THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE

Evidence-Based Symposium, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 26 November 2007

NATIONAL HEALTH AND MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ACT

1992 (the Act)

Under the Act, the NHMRC has four main roles, which are to: • Raise the standard of individual and public health; and • Foster: 1) consistent State / Territory health standards 2) medical and public health research / training; and 3) consideration of ethical issues relating to health.

ROLE OF NHMRC COUNCIL AND PRINCIPAL COMMITTEES

The Council of the NHMRC and the NHMRC Principal Committees are established under the Act, to provide an independent source of expert advice on a range of issues associated with the functions of the NHMRC.

Current Principal Committees: • NHC • Research Under the new structure, the Council and Principal Committees provide advice to the CEO (Professor Warwick Anderson) who is responsible directly to the Minister for Health and Aging. • Ethics • Genetics • Licensing

ROLE OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH COMMITTEE (NHC)

• Develop and maintain standards for the development of health advice, i.e. population health and clinical practice; • Develop and provide to the Council and CEO, and subsequently to governments and the community, evidence based guidelines or other forms of advice on a range of matters, especially in population health; and • Identify emerging health issues and gaps in knowledge.

CURRENT MEMBERSHIP OF THE NHC Members:

NHMRC: At the November • Prof. Colin Masters (Chair) • Dr. Kathryn Antioch • Prof. Warwick Anderson 2007 meeting: Guests: • Dr. Katrine Baghurst • Dr. John Carnie • Dr. Greg Ash • Dr. Stuart Barrow • Prof. Louise Bauer (Uni. of Sydney) • Prof. Jon Currie • Dr. Chris French • Ms. Cathy Clutton • Ms. Vesna Cvjeticanin • Prof. Boyd Swinburne (Deakin Uni.) • Rev. Dr. Gerald Gleeson • Ms. Rebecca James • Dr. Jan Davis • Mr Peter Woodley (DoHA) • Dr. Anne Johnson • Dr. Mark Wenitong • Prof. Harvey Whiteford • Dr. Helen Zorbas Observer: • Ms. Kylie Jonasson (DoHA)

CEO’S VISION FOR THE NHMRC

To become a more influential body on the matter of Australia’s health through research and the translation of evidence into health policy, advice to the wider community, and into clinical practice.

To achieve this vision, the Council, Principal Committees and staff need to contribute at a high level.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NHC

• The NHC will focus on substantial and challenging agendas, with development of issues between meetings using working parties and “in-house” NHMRC Secretariat expertise.

• An essential feature of the new role of the NHC is that the agenda for the NHC will be derived from the NHMRC Strategic and Business Plans and will be focussed on key identified health priority areas.

NHC KEY PRIORITIES FOR THE 2006 2009 TRIENNIUM

Priority issues which the NHC has identified to focus on for this triennium are: • Mental Health; • Obesity; • Indigenous Health; and • Complex Systems Analysis, leading to Effective Health Care * Health Literacy

MENTAL HEALTH

Priority areas: Schizophrenia Depression Anxiety Substance abuse

• Promote research into etiology and risk factors.

• Identify evidence-based best practice.

• Systems analysis of health practice implementation (DoHA).

• Gaps in knowledge on implementation strategies (NICS).

• Role of Health Literacy.

• Value of screening for early interventions and prevention in high risk groups (adolescents, Aborigines).

• Engage with AIHW on trends in key indicators.

OBESITY

• Search for novel “whole-of-Government” approaches.

• Review utility of current NHMRC guidelines and reasons for failure of implementation (NICS).

• Develop complex systems analysis for evidence-based priority setting.

• Screening and population-based intervention programs for prevention in high risk groups (children, adolescents, Aborigines).

• Determine the role of Health Literacy in the solution-based approach.

• Engage with AIHW on trends in key indicators.

INDIGENOUS HEALTH

• Focus on areas of interest with: Mental Health (substance abuse) Obesity Health Delivery with Complex Systems • Work with Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) on Key Indicators and quality of data.

• Develop Key Trend data (eg. perinatal death rates, suicide, life expectancy) • Role of Health Literacy

COMPLEX SYSTEMS ANALYSIS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES

• Determine the evidence-base for the value of the current Medical Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

• Apply systems analysis approach to model changes in the MBS.

• Evaluate screening strategies for their cost-benefit in disease prevention.

• Develop strategies to improve the evidence-base for procedures funded on an interim basis through the MBS.

OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST TO THE NHC

• Policy and Practice.

• Quality and Safety (Hospital workloads; nosocomial infections).

• Chronic Disease Strategies.

• Overview of Current Guideline development (eg. Alcohol).

• Reports from Special Expert Committees: TSEAC: Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee EAGAR: Expert Advisory Group on Antimicrobial Resistance

RELATIONSHIPS WITH MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS

• DoHA: Department of Health and Aging • AIHW: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare • NICS: National Institute of Clinical Studies • The Sax Institute • Others