$6 million boost for care coordination in South Eastern Melbourne

Over 1,900 patients with chronic conditions throughout South Eastern Melbourne will benefit from a new round of funding to general practices from the South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN).

SEMPHN is pleased to announce 25 general practices will provide care coordination services for patients with chronic conditions over a period of two years.

In total, $6 million has been allocated to this program across eight local government areas in the south east.

SEMPHN's Chief Executive Officer, Elizabeth Deveny said this funding initiative is a positive step towards better health outcomes for patients with chronic disease.

“The additional funding for general practices will give them greater capacity to work with patients, their carers and other health professionals to connect patients to the best possible care.”

Congratulations to the 25 general practices involved in this service. 

Read the full article on the SEMPHN website. 

Are you treating patients that require support for their mental health?

Not sure about the next steps?

GPs in the Monash Health and Alfred Health catchments can speak directly with a psychiatrist about medication, treatment options and management challenges at no cost to the GP or patient.

Call SEMPHN’s Access and Referral on 1800 862 363 (8.30 am-4.30 pm weekdays) to book an expert secondary consultation by phone or video to discuss your patient. 

Secondary consults give extra support for GPs and continuity of care for patients without lengthy delays and costs to see a specialist on their own.

Click here for more information.

General practices, are you using electronic ordering of pathology?

If not, consider looking into the workflow and safety benefits for your practice.

Electronic ordering of pathology requests also referred to as eOrders, are the automated electronic transfer of the pathology request data to the pathology provider, without any additional steps for the ordering clinician or practice. Your current pathology ordering workflow remains unchanged.

Remember to discuss end of life care with your vulnerable/older patients

An up-to-date Advanced Care Plan is essential for deputising doctors to provide appropriate care for your patients. 

Now is a good time to make sure your older or vulnerable patients, or those living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF), have had a discussion with you about Advanced Care Planning and end of life care.

SEMPHN's Advanced Care Planning page has lots of resources relating to this topic, including links to Advance Care Planning Australia's online training and resources. 

Registration closes this week: Register for suicide prevention training 

SEMPHN in conjunction with the Black Dog Institute is offering free training for suicide prevention for general practice and pharmacies.

This training is offered as part of the Place-Based Suicide Prevention Trials which is a partnership between the Victorian Department of Health and Victorian Primary Health Networks.

Each of these training workshops is accredited.

Click on the links below for more information and to register.

For pharmacies:

• 12 May: Suicide Prevention training for pharmacies (in Casey). Limited places. Register here.

For general practice:

• 26 May: Talking about suicide in general practice (Frankston & Mornington Peninsula) Register here.
• 1 June: Talking about suicide in general practice (Dandenong, Casey, and Cardinia) Register here.

Webinar: Explore patient care coordination (18 May)

This care coordination webinar is offered to general practices in the SEMPHN catchment who want to explore more about patient care coordination.

This session will focus on effective care coordination which requires a strong team structure, with clearly defined roles.

The model provides more flexibility for practices to use their staff more efficiently, taking the fullest advantage of their skillset and qualifications.

Care coordination refers to activities and interventions that ensure quality patient centred interactions, appropriate referrals, timely care transitions and enhanced self management capacity.

This shared learning event will help you:

• Define the care coordinator's role and activities;
• Describe care coordination opportunities in primary care;
• Enhance your team communication; and
• Demonstrate effective team-based care utilising swim lane mapping.

When: Tuesday, 18 May 2021, 5.30 pm - 7 pm
Where: Online, Zoom
Cost: Free
Who: General practice staff
Register here. 

For further information please contact Greg Bishop on 8514 6629 or at greg.bishop@semphn.org.au or Angela Yerolemou on 8514 4402 or at angela.yerolemou@semphn.org.au.

General practices in Casey invited to join MHSC to provide sexual health services

An exciting opportunity exists for a partnership with Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC), a part of Alfred Health.

 Melbourne Sexual Health Centre is seeking interest from GP practices in the local government area of Casey to join a partnership with it to provide more sexual health services as part of a 'hub and spoke' model. This has already been successfully implemented at three general practices across greater Melbourne.

If your practice is interested, please download and complete the application form and send it to rfortune@mshc.org.au  by Sunday, May 23.