Australia’s health and care systems are under growing pressure. People are living longer, chronic and complex conditions are increasing, expectations of care are changing, and advances in medicine and technology are expanding what can be prevented, diagnosed and treated.

These advances create enormous opportunity, but also difficult choices. New medicines, procedures and technologies can improve and extend lives, often at significant cost. Governments must balance growing demand with finite resources, while considering the respective roles of public funding, private health insurance and individual contributions. At the same time, workforce and infrastructure constraints are placing pressure on health, aged care and disability services.

There is also a broader shift in what people expect from the system. Health is increasingly about living well, not simply treating illness. Prevention, early intervention, wellbeing, rehabilitation and care closer to home are becoming more important as governments seek to improve outcomes and reduce avoidable demand on acute services. 

Technology will be central to what comes next. Digital health, artificial intelligence, genomics, robotics, assistive technologies and new models of care have the potential to improve outcomes, expand access and lift productivity. Harnessed well, they can also create opportunities for Australian industry while contributing to a more sustainable health system.

Ensuring these advances benefit everyone is critical. Persistent differences in health outcomes and access to care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, people with disability, and people living in rural and remote Australia mean equity must remain central to health and care reform.

Who we work with

ACIL Allen works with governments, health and care providers, not-for-profit organisations, industry and research organisations across the health and ageing system. Our work includes:

• health system policy and reform, including funding, access, system performance and models of care
• population health, prevention and wellbeing, including chronic disease and the social and economic determinants of health
• health equity, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and rural and remote health
• mental health, alcohol and other drugs and behavioural health
• ageing and aged care, including home care, residential care, hospital interfaces and models that support people to remain independent for longer
• disability and complex care, particularly where health, disability, aged care and community services intersect
• health and care workforces, including workforce demand, supply, capability and productivity
• health technology and innovation, including digital health, medical technologies, AI and emerging approaches to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.

How ACIL Allen can help

Health and care decisions increasingly require organisations to balance outcomes, affordability, access, equity and long-term sustainability. We combine deep sector knowledge with economics, policy, evaluation, quantitative analysis and strategic advisory expertise to help clients navigate these choices.

Our expertise includes:

•  evaluating policies, programs, services and models of care to understand what works, for whom and at what cost
• undertaking health economic analysis, including cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-of-illness studies, business cases and social impact assessment
• designing and reviewing funding, pricing and resourcing models
• modelling population, service, infrastructure and workforce demand
• reviewing health systems, organisations, governance arrangements and regulatory frameworks
• developing policy, strategy and practical approaches to major reform
• assessing workforce requirements, productivity opportunities and new models of service delivery
• analysing the economic, policy and system implications of emerging health technologies and innovation
• planning and undertaking stakeholder engagement and co-design with consumers, carers, clinicians, service providers, communities and governments.

ACIL Allen brings together health-sector expertise with rigorous economic, quantitative and policy analysis. We help our clients understand complex trade-offs, identify where resources can create the greatest value, and make practical decisions about how health and care systems should evolve.