CURRENT PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

Mental Health

Mental health, including depression, is now a national health imperative. The Division, through the GPs response to a Health Needs Analysis, placed mental health as a top priority for the Division's three year funded programs.

The Division has set out to achieve the program goals through:

• Providing upskilling for GPs in a wide variety of areas within mental health.
• Supporting GPs and their patients through the provision of a 'sentinel GP' who will assist GPs on request.
• Assisting with consultations with South West Community Mental Health Services.
• Providing a program for case conferencing and clinical attachments. The Division will offer a range of options to enhance support for GPs, mental health services and consumers.

Workforce

Workforce has been identified as a key program for the Division. Program components include:

• Provision of a Locum Program.
• Recruitment and retention of GPs.
• Provision of practice support.
• Provision of quality medical education.

A support group for GP spouses has recently been formed, resulting in regular social gatherings and providing a link to other spouses and their families. A marketing program will be established to facilitate recruitment of urban GPs to South Gippsland - there are currently ten GP vacancies in the region.

Immunisation

A program designed for providing education and support to GPs and practices, while raising the profile of immunisation with the community, as well as liaising with other immunisation providers and stakeholders to promote a unified approach to immunisation in South Gippsland. As a result of the program, the immunisation rate is at 82.3% and is largest improvement rate in Victoria for nine months.

Enhanced Primary Care

The program is designed for providing support and education to GPs and Practice staff to facilitate the introduction of health assessments, care plans and case conferencing in practices.

Information Technology Education

The Information Technology (IT) program is aimed at providing GPs with advice on the purchase, design and installation of computer hardware and software. The Division provides a Helpdesk service, and training for both GPs and practice staff in a variety of software and applications. The Division is also researching new IT products and developments.

Continuing Medical Education

The Division provides a monthly Continuing Medical Education (CME) program for its members, supplemented by specific upskilling programs to meet the needs identified by members. In the past upskilling programs have included Paediatrics and Anaesthetics. During the first six months of 2000, twenty-one GP's attended a two-day course in Rural Emergency Crisis Management, working with their practice nurse or nurse from the local hospital in a simulated crisis setting. The Division also supports GPs conducting community health education sessions.

Other Activities

Doctors for Farm Health, run in conjunction with the East and Central West Gippsland Divisions of General Practice, successfully contributes to raising awareness of health issues amongst farmers. The program is focused on achieving an improvement in the general health and quality in the lifestyle of farmers and their families in the Gippsland region.

The South Gippsland Health Directory 2000 originated in the community liaison program and has continued to grow since 1999. The Directory, now in reprint, lists health, welfare and support agencies located in South Gippsland, and others that provide outreach services and State-wide groups that can be contacted for support. The 1999 Annual Conference of South Gippsland Division provided GPs with a 'hands-on' opportunity to increase the emergency skills over a weekend of workshops.

The South Gippsland Division Newsletter provides an information link to GPs and their practice staff. The South Gippsland CONNECT project, through its various aspects, has built up a very strong sense of community support for youth health. The project, which has recently completed its two-and-a-half year term, has been considered extremely successful by those colleges, community agencies and other health and welfare groups it has worked with. The project won the Rural Health Category of the 2000 Award for Innovation and Excellence in Primary Health Care.