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Working together to improve after hours care

Consultation has concluded

Do you have ideas and solutions to improve after hours primary health care for your community?

The PHN is working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify how we can work together to improve access to after hours care in towns, cities and regions throughout Western Victoria in the 'after hours' period:

  • Monday-Friday, before 8am and after 6pm
  • Saturdays before 8am and after midday; and
  • all day Sundays and public holidays.

Western Victoria PHN is committed to a process of co-design - that service system stakeholders actively identify solutions and help prioritise what should be done regionally.

We are looking to hear ideas to address service duplication; service gaps; way to support providers to deliver care; or improve the patient experience.

Larter Consulting has been engaged by the PHN to support this process in two stages:

Stage 1: Provides stakeholders opportunities to raise ideas that may improve after hours primary health care in their local community.

Stage 2: Provides stakeholders the opportunity to prioritise ideas and discuss how they can be practically implemented at the local level.

This online Meeting Place provides you a number of ways to make sure your insights are heard.

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • Public discussion forums. You can add your voice and perspective to an existing topic, or start your own topic, in a public channel
  • Map your ideas. Drop a pin on any town, suburb or region in Western Victoria to comment or add to a suggested idea or solution
  • Review our maps. We have mapped the drive time to available services in the after hours periods. We invite your comment on these maps.
  • Private survey. This asks about the same topics listed in the discussion forums, but is private - others cannot read your input
  • Q&As. Ask us a question about the project, and we will provide an answer.
  • Post case studies and local examples. You may wish to share what's working well in your community; what's worked well in the past; or describe an example of what's working well elsewhere in Victoria or beyond. You can also give examples of what the community is looking for, how well a particular service is working, or what sort of workforce may be required for the future.

We hosted a series of workshops as an alternative way of hearing from our stakeholders.

  • Warrnambool (webinar ONLY) - Tuesday 18 September
  • Stawell (in person ONLY) - Wednesday 19 September
  • Geelong - Wednesday 26 September
  • Ballarat - Wednesday 26 September

For more information on the workshops click here

Not all ideas for improvement will necessarily require funding from the PHN. The PHN receives a small amount of Commonwealth funding to work with stakeholders to plan and coordinate after hours health services, focusing on addressing gaps in service provision, ‘at risk’ populations and improving service integration. After hours primary care is principally funded through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and the Practice Incentives Program (PIP).


Do you have ideas and solutions to improve after hours primary health care for your community?

The PHN is working collaboratively with stakeholders to identify how we can work together to improve access to after hours care in towns, cities and regions throughout Western Victoria in the 'after hours' period:

  • Monday-Friday, before 8am and after 6pm
  • Saturdays before 8am and after midday; and
  • all day Sundays and public holidays.

Western Victoria PHN is committed to a process of co-design - that service system stakeholders actively identify solutions and help prioritise what should be done regionally.

We are looking to hear ideas to address service duplication; service gaps; way to support providers to deliver care; or improve the patient experience.

Larter Consulting has been engaged by the PHN to support this process in two stages:

Stage 1: Provides stakeholders opportunities to raise ideas that may improve after hours primary health care in their local community.

Stage 2: Provides stakeholders the opportunity to prioritise ideas and discuss how they can be practically implemented at the local level.

This online Meeting Place provides you a number of ways to make sure your insights are heard.

YOU CAN CHOOSE TO PARTICIPATE IN ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • Public discussion forums. You can add your voice and perspective to an existing topic, or start your own topic, in a public channel
  • Map your ideas. Drop a pin on any town, suburb or region in Western Victoria to comment or add to a suggested idea or solution
  • Review our maps. We have mapped the drive time to available services in the after hours periods. We invite your comment on these maps.
  • Private survey. This asks about the same topics listed in the discussion forums, but is private - others cannot read your input
  • Q&As. Ask us a question about the project, and we will provide an answer.
  • Post case studies and local examples. You may wish to share what's working well in your community; what's worked well in the past; or describe an example of what's working well elsewhere in Victoria or beyond. You can also give examples of what the community is looking for, how well a particular service is working, or what sort of workforce may be required for the future.

