And, for a health system to function as its intended, it needs to achieve a number of things. This includes: working to improve the health of individuals and communities; defending a population against health threats; providing protection against the financial consequences of ill-health; and providing equitable access to people-centred care.

Unfortunately in Tasmania, our wheel has become slightly stuck. We remain older, sicker and often without options when it comes to accessing out of hours, affordable care. So, it's no wonder so many people end up in the Launceston General Hospital emergency department - even when it's not necessarily an "emergency".

Quite often, when discussing the issues facing our health system, our attention quickly turns to our hospitals. They are, after all at the centre of acute care. But they will never be equipped to deal with an entire population of ill-health.

We need to get better at sharing the load, and at the core of this is a focus on preventative care and integration of services.

Much of this rhetoric has already been recognised. The state government's latest Our Healthcare Future document is the latest in a long line of papers and plans for long-term reform.

This includes further investment in community-based care, to ensure people get the help they need, where and when they need it - and preferably out of a hospital setting.

But for this to be work, we must improve coordination, collaboration and the integration of primary and community health with acute services.

This includes general practice, mental health and our aged care sector, along with allied health professionals working hard to prevent, diagnose and treat a range of conditions.

We can't just keep throwing more money at the same issues and expecting different results. We need to urgently address the shortfalls in our health system before the wheel stops turning altogether.