MISSION STATEMENT

As the peak body for divisions of general practice in Victoria, GPDV supports divisions in their endeavours to ensure a skilled, viable and effective general practice workforce, to improve the health and well-being of the people of Victoria.

CORE VALUES

GPDV values the great potential of general practice to contribute to better health for all Australians and believes that -

Improving Health   -  A skilled, viable and effective general practice sector is crucial to improving the health of Australians.

Consultation   -   Because of the frequency and nature of general practitioners' contact with the majority of the population, general practitioners are well placed to recognise where the current system can best meet patient needs. General practitioners should therefore be consulted at all levels of health policy decision-making.

Continuity of Care  -   Co-ordination between general practice and other components of the health sector will contribute to improved health care delivery and to improved continuity of care. Divisions are the organisations best placed to systematically link general practice with the rest of the health system.

General Practice Education   -   General practice education and training is a core role for divisions as it is essential to improving the quality of general practice.

Access to Services  -  Divisions are well placed to define opportunities for improving access to general practice services at the local level. This may include designing and implementing programs in ways that will be most effective for their target groups; increasing the viability and quality of practices to allow the public better access to services; and addressing general practice workforce issues.

Population Health  -   A focus on population based care will result in improved illness prevention and better health outcomes, particularly for those with chronic illnesses. Divisions are well placed to assist practices to implement population health approaches.

Practice Quality  -  Divisions are the organisations best placed to provide ongoing practical support and direction for systems change that will improve the quality and organisation of general practice.

STAKEHOLDERS

A diagram of GPDV's community of interest can be viewed through our website - www.gpdv.com.au/GPDVCommunityOfInterest/CommunityOfInterest.htm

GPDV's SERVICES

• Individual support to divisions through visits, telephone support and attendance at division meetings
• Up to date information through a range of communication methods including website, monthly newsletters, program updates and email discussion lists
• An extensive needs-based workshop program aimed at providing divisions with access to decision makers, innovative approaches, current trends and skills training
• Regular orientation workshops for new division program staff, administrative staff, consumer reps and CEOs
• Star Boards workshops and regular forum for Board members of divisions, aimed at improving governance skills and keeping boards abreast of current issues
• Advocacy for Victorian divisions and general practice to a range of organisations including the Commonwealth and State Governments and other relevant non-government bodies
• Policy analysis and advice, through a range of methods including policy issues papers workshops and meetings
• Resource sourcing, development and dissemination.

• General Practitioner Register - a statewide database of contact information for hospitals to use to transfer patient information to GPs, updated and validated regularly. (As at March 2003, 57 health services had signed contracts with GPDV to use the database, covering 99 agencies).
• GPDV staff under the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Program have made significant contribution to the development of the national Program, which has reinforced our links to the Queensland and South Australia SBOs and to the Centre for GP Integration Studies at the University of NSW. The results of the CDM Program in Victoria are very encouraging and we hope that the Program will continue after June 2004. The "Better Capacity, Better Care" resource kit has been developed by GPDV for divisions to support practices to achieve quality chronic disease outcomes while maintaining business viability.
• RDQO (Regional Data Quality Officer Program) funded by DHS to improve immunisation.
• Successful roll out of national Q Fever Vaccination through Victorian divisions to 20,074 shearers and farmers. The critical success factor was the running of clinics in general practice who provided 90% of the immunisation.
• EPC Demonstration Projects. In 2001, GPDV advocated for State and Commonwealth funding for four Victorian projects involving partnerships of hospitals and divisions to establish systems for GP involvement in discharge planning for patients with complex conditions using Enhanced Primary Care discharge care planning items. GPDV coordinated the demonstration projects. The final report, with recommendations for future actions, was completed in 2003.
• The Hospital Admissions Risk Program (HARP) of the Victorian Department of Human Services, aims to "implement models of care that better manage emergency presentations and emergency admissions to public hospitals through alternatives that involve the hospital and the community." GPDV was contracted by DHS to provide support for a working party established to examine the GP-hospital interface. The then-Chair of GPDV was invited by DHS to chair the working party and GPDV was invited to provide GP representatives on 6 of the 7 other HARP working parties. A final report was published by DHS. Recommendations were made regarding the next HARP funding round, and more long term strategic directions.
• Quality Use of Medicines - GPDV has supported divisions to take up a partnership approach involving pharmacists, nurses and consumers to ensure that medicines are used wisely. Victorian divisions are involved in a variety of national programs and locally specific projects, including the National Prescribing Service (NPS) practice visits, Home Medicines Review (HMR) program, GP-Pharmacy liaison projects and improving medication management upon hospital discharge. All 30 divisions have an HMR Facilitator; and 29 divisions have an NPS facilitator.

• Working with divisions to improve the quality of general practice and to improve the coordination between general practice and the rest of the health sector (both hospital and primary care) in the face of some of the structural barriers that include:
  • the lack of a commonwealth Primary Health Care Policy, to provide strategic, nationally consistent directions for divisions along with the rest of the primary care sector
  • a piecemeal approach and short-term program-based approach to major change and development of change practice, for example, short term funding for more programs that aim to shift from opportunistic episodic treatment to planned structured care.
  • lack of funding and capacity to underpin evaluation and research about divisions work.
• Further developing our relationship with DHS and overcoming structural barriers to effective integration of general practice with state funded health and community services.
• Continuing professional development has developed over 10 years as a core role for divisions (in Victoria over 50% of RACGP accredited CPD is provided by divisions), and represents a major platform for quality improvement and structural change. However, neither divisions funding nor GPET funding adequately provides support for this role by divisions and SBOs.