We hosted a series of workshops as an alternative way of hearing from our stakeholders.

  • Warrnambool (webinar ONLY) - Tuesday 18 September
  • Stawell (in person ONLY) - Wednesday 19 September
  • Geelong - Wednesday 26 September
  • Ballarat - Wednesday 26 September

For more information on the workshops click here

Not all ideas for improvement will necessarily require funding from the PHN. The PHN receives a small amount of Commonwealth funding to work with stakeholders to plan and coordinate after hours health services, focusing on addressing gaps in service provision, ‘at risk’ populations and improving service integration. After hours primary care is principally funded through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and the Practice Incentives Program (PIP).


Discussions: All (12) Open (12)

  • Tell us about service integration

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    We are interested in whether you believe after hours services are well integrated in your area. 

    In short, service integration means co-operation and linkages between service providers, rather than autonomy or 'silos' in service provision. The focuses are on quality, safety and clarity for members of the community. For example: 

    - Vertical linkages between services: can community members be easily and seamlessly transferred from one service type to another? (GPs, urgent care centres, NURSE-ON-CALL, ambulance services, major hospitals etc).  

    - Horizontal linkages between providers: do GPs, nurses and pharmacies co-operate to provide care after hours to ease the after hours burden on each other?  

    - Integrated information flow: does a patient's usual primary care service receive a summary of episodes of care from other providers such as urgent care centres? Is My Health Record used after hours? This may be important for patients with chronic and complex conditions where medication management is paramount.

    - Integrated marketing: if community members seek information about what is available (e.g. from their usual general practice or Health Direct) is the information easily available and consistent?


  • Tell us about service gaps

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Reminder to add - Please identify your role if it is specific to your response

    Tell us about any service gaps in your region. For example, there may be times during which service is not available or types of after hours services not available.  

  • Tell us about service duplication

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Reminder to add - Please identify your role if it is specific to your response

    Tell us about any service duplication in your region. 

    For example, there might be multiple practices providing the same service, or a Commonwealth/State/PHN serivce that duplicates what is already being provided.   

  • Tell us about consumer health and system literacy

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Discuss whether members of your local community know where, when and how to access the right service, after hours. 

    Do private and government providers cooperate to ensure the community knows what's available? 

    Can non-English speaking members of the community access information? 

    Are there any examples of approaches or resources that would empower the community to make the right decisions about accessing care after hours?

  • Tell us about minimum acceptable access for people in rural areas

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    When we talk about access to after hours services in rural areas, what are the community's expectations? 

    What is the minimum access that we should aim for? For example, maximum drive time to a non-ambulance face-to-face service? Access to telehealth services - what kinds?  Access to a triage service - NURSE-ON-CALL, Health Direct or something different?

  • Tell us about peer support and education for after hours clinicians

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Discuss some of the issues faced by GPs, nurses, pharmacies and others when delivering after hours care in your local area. 

    Identify some of the support and training needs, and discuss possible solutions.

  • Tell us about GP engagement strategies

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    In some areas, GPs are reducing their availability after hours for reasons such as work-life balance.  

    How can we ensure that the community will still have access to medical care when required after hours?

    What can we do to support GPs that continue to provide after hours care?   

    Are locum services an answer, or are there other answers?

  • Tell us about planning for the future

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Discuss examples of strategic planning or succession planning for after hours services provision in your region. 

    What is working? What else needs to happen? 

  • Tell us about optimising the nursing workforce

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Some areas have build the capacity of nurses to address after hours service needs - for example through RIPERN nurses, Registered Nurses on the telephone, and/or Nurse Practitioners.  

    Discuss whether strengthening the nursing workforce in your area has been tried or could be tried, and how?  

  • Tell us about workforce issues

    over 6 years ago
    1 Response

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    Discuss the local workforce issues and opportunities.   

    For example, what might make it difficult for GPs, nurses or other  providers to deliver a service to your local community that meets needs or expectations?

    What could the solution be to existing or emerging issues?