Health service responses to the first wave of COVID-19 resulted in negative impacts on rehabilitation and subacute services in Queensland. In response, an alliance of stakeholders sought to understand these impacts and develop policy recommendations to mitigate these impacts during predicted future waves.
This included identifying priorities vital for sustainable rehabilitation and subacute service delivery in such a circumstance. These policy recommendations were taken to the relevant state-wide COVID response planning committee and adopted with the needs and role of rehabilitation and sub-acute services being more broadly acknowledged in the Omicron wave.
This work and the outcomes indicate that there is a role for a partnered approach that includes clinicians and consumers to drive policy change. It also underscores that the value and role of rehabilitation within the health system must be carefully profiled, clearly prioritised, and strongly advocated for, especially given the competing pressures on our health system.