Share your ideas and help shape the future of care in Australia  

Following discussions with HealthPathways network members and wider stakeholders, Streamliners is seeking input on a national approach to integrated, localised care pathways that we believe can play a key role in shaping the future of care in Australia.  

This consultation document provides insights into how a unified national approach to care pathways could transform the way care is delivered and connect Australians to the right care, first time, every time.

Find full details and context in Care Pathways Australia 2026-2030, A national plan for healthcare integration. We've also provided a summary below. 

Complete the submission form by Sunday 21 December 

We invite you to share your ideas in our submission form by Sunday 21 December 2025. Your input as a key stakeholder in the Australian health system is essential. We want to hear your ideas on what you think would work at a system level, drawn from your experience at the front line. Your views will help co-design a strategy that supports equity, integration, sustainability, and digital innovation, aligned with the Quintuple Aims.  

Complete the submission form 

You can share as much or as little as you like – there are no compulsory questions. If you need time to think about and return to your responses, make sure you leave your submission form browser tab open, as you won’t be able to save and return to your progress in the survey later.  

We’ll keep submission responses confidential, summarise comments anonymously, and share key themes in the final outcomes. Respondent email addresses are required in case we need to contact you about your response, and to share the outcomes of the nationwide submission process. 

Thank you for your insights – please invite others to participate 

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and ideas. We know you care about the future of healthcare in Australia, and would appreciate you sharing these links with other health system stakeholders in your networks: 

Consultation document
Submission form 

Proposal summary – Care pathways Australia 2026-2030 

Australia’s health system is among the best in the world, yet its fragmented design and inherent complexity continue to limit productivity, efficiency, and equitable access to care. Responsibility for planning, funding, and delivery is split across Commonwealth, state and territory governments, with important roles played by meso-level organisations in Primary Health Networks, Local Health Districts/Networks, and private providers. This structural division can result in duplication, gaps in care, and challenges for patients navigating the system.  

The forthcoming National Health Reform Agreement (NHRA) and the current reviews of Primary Health Networks, aged care, and National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) highlight both the urgency and the opportunity to re-align, clarify accountabilities, and build a more integrated approach that can meet future demand. 

Streamliners has received requests from healthcare stakeholders and network members to strengthen communication, collaboration, and engagement at Commonwealth and state levels. As part of responding to this, we seek to better understand the broader needs of healthcare systems across Australia. Our strong relationships with Australian members of the global HealthPathways network mean we are well placed to capture input from members. We encourage members to share the links above and will also seek views from other stakeholders across the Australian health and care system in a structured stakeholder consultation process. The collective feedback will provide valuable input in support of a national plan for healthcare integration to help shape the future of care in Australia. 

The potential of integration - care pathways Australia 

The Commonwealth’s focus on system sustainability and productivity and CEDA’s work on lifting national productivity through policy reform underscores the potential of integration to deliver both better outcomes and economic value. Better connected systems can reduce avoidable hospitalisations, improve chronic disease management, and ease workforce pressures, while also creating a learning health system that continuously adapts. The challenge for governments is to move beyond piecemeal reforms towards a coherent, nationally coordinated yet locally responsive model that balances fiscal sustainability with improved health and wellbeing for all Australians. 

We see a national plan for healthcare integration through nationally shared care pathways as central to the potential of integration.  

Stakeholder input essential 

Stakeholder input from HealthPathways members and the wider Australian health community can help shape a final strategy for an integrated approach, strengthen shared ownership, and support a collective case for investment in the future of clinical and care pathways in Australia. The consultation document outlines five draft goals for Australia's care pathways system: 

• Establishing a shared national framework grounded in co-design 
• Creating joint governance that aligns national and state efforts whilst protecting local authority 
• Securing sustainable funding and evaluation mechanisms 
• Embedding interoperable digital infrastructure 
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and knowledge translation. 

The document outlines the case for nationally coordinated care pathways in Australia, highlighting how this approach could support investment, enable flexible local adaptation, and improve governance. It explores the potential of AI to enhance clinician support and productivity, and advocates for a robust evaluation framework backed by stable funding to address systemic pressures and improve outcomes across health systems.  

Next steps and more information 

We’ll close the submission form on Sunday 21 December. Due to the breadth and scale of this consultation process, we expect that reviewing, collating, and analysing the results will take some time. We plan to synthesise the feedback into key themes, then test and refine these with contributors before sharing the outcomes.  

If you have any questions about this update, email engagement@streamliners.com