Background Information

Consistent with the aim of the Report of the Review of the Role of Divisions of General Practice and the Government response to the Review, a Performance and Development Funding Pool was established to build capacity and recognise performance across the Divisions Network. 

The Review Implementation Committee (RIC) has agreed that funds from the performance and development funding pool should be used during 2005/06 to provide one-off funding to build or improve capacity of Divisions in areas related to implementation of the National Quality and Performance System (NQPS) and the RIC agenda more broadly. 

An expression of Interest round for two pools of funding was implemented by the Department of Health and Ageing in December 2005.

The focus of the capacity building projects included:

• Governance;
• Using population health information;
• Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander health;
• Program evaluation;
• Access;
• Integration and multidisciplinary care;
• Supporting GPs and general practices;
• Prevention and early intervention;
• Chronic disease;
• Quality and evidence based care;
• Consumer focus; and
• Workforce

Funding was made available to a total of $1.6million in 2006. This was divided into two distinct pools:

• Pool A ($1.4 million) � projects of up to $100,000 to build capacity in the network; and
• Pool B � ($200,000) � projects of up to $10,000 to build individual division/SBO capacity

Divisions of General Practice and State Based Organisations (SBOs) were eligible to apply. 

PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT
A committee was established which included members of the Network and Departmental officials to provide recommendations for funding to the Departmental delegate.

Applications were assessed on their merit according to the criteria identified in the EOI process. Recommendations were fed back to RIC for their approval.

FUNDED PROJECTS

POOL A
A total of 16 projects were funded from Pool A.

Below is a precise of all Pool A projects.

POOL B
Attached you will find a summary of the funding made available for local capacity building projects funded under Pool B.

Pool A Funding 2006

**Please click on hyperlinks for more detailed information on the projects**

GPC Quality in General Practice
GP Connections
GP Connections, the Division that delivers services to Toowoomba and surrounding areas, will develop and implement a Clinical Audit Package to assist general practice teams to review and improve the quality of patient information stored in their data management systems.

Enhancing the Patient Experience
Brisbane South Division of General Practice
A series of workshops will be delivered across the Division by Dr Michael Greco, a leading exponent of the development of quality interactions with patients in the United Kingdom, assisted the Brisbane South Division of General Practice.

A Proposal for the Development of Standard Project Planning & Evaluation to Specific to Australia's Divisions of General Practice
Illawarra Division of General Practice
The Illawarra Division of General Practice will develop an interactive software tool to help other Divisions of General Practice plan, design, research and evaluate projects, irrespective of size or complexity.

Pathways to Wellness in the Aboriginal Community at Point Pearce
Yorke Peninsula Division of General Practice
Build the capacity of the Aboriginal health workforce at Point Pearce, and visiting health providers, to assist the community in making healthy lifestyle choices. This will assist in the prevention, early intervention and management of chronic disease.

Regional Chronic Disease Workshops
Alliance of NSW Divisions
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is the focus.  The project will support skills sharing and development of staff in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in chronic disease prevention and management.

Regional Resource Management: Scoping & Model Development
Perth & Hills Division of General Practice
Develop a business case to improve community based primary health care.
This will apply particularly in chronic disease management and aged care. There is a possibility the methodology could be extended to other services (such as maternal and child health).

Sharing the Knowledge - Common Capabilities of Divisons
Adelaide Hills Division of General Practice
It will help SA divisions improve health planning through the development of centres of excellence. This will involve managing health program evaluation, population health data analysis and community consultation.

Increased Capacity of Indigenous Access to Remote Mental Health Services Through EPC Case Conferencing
Top End Divison of General Practice
The Top End Division of General Practice will implement Enhanced Primary Care Case Conferencing � which will help counteract the lack of specialist medical services in remote areas.

Connecting Mums, Babies, Family & Culture: Social & Emotional Wellbeing for Mothers & Babies
General Practice & Primary Health Care Northern Territory
To extend the Happy Mums, Happy Babies: Parent and Infant Mental Health training course  to GPs, other primary health care workers, maternal and child health workers, and mental health professionals, including Aboriginal Mental Health Workers (AMHW), who work with Indigenous people in the Northern Territory (NT).

Governance Leads to Performance Outcomes
Queensland Divisions of General Practice
This project will build on the foundations that have been established in Queensland with respect to governance by developing strategies to improve governance, increase accountability and best practice in Divisions of General Practice Queensland.

Establishing a GP population Health Data Management Program in Central Highlands Division of General Practice
Central Highlands Division of General Practice
Establish a GP population health data management program in the Central Highlands Division of General Practice. 
This will link GPs/practices through a single communications system within the Division  to support population health planning  and health care management at the practice and Division  levels.

A Division Health Atlas: The Development of Population Health Information Seystems & Related Workforce Planning in General Practice
Adelaide Western General Practice Network
Adelaide Western General Practice Network will develop a Division Health Atlas (DivHA).
This will build capacity within Divisions in the area of population health information systems, in order to align resourcing of general practices with the needs of their host communities.  It will also strengthen the program evaluation and workforce planning capability of Divisions.

Governance Reporting: Achieving  National Standards in Annual Reporting to Members
General Practice Divisions Victoria
General Practice Divisions Victoria will develop a guide to assist divisions in report preparation, presentation and dissemination - in ways that meet national reporting standards.

Division Information Systems (DIS) Training & KPI Development
GP Partners
It will strengthen performance management, planning and reporting through developing Division Information System (DIS) training systems.
The project will cover the 30 divisions and state based organisations in Victoria, Tasmania, WA, NSW and Queensland that already use the DIS system.

Aboriginal Health - Addressing CDM Through Collaboration Between GPs& Aboriginal Health Workers
General Practice Divisions Victoria
General Practice Divisions Victoria will develop three models of division support for GP-led chronic disease management in general practice.

Working to Increase Rate of Identification of Tasmanian Patients of ATSI Origin
Consortia led by Tasmanian General Practice Divisions
This project will improve illness prevention initiatives through identifying more Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander (ATSI) people in Tasmania.

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