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May 1999 | |
CONTENTS
New GPDV Chair
Active Script Program
Forum
Conferences
PHACS
Meeting with Minister Knowles
GPDV Forum
Evaluation
Mental Health
Liaison Officers at the Women’s & Children’s Health Care Network
Victorian Accreditation Workshop
Integration Project
Division Immunisation Programs
New GPDV Chair
At the GPDV board meeting on 21 April Julie Thompson (Central-West Gippsland) was unanimously elected Chair of GPDV. Julie was previously Deputy Chair and is also the Victorian rural representative on the board of Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP), the national peak organisation of divisions. John McEncroe (Inner East) was unanimously elected Deputy Chair.
Both these changes were necessitated by the resignation from the chair of Paul Hemming (Ballarat) owing to his illness. Paul remains on the board.
The Victorian Active Script Program has been funded for 15 months from mid-February 1999, as part of the Commonwealth Active for Life Physical Activity Strategy. The Program aims to increase the number of Victorian GPs who deliver appropriate and effective physical activity advice and ‘exercise prescription’ to their patients. It is intended as an initial rollout program in Victoria to involve at least 500 GPs and their patients in this period.
The program consists of three distinct components:
GPDV participated in the first Active Script Advisory Group Planning meeting on Thursday, 29 April. Dr Nancy Huang, Program Director, informed the meting that 16 divisions, both metropolitan and rural, have expressed an interest in participating in the Program. Eight or nine Victorian divisions will be selected to participate in the Program after the initial three month planning phase is complete.
"Promoting Equity through
Divisions of General Practice"
Friday 4 June 1999, 9.30am-4.30pm
At Queen Victoria Centre, Melbourne.
Contact Susan Webster at GPDV on 93415203 for more
information.
ADGP National Divisions’
Conference
Thurs & Fri 26/27 August , Melbourne.
GPDV Victorian Divisions’
Conference
Fri & Sat 12/13 November, Melbourne.
GPDV have advised divisions participating in the development of project proposals to focus on the minimum requirement that:
(1) no change
be made to the GP's diagnosis and treatment request without
consultation with the referring GP (not just notification)
(2) full and timely information be provided to
GPs on all patients referred
(3) information (and prompt advice of changes)
be provided to GPs, about all the services that are available
locally.
GPDV will also ask Alan Clayton to convey to all DHS Regional Directors, who will be making the first assessment of project proposals, the Department's commitment that no project proposal will be considered unless the local division has been meaningfully involved in the planning.
A meeting of divisions interested in PHACS project proposals was held at the Queen Victoria Centre on 30 April. At this meeting it was resolved that divisions in Victoria develop common "bottom lines" following the principles outlined above by the GPD-V Board. Brian Corcoran, DH&AC, re reiterated the Commonwealth’s encouragement of divisional involvement in the PHACS initiative. Vic Gordon, DHS, reinforced the Department’s wish for GP involvement in the PHACS process. Notes of the meeting will be distributed to all divisions shortly.
On 7 April representatives from Victorian Divisions met for a useful exchange of views with Rob Knowles, Victorian Minister for Health and Aged Care. The meeting, the first of this year’s regular series of meetings with the Minister, discussed State and Commonwealth roles in funding health services, involving GPs in the delivery of integrated primary care, and overcoming barriers to that integration. The discussion focussed initially on the current restructure of the State-funded Primary Health and Community Support Services (PHACS). It also covered the Commonwealth-funded Coordinated Care Trials, the need for "culture change" on the part of GPs as well as other providers, and the importance of using the evidence provided by pilot projects to identify and work towards systems change, rather than simply letting the pilot end with no wider changes. Other issues addressed were:
the Victorian Nurse Practitioner
Project
Minimum Acute Care requirements for rural towns
the shortage of GP anaesthetists
the use by GPDV and RWAV of workforce data collected by the
Victorian Medical Practitioners Board
the establishment of a working party involving DH&AC, DHS and
GPs to examine the involvement of general practice in strategies
for addressing mental health.
For a more detailed summary of the meeting, contact your division. The next divisions’ meeting with the Minister will be on 25 August.
