Primary care is the first level of healthcare provided by GPs, nurses, allied health, midwives, pharmacists, dentists and Aboriginal health workers. It provides the gateway by which patients access the innovative treatments and medications made possible by medical research. More than 85% of Australians access primary healthcare at least once a year.
Our research into the primary care sector informs us about the effective use of the $55 billion of annual health expenditure on primary healthcare in Australia. We also examine the efficiency and equity of the health system as whole.