In a keynote address at the biennial conference of the Health Services Research Association of Australia and New Zealand, Professor Judith Smith will be speaking on the topic "Making the Shift: Why community-based care will never be the cheaper option."
She will examine the long-standing international policy interest in making a shift of care and services from hospital into community-based settings, exploring and challenging assumptions upon which this desired shift is based – in particular the belief that community-based care will deliver cost savings and reduce pressures on emergency demand for hospital services.
The theme of the conference is "Shifting Priorities: Balancing acute and primary care services". The conference is hosted by the Australian Centre for Health Services Innovation and will feature a mixture of workshops, symposia, keynote speeches and debate, as well as providing health professionals and researchers with the opportunity to discuss the future of sustainable, person centred and evidence-based care.
To read more about the event please visit the conference website or follow the Twitter hashtag #HSR17 – Judith's talk will be on Wednesday, 1 November.