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December 1999 | |
CONTENTS
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
New rural member for GPDV Board
Inaugural Victorian Divisions Conference
PHACS UPDATE: Primary Health Redevelopment - Independent Review
Introducing the Enhanced Primary Care Package
Rural Summit
Victorian GPs set to be 'active'.
Phase 2 - The General Practitioner Registry
New staff member at GPDV
Workshop on Community Involvement in Divisions
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
On behalf of the board and staff of GPDV I wish all
Victorian divisions, their members and staff, and all readers of
this newsletter a very Merry Christmas, a refreshing holiday and
a happy and successful New Year.
1999 has been a busy and productive year and we look forward to working with you in 2000 on the challenges and opportunities that the Divisions Program will bring.
With best wishes
Julie Thompson
New rural member for GPDV Board
Dr Chris Pearce
(NE Victoria) has been elected to fill the casual vacancy on the
GPDV Board left vacant by the resignation of Paul Hemming. Chris,
who practices in Alexandra, was a foundation Board member of the
NE Victorian Division. He is a Medical Educator with the RACGP
Training Program and a senior lecturer in Rural General Practice
at Melbourne University.
Inaugural Victorian Divisions
Conference
The first annual
Victorian Divisions Conference "Achievements and
Directions" was held on the 12 and 13 November and attended
by over 150 participants. A conference report is currently being
prepared for distribution to divisions in January however in
summarisng the conference proceedings GPDV Chair, Dr Julie
Thompson, identified some key issues for conference participants
to reflect on including:
One of the recurring themes of the conference was a reminder that General Practice is only one component of the primary health care sector and recognition of the ongoing need for collaboration.
The first edition of the Victorian General Practice Divisions Quarterly Journal was also launched at the conference by Dr Paul Hemming, a founding Board member of GPDV. For further information on either the conference or the journal please contact GPDV.
PHACS UPDATE: Primary Health
Redevelopment - Independent Review
The review of the
PHACS reform agenda by Adjunct Professor Hayden Raysmith is
underway. The review will:
Meetings have been held with PHACS alliance representatives over the past two weeks and with peak body organisations such as GPDV, MAV, VHA and RDNS. Dr Raysmith met with representatives of GPDV on 29 November to discuss how possible changes to the program may affect GPs and divisions.
The review is due to be completed by 10 December in preparation for a Ministerial announcement about the future direction of the restructure on or about 16 December.
Introducing the Enhanced Primary
Care Package
The Enhanced
Primary Care Package announced in the 1999-2000 Federal Budget
will support general practitioners and other primary health and
community care workers to provide care to the elderly and those
in the community with complex needs. $110 million has been
allocated for new MBS items. Additional incentives through the
Practice Incentives Program for care planning for the over 65s,
includes:
Carelink: $41.2 million over four years to simplify access to community care services through the establishment of single contact points for community care across Australia.
Additional Coordinated Care Trials: $33.2 million over four years will be spent on existing and new Coordinated Care Trials.
Falls Prevention: $6.6m over four years to implement fall prevention strategies both in the community and residential aged care through research, awareness raising programs and training for people working with or caring for older people.
IT initiatives: $10.1 million over two years to support research and development in the use of IT based information exchange between health providers.
Chronic disease self management: $14.4million to improve access for people with chronic illnesses to evidenced based approaches to self management such as self care education and peer support including opportunities for GPs to become more informed about patient self management programs.
Victoria's Progress in Implementing the EPC
Dr Jane Cook, Senior Medical Advisor, Health Access & Financing, DH&AC has briefed division staff and GP leaders on the new MBS items in Victoria. Sessions have been held in Ballarat, Shepparton, Bendigo and Gippsland. A briefing for metropolitan divisions was held on 10 December.
Most Victorian divisions have provided GPs with information on the new items through their newsletter and 15 divisions have held an information session for their GPs. Other sessions are planned.
