Health Planning: Australian Perspectives

Sidney Sax, Chairman, Ethics Committee, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, former Director of Health Services, Planning and Research, NSW

The whys and hows are clearly and carefully explained for everyone involved in planning health services of all sizes in today's demanding climate. No health planner should go to work without this book.

Tony Adams, Professor of Public Health, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University

Increasing concern about a positive return on investment in health leads to a need to make choices. As a result, skills in planning are increasingly being required of managers, providers and policy makers in health care.

Experienced planners and teachers Kathy Eagar, Pamela Garrett and Vivian Lin have written a comprehensive introduction that bridges the theory and practice of health planning. They outline the health policy and planning context, the impact of different resource allocation environments on planning, and explain the processes and the technical skills needed to undertake service, program, corporate, business and facility planning.

The authors also explore major challenges facing health planners, including the growing role of market forces in health care, the need to balance equity of access with equity of outcomes, and the tension between planning for population health versus planning for more efficient health care delivery.

Illustrated with extensive case studies from both the public and private sectors, Health Planning is an indispensable reference for health professionals and a valuable text for students.