South Australian Areas to Act Report

The South Australian Areas to Act Report: a South Australian Review of Potentially Preventable Admissions (PDF 6.5MB) captures and analyses 15-years of evidence (2004-2018) sourced from both private and public hospitals in our state, through collaborative investigation and planning.

This new Report delivers an intensive joint collaborative endeavour undertaken between the Department for Health and Wellbeing, the SA Health Performance Council, the Adelaide Primary Health Network, and the Country SA Primary Health Network, which are summarised in the Areas to Act Overview (PDF 96KB) document.

The demographic and geospatial data provided in the Report profiles all PPAs over a five-year period from 2014-2018. Geographical areas are identified as being PPA hotspots if their admission rate is 1.5 times higher than the state average. Persistent hotspots are identified and include the top 15 hottest geographic areas in South Australia, as well as the top 10 chronic, acute and vaccine-preventable PPA conditions.

The Report recommends continued collaborative investigation into local factors and variables affecting the hotspots, to facilitate joint future forward planning, and the development and implementation of effective policy and operational mitigation measures.

The evidence delivered reinforces the need for targeted and tailored services for prevention and early intervention initiatives for specific PPA conditions - to support people to avoid unnecessary interactions with the hospital sector through improved referral pathways between primary and acute care services.