Corporate governance, education and training

A program to train Division boards and CEOs in corporate governance has been undertaken. The Alliance, in conjunction with a corporate governance working party, produced a quality corporate governance guide for Divisions which has been distributed to all NSW Divisions. The Guide has formed the basis for two-day workshops, both of which have been oversubscribed. The workshops and guide have been designed to upskill Division boards and CEOs so they know and practice good governance. In addition to the workshops and Excellence in Governance guide, there is a follow-up education program. The program has helped Division boards, management committees, CEOs and other Division staff.

The Guide is designed to be an interactive document, which Division boards and staff refers to often to assist them in implementing and maintaining good governance.

NSW Enhanced Primary Care Education Program

The Enhanced Primary Care Program (EPC) aims to achieve a substantial advance in the quality of health care delivered to older Australians and those with chronic illness.

The Alliance has the task of providing all GPs in NSW with the opportunity for education in the use of the new EPC MBS Item Numbers by December 2001. In implementing the Program in NSW, the Alliance works closely with NSW Divisions, the State Office of DHAC, NSW Health, Area Health Services (AHS), allied health professionals and key stakeholders to ensure that the goals of the program are met. The other main aim of the program is to integrate EPC with existing Division programs supporting the principles of preventive health and multidisciplinary care.

The Alliance's approach to GP education for the EPC items focuses on academic detailing and complementary CME events as a key strategy. Practice visits are an integral component of an approach which values liaison and consultation with key stakeholders at both state and local levels.

Immunisation

The Immunisation Program has two components: Part 1 is Division support and State representation and advocacy, Part 2 deals with Academic detailing support for Divisions with immunisation rates below 70%.

Achievements of Part 1 has been State Immunisation workshops, facilitating Divisional and GP input to ACIR redevelopment, having a guest speaker at Divisional Immunisation CME activities, adaptation of the Murray Plains practice manual for all NSW Divisions, and facilitating networking and information sharing between Divisions. The Alliance has also developed effective communication and information flow between NSW Health, the ADGP Immunisation Coordinator and the Alliance.

Achievements of Part 2 has been supporting two Divisions in implementing their immunisation academic detailing program, the development of a resources manual for GPs, the rise of immunisation rates within the target areas, and more GPs registered for GPII within the target areas.

The aims of Part 1 of the program are to provide education and support for all NSW Divisions, advocate and represent Divisions and GPs at the State level, and the development and maintenance of effective communication with NSW Health and ADGP.

The aims of Part 2 of the programs are to raise immunisation rates within target areas, to increase in the number of GPs participating in GPII or PIP, and the amount of fridge's who comply with cold chain, and to develop resources for the target GPs.

Services provided by the Division in Part 1 include Introductory Immunisation Session for all new program staff, an Immunisation List server, Practice manual, state workshops and networking, and information dissemination from Commonwealth, Medicare Australia, ADGP and NSW Health. The Division also provides the point of contact for issues and queries, Feedback on resource manuals and audits, and working on NSW Flu and childhood immunisation audits.

Part 2 services include practice visits to GPs, resources manual to GPs, and data logging for practices.

DEN: Divisions Executive Network

This is a professional forum for senior NSW Division managers for networking, information sharing and professional development. The DEN meets four times a year with guest speakers, professional development and sessions for sharing and discussion of issues.

Meetings have been held as scheduled, and have provided a lively forum for sharing and exploration of ideas related to Divisions. Professional development sessions have increased the skills of those attending, raising the overall skill level of Divisions. It has focussed Alliance support to Divisions and established a strong working relationship with DHAC members.

The aim is for Division managers to be informed about policy decisions and initiatives in other Divisions, to take advantage of professional development and to network.

Research, Development and Program Implementation

This program cuts across a range of Division and Alliance activities to provide support to Divisions in areas relevant to research, development and the implementation of their programs. These areas include evaluation, planning, project management and use of data. Other activities include liaison with relevant stakeholders and ensuring that GP and Division views are incorporated into relevant policy and planning.

The Alliance aims are to provide resources, support and assistance to Divisions in areas of program implementation, research and development. Also to ensure that the views of Divisions are incorporated into general practice and primary care research and development planning and implementation, and to ensure that Alliance activities are conducted according to best practice principles.

