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Background
The Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Aged Care (the Department) is developing the National Allied Health Digital Uplift Plan (the Uplift Plan) in partnership with the Australian Digital Health Agency (ADHA) and Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA). This initiative forms part of the implementation of the National Digital Health Strategy 2023–2028 and supports the broader Commonwealth Digital Health Blueprint and Action Plan 2023–2033. Together, these strategies aim to modernise the Australian healthcare system by driving digital transformation across all sectors, including the diverse and essential allied health workforce.
Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) play a vital role in delivering care across a broad range of settings, including community health, disability, aged care, mental health, and private practice. Despite this, many AHPs face significant barriers to digital adoption, including outdated infrastructure, inconsistent access to conformant clinical information systems (CIS), low digital literacy, and limited support in small or rural practices. The Uplift Plan seeks to address these challenges by providing a high-level, phased strategy to increase the digital capability and readiness of AHPs, enabling them to participate more fully in a connected and data-driven healthcare system.
The Department is undertaking a national consultation to ensure the final Uplift Plan is co-designed with the allied health sector and reflects the realities, priorities, and aspirations of the workforce. Feedback is being sought on the draft outcomes, focus areas, and actions proposed in the Action Plan, including whether they are clear, practical, and sufficiently supportive of digital capability uplift. The consultation also invites input on missing initiatives, effective support mechanisms, and the priorities most likely to drive meaningful digital transformation.
