History of the HITH Society

Australia has a long history of community services to assist people at home, in the government, not-for-profit and private sectors. HITH officially began in Australia in 1994 and 1995 in Victoria and NSW.

Over the years a number of different committees and organisations attempted to represent healthcare professionals who work in HITH, some organised by government, some by commercial organisations and some set up by healthcare professionals but, due to a variety of factors, in the middle of the first decade of the 21st century there was no satisfactory representation.

A group of concerned health care professionals gathered at Prince of Wales Hospital in late 2006 to form the nucleus of what became the Hospital in the Home Society of Australasia. The group worked quickly to establish an annual scientific meeting, starting in November 2007, which has attracted hundreds of delegates from throughout Australasia and around the world, sharing high quality research, fostering collaboration and networking.

The HITH Society has sought to influence the health debate by lobbying government, making submissions to relevant enquiries and leading the conversation about the role of HITH by fostering high level evidence such as the Deloittes Access Economics Report in 2011 and the meta-analysis in 2012.

Presidents

A/Prof Gideon Caplan 2006-12
Mr Nicholas Marlow 2012-13
Dr Nick Collins 2013-14
Ms Barbara Farrelly 2014-19

Life Members

Prof Gideon Caplan  (presented 2015)