Western Australia Releases the WA Health Digital Strategy 2020-2030

The Government of Western Australia has recently released the WA Health Digital Strategy 2020-2030.

According to a recent press release, it is a blueprint for digital transformation for Australia health system over the next decade.

WA Health Digital Strategy 2020-2030

The Digital Strategy was developed in collaboration with an extensive group of stakeholders, including patients, carers, and clinical and corporate Western Australian health system staff.
It provides a phased plan for digital innovation, with the first two years of the Strategy focusing on building technological capability across the health system.
A key priority of the Strategy is to establish the necessary work flow and technical foundations to enable the future implementation of an electronic medical record (EMR).
Early planning is already underway to inform the development of options and preparation for a system-wide EMR solution.
This will future-proof clinical services and will also provide a single source of truth for clinical records and data sharing across health services.
Alongside this work, the WA health system is continuing to prioritise investment in rolling-out new clinical and support IT infrastructure and delivery of improved State-wide laboratory and medical imaging systems.
The strategy identifies strategic themes and priority initiatives to digitally enable the health system.
These themes will inform robust planning and business cases to be presented to the government over the life of the Strategy.

The new and innovative technologies, including EMR functionality, will be specifically designed for the WA environment and to meet the needs of a wide range of users, including patients and clinicians.
Moreover, continued engagement will also occur with industry and consumer groups.
In April, the State Government released the Sustainable Health Review (SHR) to position the WA Health system for the future.
The Digital Strategy 2020-2030 addresses recommendation 22 of the SHR to invest in a phased 10-year digitalisation plan to improve, promote and protect the health of all Western Australians.

Health Minister Roger Cook explained that health is operating in an era of considerable change.
They are committed to using digital technology to provide more agile patient-centred care and to address the future challenges faced by the health system.
The 10-year strategy will guide and propel technological reform and transform the delivery of health services across Western Australia, putting people at the heart of everything they do.
Under a digitally enhanced system, health staff will have the ability to work more flexibly and effectively and clinicians will have more time to spend with patients.
Innovation will also lead to better access to health services, empowered health consumers and improved health outcomes for all Western Australians into the future.
The Department of Health will continue to work with State Government agencies including Treasury and the Office of Digital Government to prioritise investment in digital transformation and ensure the Strategy’s success.