Helping to shape Tasmania’s future: Osteopaths and preventative health Tasmania’s 20-year preventative health strategy

Helping to shape Tasmania’s future: Osteopaths and preventative health

Tasmania’s 20-year preventative health strategy

We recently responded to the Tasmania Government’s 20-year preventative health strategy discussion paper public consultation on your behalf.

This long-term strategy outlines the governments proposed priority areas and enabling factors for improving health outcomes across the state.

Why this matters for osteopaths:

This is a significant step forward. We are pleased to see that the Tasmanian Government has taken the initiative to develop a preventative health strategy and consult with a wide range of stakeholders. This creates real opportunities for osteopaths to contribute to preventative health. Osteopaths, with their whole-body approach and focus on the biopsychosocial model, are ideally placed to support patients before issues become chronic – but systems need to support this. That’s why our response strongly advocates for policy structures that recognise and include osteopaths in Tasmania’s preventative health frameworks.

We’re working to ensure your experience is visible and valued.

Key feedback included:

• Whole of person care: We championed the value of t the biopsychosocial approach and argued that it must underpin any serious health strategy. True preventative care means recognising the physical, mental and social drivers of health, which osteopaths do every day in practice.
• Leadership and commitment: Top-down commitment from government and a collaborative approach across all sectors is essential to the success of the strategy
• Collaboration and communication: This strategy must explicitly include public-private sector collaboration – especially given the majority of osteopaths work in private practice. We called for pathways that allow allied health professionals including osteopaths to actively contribute within multidisciplinary models of care. 

What’s next?

We’ll continue to monitor progress on the strategy and advocate for osteopath’s inclusion in its implementation. This is part of our broader commitment to ensuring osteopathy is recognised as an essential part of Australia’s preventative health landscape.

If you’re practising in Tasmania and want to share your insights on preventative health, reach out to us. Your voice strengthens our advocacy.

Read our full submission here.