Sunday 16th May, 10 am to 1 pm
DGP&PH, University of Melbourne
200 Berkeley Street, Carlton
Dr Leanna Darvall, Medical Practitioners Board, on the findings
of a research project on GPs and the Law – GP
knowledge of the legal issues that impact upon general practice.
Brian Corcoran, DH&AC, on the 1999/2000 Health Budget –
opportunities for general practice and the Divisions Program.
The Board of GPDV has agreed to commission an external evaluation of GPDV after its first year of operation and will be recommending to DH&AC that a full evaluation of the Divisions' Program is needed in order to inform policy decisions.
The board discussed the use of the Commonwealth funds for GP Education in Mental Health, available from 1 July, and agreed that it is essential to co-ordinate their use by divisions with initiatives of the Mental Health Branch of DHS.
The meeting heard that there is a proposal by DHS to direct psychiatric patients to GPs for repeat medication but that GPs have not been consulted or even informed that this is occurring. The board agreed to refer this matter to the head of the Mental Health Branch and to place it on the agenda of the VACGP.
A mental health network meeting was held on Friday 30 April involving divisions, representatives of the relevant State and Commonwealth Departments, and 2 GP presenters from courses in primary care psychiatry at Monash University and the University of Melbourne. There was discussion of the Commonwealth initiative in GP training in mental health, of strategies for improving the linkage between GPs and local mental health services, and presentations of some training courses available for GPs in primary care psychiatry. Notes of the meeting will be distributed to all divisions shortly.
Liaison Officers at the Women’s & Children’s Health Care Network
The Royal Children’s Hospital has appointed a new GP Liaison Coordinator, Dr Claire Harris. Dr Debra Wilson is the GP Liaison Coordinator at the Royal Women’s Hospital. These positions are intended to build a bridge between the Network and the general practice community. The coordinators have contacted divisions and are also keen to hear from individual GPs who have something to say about the integration of GPs and GP opinion into the Hospital Network. Claire Harris may be contacted at the Centre for Community Child Health at RCH on telephone 03 9345 6985 or email harrisc@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au and Debra Wilson may be contacted at RWH on telephone 9344 2699 or email wilsond@crytpic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
Victorian Accreditation Workshop
On 31 March GPDV held a workshop for division staff and GPs who are providing information and assistance to their members who are preparing for accreditation.
The workshop included an update from AGPAL, and information exchange on issues in assisting practices to meet the infection control standards.
Participants were informed that in Victoria, 582 or 48% of practices have registered for accreditation. The AGPAL board were informed on 17 April that Australia-wide, 40% of practices (2415) have registered, 111 survey visits have been undertaken and accreditation status has been attained by 65 practices; 36 full and 29 conditional.
The Integration Project has prepared 3 papers based on the statewide consultation with divisions and hospitals.
(1) "Audit of Current
Practice"
(2) "Minimum Requirements for the Transfer of Information
between hospitals and GPs"
(3) "Development of a Statewide Database"
These papers will be circulated to Divisions in the first week of May. Divisions are invited to respond to the second and third papers and responses will be received up until mid-June. Responses will then be incorporated into final papers and circulated more widely.
For further information, please contact Jenny Wilkins, the Project Officer, phone 9341 5215, e-mail j.wilkins@gpdv.com.au
Division Immunisation Programs
How many practices have an acknowledged staff person responsible for immunisation systems? In-practice support for nominated staff is a model being adopted by many divisions for achieving results in immunisation. Hunter Urban division has claimed that practices can improve their outcome rates by 20% once a staff member is trained to be ACIR proficient. This division has itself gone from being ranked 35th to second position in a matter of months. GPDV has emailed a copy of HUDGP’s resources, including their Step by Step Guide to Improving Immunisation Rates, to all Victorian divisions. We will also distribute a copy of the Practice Staff Assistance Pack just developed by North East Victoria Division. This pack includes a ‘diagnostic’ questionnaire for the practice’s nominated immunisation staff person to help identify training requirements, and working notes for meeting ACIR requirements.