GPDV has circulated a draft plan for the delivery of GP education and training about the new MBS items. Materials will be developed as soon as the RACGP has completed the standards and guidelines for use of the new items. This work is being trialled currently and should be ready by late January.
A national meeting will be held in Canberra on 14/15 December, at which all SBOs will workshop their draft plans and work with DH&AC to ensure that content is nationally consistent. Another national workshop is expected in February.
GPDV will continue to offer information sessions for divisions during December and January while developing the education and training plan in consultation with divisions and other stakeholders. Provision of education for the other health service providers with whom GPs will be working will be an important part of the program. An EPC Education Worker is expected to be appointed by March, when the education materials will be trialled in three divisions before being rolled out in all divisions.
GPDV Division Consultants are available to present information on the EPC package to GPs if divisions wish to organize such sessions. Your division has the latest GPDV Update on the EPC Package.
Rural
Summit
GPDV was invited
to represent rural divisions at a Victorian Rural Health Summit
on 29 November. The Summit, convened by the Co-ordinating Unit
for Rural Health Education in Victoria (CURHEV) and the Victorian
Healthcare Association (VHA), included participants from a range
of organisations concerned with rural health. Among issues raised
were the low level of current services in many rural communities
including problems of access where they do exist, the need for a
serious commitment and the provision of real resources to rural
health by DHS, and rural health workforce issues including
recruitment and retention. The Summit drafted a communique which
will be presented to the Victorian Minister for his action.
Victorian GPs set to be 'active'.
Over 200 GPs have
signed up to 'prescribe' physical activity to their patients.
They are part of the Active Script Program being rolled out to 8
Divisions across Victoria. One training seminar was conducted in
each of the 8 Divisions during the last month with very positive
responses from GPs. Active Script offers support and resources
for GPs to provide effective advice to their patients
systematically in the practice setting. Linkages are also made
between the Division and the local community agencies involved in
organised activities to support the advice given by GPs.
GPs have been impressed by the easy to use resources produced through Active Script. In the piloting process, most of the 17 GPs who used the resources estimated that the whole program would add about 2 minutes to their usual consultation time. One country GP who attended the training seminar in Bairnsdale said, "You've made my day. I now have something positive to offer all my patients who present with the difficult problem of 'tiredness". If you are interested to find out more about Active Script, and how your Division may be involved, please contact the Program Director, Dr Nancy Huang on 9342 8549.
Phase 2 - The General Practitioner
Registry
The General
Practitioner Registry (GPR) is an initiative of the DHS and DHAC
and implemented by General Practice Divisions Victoria to provide
a centralised repository of accurate information about general
practitioners and their contact details. GPR is in its second
phase of selecting the successful tender for the construction,
supply and maintenance of the GPR.
GPDV has convened an Advisory Panel to assist with the tender selection process. The panel represents experience in information technology and management across general practice settings, divisions of general practice and the acute sector. The Advisory Panel will also be consulted during the design and development phase. It is intended to pilot the registry at a metropolitan and a rural hospital site in late March 1999 in anticipation that the GPR will go live on 14 April 2000. For more information please contact Jenk Akyalcin at GPDV by phone (9341 5200) or e-mail j.akyalcin@gpdv.com.au.
New
staff member at GPDV
Judi
Blennerhassett has joined GPDV as administration assistant. Judi
brings a range of skills to GPDV including data base management.
Judi will be responsible for administration in relation to GPDV
workshops and will maintain GPDV's library and other resource
materials.
Workshop on Community Involvement
in Divisions
On Friday 3
December over 40 divisions staff, community representatives and a
GP participated in a structured workshop organised by GPDV. The
workshop focussed on the purpose of community involvement, the
key ingredients in successful community involvement in divisions
and the support needed by community representatives. As a result
of the workshop GPDV was requested to hold workshops twice yearly
and to develop a generic manual for community representation in
divisions which could be adapted to local conditions. Further
information can be obtained from Lenora Lippman at GPDV.