About the Program

Banner for Rapid Results Program

In 2018, Queensland Health began an exciting transformation program to find better ways to deliver better health care to Queenslanders. Our health system is one of the best in the world, but it will face considerable challenges associated with population growth, an ageing population, and more complex health needs. We are also Australia’s most decentralised state.

Through the Rapid Results Program, we are identifying and implementing solutions by co-designing with the people who know our health system the best – our patients and health consumers, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and health system leaders.

Meeting Queensland’s growing health needs

In 2017-18, we saw 60,000 more emergency department presentations than we did in 2016-17. By 2026, it is projected that, collectively, Queensland’s health facilities will share 3.7 million hospital admissions — an increase of 1.4 million more admissions in eight years. In addition, 15 per cent of hospitalisations in Queensland result from preventable risk factors like smoking, poor diet, lifestyle factors and chronic disease.

Image showing the health of Queenslanders now and in 2026

Queensland Health recognises these challenges as an opportunity to implement system-wide transformation that focuses on preventing ill health and delivering better value for our patients, our workforce and our public health system.  This resulted in the development of the Rapid Results Program—a key element of Queensland Health’s transformation agenda.

Queensland Health's transformation agenda

Queensland Health's approach to developing and implementing system-wide changes to the health system is based on the following principles:
  • Driven by the system, for the system: Brings teams from across the system together, to collaborate and scale ideas and innovations to drive system-wide change.
  • Designed with clinicians and consumers at the centre: Enables collaboration between project leaders within the system, clinical and consumer representatives, hospital and health service leaders and health system leaders.
  • Focuses on scaling innovation across the system: Focuses on system-wide innovation; working with clinicians, consumers and senior health leaders to bring new ideas to life and expand existing initiatives with potential for system-wide impact.

Project selection and the transformation journey

The Rapids Results Program selects projects from across the health system based on their capacity to make measurable improvements in the following areas:

Image - The transformation process is focused on prevention, access, value and culture

Scaling and embedding system improvements

The transformation journey has four steps. Once projects are fully established and proven, they are embedded as business-as-usual, where they continue to be monitored.  This allows new projects to be introduced into the Rapid Results Program.

Process used to develop and implement rapid results projects

Six key factors to success

  • Co-design and co-implement
  • Scale
  • Accelerate
  • Adapt
  • Reinvest
  • Deliver measurable outcomes

Program highlights

  • Developed Queensland’s first state-wide program dedicated to improving the quality of life for frail and elderly people, including our first state-wide geriatric emergency department assessment and intervention model
  • Looked at best practice from across the world and launched a state-wide mental health clinician service and co-responder models within the West Moreton and Brisbane Metro South areas, to better support QAS officers responding to people experiencing a mental health crisis
  • Established Queensland’s first independent statutory health promotion agency to improve the health and wellbeing of all Queenslanders
  • Continued roll out of Australia’s most comprehensive integrated electronic medical record platform
  • Appointed Queensland’s first Chief Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Officer
  • Improved access to clean water in indigenous communities, led by local indigenous people
  • Increased the scope of work for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Practitioners to improve culturally safe health services

Contact us

For more information about the Rapid Results Program, please contact the Transformation Team at: RapidResults@health.qld.gov.au

Advice on Queensland Health’s Governance Framework

An expert panel recently made a series of recommendations regarding Queensland Health’s Governance Framework. The recommendations will be implemented under the Rapid Results Program.

Learn more about the expert panel's recommendations and the implementation process.

Last updated: 28 November 2019