The Alliance has conducted numerous workshops providing information, education and training in areas such as evaluation, project management and specific skills such as questionnaire design and qualitative research. The Alliance provides support and feedback to Divisions submitting applications to the innovative pool and other funding bodies. In 1999 and 2000 two of these Divisions received funding outside their block grant for the first time.

The Alliance has collaborated with the Centre for GP Integration Studies and the Centre for Health Equity Training Research and Evaluation to hold two workshops on primary care and health inequities for Divisions and community health.

It is difficult to address the needs of all Divisions because of the diversity that exists in NSW. With the increasing sophistication of Divisions, and the increasing demands being placed on them, there has been a significant increase in their need for support, however there is only a limited capacity to provide this support within the Alliance's existing structure. This limited capacity is linked to difficulties encountered in covering a range of areas, and the lack of expertise in any particular content area (particularly now that the SERUs are no longer funded). It is important for Divisions to look at how they can develop their own skills.

Public Relations

The Alliance produces a regular newsletter, Reverb, to keep Divisions informed about policy, meetings, events, staff, projects, workshops and other issues. Through a corporate brochure, press releases, regular articles to the medical media and other identifying/promotional items, the Alliance helps raise the profile of Divisions and the Divisions program. The Alliance also feeds information to Divisions from the media, DHAC, State Department of Health and other bodies.

The aim of the program is to increase the profile of the Alliance and NSW Divisions, and explain their purpose, role and activities to stakeholders and the broad community, as well as helping Divisions promote their programs and achievements, and provide a forum for sharing of ideas.

Achievements of the public relation program include the production of a bi-monthly newsletter, Reverb, sent to all NSW Divisions and a wide variety of stakeholders, as well as potential partners and sponsors. Also the production of a corporate brochure to explain the role of the SBO and Divisions program, signage for conferences and workshops, and a consistent image for the Alliance. The Divisions program, and the Alliance's role has been showcased to a range of potential partners and sponsors.

As the Divisions movement becomes more widely known in the community, people need to be informed of how the health of the population is helped through Division programs.

Mental Health

The Mental Health program aims to support and assist Divisions of General Practice in Primary Mental Health Care (PMHC), through fostering linkages with relevant networks and disseminating relevant governmental policies. The objectives of the program are to provide educational opportunities and support for all NSW Divisions, to build effective partnership with Centre for Mental Health, to advocate and represent Divisions and GPs at the State level and a partnership with the Commonwealth to distribute PMHCI Funding.

Achievements of the program include three publications of Mental Alert, the Alliance Mental Health newsletter, the establishment of the NSW Mental Health Network, three NSW Network meetings, two jointly with State Health, Open Minds: Improving links between General Practice and Mental Health Services - two one-day workshops for all NSW Area Mental Health Services and Divisions, and the distribution of PMHCI funding to all 37 NSW Divisions.

Services provided by the Division include Mental Health Network List server, Mental Alert (Alliance Mental Health newsletter), State workshops and networking meetings, Special Interest Teleconferences, information dissemination from Commonwealth, NSW Health and other key informants, point of contact for issues, queries and discussions, and meetings on site at Divisions.

Given the growing interest in partnerships with General Practitioners and the complexity of Mental Health, the current capacity of the Alliance in inadequate to provide a truly proactive approach.

Information Management

The aims of this program are to assist Divisions in the coordination and implementation of appropriate use of IM/IT, promoting the uptake of IM/IT, as well as coordinating state-wide initiatives and activities in collaboration with Divisions and other stakeholders, reviewing existing protocols, policies, guidelines and education materials as well as working to produce new protocols, improving use and application of existing databases and the information flow between the Alliance, Divisions and other stakeholders.

The achievements to date have been a needs analysis, liaison and represented Divisions to NSW Health and DHAC, and the development of a strategy for IM/IT with NSW Health and DHAC for information sharing with Divisions, and supported Divisions to increase the uptake of information technology.

Some of the services the Division hopes to provide are a resource kit for Divisions about various medical software packages, represent Divisions to major stakeholders, such as NSW Health, DHAC, etc about IM/IT issues and electronic health records; and conduct workshops for Division staff.

A major barrier for this position is the lack of clarity around the terms and skills required for information management as opposed to information technology.