Over thirty years of consumer advocacy in health at the national level is reason to ponder the direction of health care and the role consumers and communities will play in shaping our health care future.

It is common belief that we need more preventative and integrated primary health care. The hospital of the future will look very different from the hospital of today. Changes to how health care is delivered are going to accelerate at an unprecedented pace driven by digitalisation, consumer
expectation and the advent of genomics and precision, personalised medicine.

Consumers will assume a ‘new power’. They will command convenience and access to high value, modern, personalised services that meet their needs. They will expect to have choice and control over the services they pay for. They will be activated more than ever with access to burgeoning information and innovations that will assist them to stay well, self-manage and access quality care tailored to them.