Senior federal, state and territory public servants agree the roles and responsibilities of governments and aged care providers need to be clearly defined to help improve residents' access to health care.

The Victorian government wants work to develop a nationally consistent model of appropriate health care for people in aged care.

The federal government could lead the way, senior Victorian public servant Terry Symonds told the aged care royal commission on Friday.

"There is leadership required at a national level to ensure that all older Australians in the aged care system benefit from the care and services that are their right," Mr Symonds said in a statement to the inquiry.

He said the national model would set out clear roles and responsibilities across key players including aged care providers.

"Best care is achieved when primary health care, acute health care and the aged care system seamlessly work together in pursuit of common goals set for, and by, the older person," the Department of Health and Human Services deputy secretary said.

"This requires a clear model of care."

Mr Symonds said he was not aware of any specific processes for a model of care to be agreed to nationally.

Federal health department secretary Glenys Beauchamp this week said there was merit in clarifying roles and responsibilities, adding she "quite liked" the Victorian idea.

This week's Canberra hearing highlighted a lack of access to GPs and specialists for aged care residents.

Senior counsel assisting the commission Peter Gray QC said the importance of rectifying critical points where health services were absent or inaccessible was self-evident.

"It puts people's health and lives at risk and diminishes the quality and safety of their care," he said.

Mr Gray said the required reforms can only be achieved through the combined actions of the Australian government, the states and territories, and aged and health care providers themselves.

He said evidence before the inquiry suggested there was a degree of uncertainty about what exactly aged care providers were funded to do when it came to ensuring that residents received medical care.

Mr Gray said as NSW Ministry of Health deputy secretary Dr Nigel Lyons suggested, clear agreed delineation of relevant roles and responsibilities for the entire spectrum of care needs must be reached at the intergovernmental level.

Mr Gray called for outreach services providing access to specialists to be expanded across Australia to improve access to health care for aged care residents, in conjunction with strengthening primary care through GPs.

He added the way primary health care was funded and provided must change.

Australian Associated Press