The Australian Government will invest up to $24 million in research to improve acute care systems and reduce waiting times in hospital Emergency Departments (ED).

EDs are an essential component of Australia’s healthcare system, with most Australians relying on their local ED to provide care for urgent medical needs, 24 hours a day.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2021 report on Emergency Department Care shows that despite declines during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, presentations to public hospital EDs in every state and territory continue to rise by an average of 3.2 per cent a year. 

New approaches are needed to enable EDs to cope more effectively with the increasing number of people presenting for treatment, including older people with chronic and complex conditions.

This grant opportunity by the government will support medical research and innovation projects in each state and territory that develop and implement evidence-based, scalable clinical models of care to improve acute care and reduce pressure on Australia’s EDs.

Up to $3 million will be provided for the top research proposal in each state and territory, to ensure the research provides nationwide benefits.