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Australian Better Health Initiative - Primary Care Integration Program
Overview
In February 2006 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) announced a four year, national program called the Australian Better Health Initiative (ABHI) to strengthen the health system focus on promoting and reducing the burden of chronic disease.
There are five priority areas under ABHI:
1. Promoting healthy lifestyles;
2. Supporting early detection of lifestyle risk factors and chronic disease;
3. Supporting lifestyle and risk modification;
4. Encouraging active patient self management of chronic conditions, and
5. Improving integration and coordination of care between care services.
ABHI funding has been provided to each State and Territory Health Department to encourage activities under the five priority areas, which target improved primary care services, taking into account each jurisdiction’s current primary care priorities and reforms.
The Divisions Network has received funding for activity under the fifth priority area. This program is known as the Primary Care Integration Program (PCIP).
Primary Care Integration Program in Western Australia
Western Australia has been funded for a state wide coordinator based at the WA General Practice Network (WAGPN) plus 8 individual and 2 consortium projects run through local GP Networks / Divisions of General Practice from May 2008 to June 2010.
The consortiums are:
- Peel and South West Primary Care Integration Project (GP Down South and Greater Bunbury Division of General Practice), and
- Rural WA Primary Health Integration Consortium (Great Southern GP Network, Wheatbelt GP Network and Midwest GP Network)
This program will help to establish and strengthen collaborative relationships between public and privately funded primary care sectors to improve coordination of patient care.
What is Integrated Primary Care?
Integrated primary care is a process through which all primary health care providers work together to improve coordination of services. The development of better linkages to assist communication between members of the primary health care team aims to improve health outcomes of patients.
Primary health care providers include, but are not limited to, General Practitioners and their practice team, community health providers, private/public allied health, pharmacies, hospital emergency departments, local government and non-government sectors.
Program Aims and Objectives
The overarching aim of PCIP is to promote solutions for primary care integration between general practice and other local health providers that will assist in the delivery of more ‘seamless’ patient care. This is particularly important in the context of better managing patients with chronic or complex conditions who often receive care from multiple providers, funded by different sources, across different settings.
The objectives of this Program are to encourage more integrated patient centred care by supporting General Practice to:
- Engage with state funded primary care initiatives that seek to improve service co-ordination and integrate chronic disease prevention and management;
- Communicate and link better with other primary care providers;
- Make better use of existing primary and community care services including commonwealth, state and non-government organisation funded services with a focus on patients with chronic disease;
- Utilise tools/strategies that will assist in better managing patients with chronic disease (e.g. disease registers, referral, recall & reminder systems, care planning); and,
- Contribute to work around developing local chronic disease care pathways (generic or specific) or other priority activities with a chronic disease management focus.
Role of the ABHI Primary Care Integration Coordinator (WA)
The role of the Primary Care Integration Coordinator is to:
- Guide and support Division/Networks to undertake activities which support implementation of the program at the local level.
- Provide a forum for information sharing via email distribution lists, newsletters, networking meetings.
- Maintain an overview of state and national activities being conducted and identify opportunities for collaboration that support the initiative.
- Coordinate input from Divisions/Networks into evaluation of program
The Primary Care Integration Coordinator also supports the network between the State Based Coordinators and facilitates the sharing of information and resources between state jurisdictions.
Resources:
On May 19th 2008 the WA General Practice Network facilitated the Primary Care Integration Workshop as an introduction to the program in Western Australia.
Copies of presentations and resources from the workshop can be accessed from the resource section of this website. Resources
Links:
COAG website at: http://www.coag.gov.au/coag_meeting_outcomes/2006-02-
10/docs/attachment_d_better_health.rtf
and ABHI projects being run through WA Department of Health:
http://www.healthnetworks.health.wa.gov.au/abhi/index.cfm
Allied Health professionals information and data bases
Cancer Care Nurse Coordinators
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