Linking acute care to a strategy for improving Aboriginal health.

In this paper we consider the extent to which strategies to improve access to acute care services have been integrated with national strategies to improve Aboriginal health outcomes. To do this we review the primary and secondary sources and provide an overview of current national strategy in Aboriginal health and identify where policy and strategic issues relevant to acute care have been developed. In particular we consider the extent to which national policy processes have focussed on the interface between the primary and acute sectors. It is our contention that nationally integrated strategies to improve access to the acute care sector require the development of an Aboriginal health focus in hospital based quality assurance processes and a comprehensive engagement with Aboriginal issues across the acute care sector.