which is a collaborative project between Health & Ageing and NSW Dept of Health.

Under the Community Awareness and Infrastructure Initiative, within the Focus on Prevention package, GPs are -

* equipped with Lifescripts Resource Kits, and
* trained in Motivational Interviewing Techniques,
to assist patients afflicted by any of the Five Lifestyle Risk Factors For Chronic Disease progress through the Five Basic ‘Stages of Change’ because behavioural change is a gradual process as individuals exhibit varying degrees of enthusiasm to bring on lifestyle change.

Lifescripts resources assist GPs and practice nurses to conduct lifestyle assessments, including the 45 year old Health Check, and provide advice and referrals on risk modification. However, the Final Three Stages take much more time than GPs can assign, and involve skills that the vast majority of GPs don't possess in order to ensure that such GP's Patients successfully commence a REA, which will Materially Alter Lifestyle, namely one of 9 Rigorous Recreational Exercise Activities which require 11 Supervision steps.

Section 4.(a) contends that Ricardo's Economic 'Principle of Comparative Advantage' dictates that GPs refer patients with any of Five Lifestyle Risk Factors For Chronic Disease to a REC to implement the final 3 Stages of the Five Basic ‘Stages of Change’ as it is NOT cost-effective for GPs to action the below Stages 3, 4 and 5:

           3.    Decide and prepare to make a change (determination/preparation)
             4.    Implement genuine, determined action (action)
             5.    Over time, attempts to maintain the new behaviour occur (maintenance).

The majority of GPs are not expert in the Final Three Stages, whereas RECs -

A. "possess an infectious enthusiasm for the benefits of regular, rigorous, Challenging exercise";

B. have Walked The Talk; and

C. possess the integral Motivational Interviewing Techniques each having previously motivated over 100 adults to commence a RREA.