Summary of Programs & Projects:
Our activities are distilled into 6 key result areas.

Our Local Community

• A whole of life approach to health care addresses a continuum of prevention, early disease detection and best management of established illness.
• Support for the ongoing evolution of a practice based, best evidence team approach to chronic disease management.
• Promoting increased patient involvement in self awareness, self monitoring and self management.
• Promoting systematic approaches to early detection of diabetes in at risk groups.
• Prevention activities focusing on obesity, exercise, nutrition and smoking.

Aged Care
Previous achievements in Aged Care have positioned the Division well to provide leadership for both stakeholders and other Divisions.  The program has two major focuses:

Aged Care Panels
Further development of residential aged care facility activities (funded through the Medicare Plus Aged Care Panels Initiative).  We aim to establish a program which utilises a collaborative, partnership approach to ensure that all residents in Aged Care Facilities have improved access to quality primary medical care, building on previous work undertaken. A key focus will be to establish the infrastructure to support this.

Focus on Aged Care
Increase the capacity of general practice to manage the complex problems faced by the frail aged and elderly community with a focus on the broader aged care issues including:

• Continued collaboration with community service providers.
• Support best practice guidelines in areas of aged care.
• Provide a community focus on dementia diagnosis and carer recognition and support.

Quality in Practice
The feature of this program will be the support for the evolution of team based, best practice, general practice via the continued support for, and expansion of, our Practice Managers, Practice Nurse and Practice Staff Networks.

• Education activities utilise a whole of practice approach, with GPs, practice nurses and other staff having access to education.
• Support for accreditation and reaccreditation will be maintained.
• The clinical, business and data analysis benefits of information technology application will continue to be promoted, including Medicare Australia Online and PKI.

Immunisation
Immunisation activities will continue to build on work undertaken over the past 6 years, with the aim of encouraging at least 90% of practices to fully immunise 90% of those children under seven years who attend their practices. GPII funding is supplemented by funding from the SA Immunisation Coordination Unit of DHS.

Governance and Management
Involvement in the evolution of primary care networks in the newly formed DHS Central and Northern Region, as outlined in Generational Health Review. Strive to have an efficient, visionary and well managed Division, meeting all contractual requirements.

Other Programs
A range of other programs or projects, funded outside of core funding, will be maintained and managed within their individual budgets - these currently include HMR, QUM, Better Outcomes in Mental Health, Suicide Prevention and the Nursing in General Practice Demonstration Divisions Project. Opportunities to fund future additional activities will be pursued as they arise.

Page Updated: December 2004

Subscribe to Page