Dialog Box

HeartKids

National Action Plan

The National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease (the Action Plan) project is underway with funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health for several of the key focus areas.

The Action Plan project kicked off in April 2020, thanks to several years of advocacy by HeartKids and discussions between government, health professionals involved in CHD care, patients and their families, all with a vision to reduce the impact of childhood heart disease in Australia and achieve the goal that people with childhood-onset heart disease live longer, healthier and more productive lives.


Projects that are currently underway include:
    • National Standards of Care for Childhood-onset Heart Disease: : The first Australian National Standards of Care for Childhood-onset Heart Disease (CoHD Standards) were launched by the Minister for Health and Aged Care, The Hon Mark Butler MP, at Parliament House in Canberra in February 2024. The new CoHD Standards provide a framework for excellent, coordinated care to enable people with CoHD and their families to ‘live well’. The Standards will help patients, families and carers know what they should expect to be included in their care. They will also help governments, health services and health professionals design and deliver the range of services to provide holistic care and support.
    • Health Professional Education: The Education Project will produce a suite of resources for health professionals that support integrated, quality health care for all stages of the CoHD care pathway. Resources will be developed with a wide variety of expert content contributors, will targeted to priority learning areas and will include specific resources for primary care. The Health Professional Education Portal will be launching in 2022.
  • Teen Camps: Teen Camps provide an opportunity for young people aged between 13-17 years with a heart condition to connect with others experiencing a similar journey, learn self-management skills, develop new friendships, and create ongoing peer support networks. Teen Camps will kick off with a camp in December 2021 on the Sunshine Coast for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teens aged 13-17 with CoHD. Followed by camps in April 2022 in Perth and September 2022 in Sydney for all teens with CoHD.

  • UpBeat Teen App: UpBeat is an app designed for young heart kids (15 to 19 years) who are starting to manage their lives and health care more independently. It is a tool that helps users to engage with the transition process and the self-management of their condition, while connecting them to relevant support services and resources. UpBeat is currently in pilot phase, and will be available for download early 2022.
  • Research: Funding to the MRFF facilitates research to provide new diagnoses and improved treatment options to reduce the burden of CoHD on all those affected.

For more information on the Action Plan, please contact Jessica Keating, Action Plan Project Manager at jessica.keating@heartkids.org.au

Download the Action Plan

Download the full National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease from the links below.

Download Word DocDownload PDF

Compedia for the National Strategic Action Plan for Childhood Heart Disease (CHD) 2019

Compendium A - Consultation Summary and Implementation Partners
Compendium B - Current Activities and Resources Stocktake
Compendium C -Supporting Evidence




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