Every two years, Better Together provides an opportunity for Health Roundtable members to step away from day-to-day operations and come together to share ideas, challenge thinking and shape the future of healthcare improvement.
This year's event, held in Brisbane, centred around the theme Empowering the Healthcare Workforce: Driving Quality Improvement Through Data-Informed Practice. Across two days, members explored how data can better support clinical governance, quality improvement and decision-making, while also strengthening collaboration across health services throughout Australasia.
One of the most valuable sessions of the event focused on something at the heart of Health Roundtable's work – our Safety & Quality reporting.
Rather than simply presenting members with a report, the workshop invited them to critically review it together. Working in small groups, members explored which indicators provide the greatest value, where there may be gaps, and how reporting can continue to evolve to better support healthcare organisations.
It was an opportunity to ask important questions.
Are we measuring what matters most? How do we ensure reports remain meaningful across different jurisdictions and health services? How can benchmarking continue to support improvement rather than simply measure performance?
The discussions reflected the diversity of experience across the Health Roundtable membership. Leaders from different organisations shared how they use Safety & Quality reporting within their own services, the challenges they encounter, and the opportunities they see for strengthening future reporting.
Conversations also explored variation across jurisdictions and the importance of considering equity when interpreting performance. Members discussed how different contexts influence results, reinforcing that while benchmarking is an incredibly powerful tool, meaningful improvement comes from understanding the story behind the data.
The session also encouraged members to think more broadly about the relationship between Safety & Quality and financial sustainability. As health services continue to face increasing pressure, there was valuable discussion around ensuring reporting supports informed decision-making across multiple dimensions of performance.
What made the workshop particularly valuable was the willingness of members to openly share their experiences and perspectives. The conversations were thoughtful, constructive and, at times, challenging - but always focused on one common goal: helping healthcare organisations use data more effectively to improve care.
This collaborative approach is one of the defining strengths of Health Roundtable.
Our reports are not static products. They continue to evolve alongside the healthcare system, informed by emerging evidence, changing priorities and, importantly, direct feedback from the members who use them every day.
The insights shared during Better Together will help shape future iterations of our Safety & Quality reporting, ensuring it remains practical, relevant and valuable for members across Australasia.
While keynote presentations from Dr Martin Thomas, Gillian Giles and Dr Cathy Balding provided important perspectives on data integration, clinical governance and implementation, it was the collective expertise within the room that truly brought those concepts to life. Members generously shared examples from their own organisations, reinforcing the power of peer learning and the value of bringing diverse perspectives together.
Ultimately, Better Together is about more than benchmarking. It is about creating a community where members are willing to openly share ideas, challenge assumptions and learn from one another.
As healthcare continues to evolve, so too must the way we measure and improve it. By working together, sharing knowledge and continuously refining the tools that support improvement, Health Roundtable and its members are helping shape a stronger future for healthcare across Australasia.
