The Serious and Continuing Illness Policy and Practice Study (SCIPPS) aims to find policy and health systems solutions for people with serious and continuing illness and those who care for them. We will concentrate on diabetes, chronic heart failure (CHF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The five-year study is funded by the NHMRC from 2006 to 2011. It focuses on CHF, diabetes and COPD because they are common, costly and continuing illnesses for which secondary prevention is known to be effective. A wide spectrum of primary and specialist services, acute and ambulatory care, community support services, as well as effective self care, is needed for their successful management.

Chronic, non-communicable diseases are responsible for about 70 per cent of the total burden of illness and injury experienced by the Australian population and this proportion is expected to increase to close to 80 per cent by 2020.

This study will find policy systems solutions that result in health and quality of life improvements for serious and continuing illness sufferers and see a reduction in avoidable hospital admissions. These issues will be examined through a series of interventions and evaluations.

The interventions will be developed by the research team working closely and collaboratively with patients and their carers, either directly (e.g. patients, doctors, nurses and other clinicians) or indirectly (e.g. health service managers and policy advisers). Patients range in age from 45 to 85 and have one or more of three prototypical serious and continuing conditions – diabetes, CHF or COPD.

The study is being conducted at two sites – Sydney West Area Health Service and the Australian Capital Territory. The Menzies Centre for Health Policy is the auspicing body for the program.