Name: SA Divisions of General Practice Number of Divisions: 14 State: South Australia Physical Address: 1st Floor 66 Greenhill Road WAYVILLE SA 5034 Australia Postal Address: 1st Floor 66 Greenhill Road WAYVILLE SA 5034 Australia Email: sadi@sadi.org.au Phone: 08 8271 8988 Fax: 08 8271 8344 Website: http://www.sadi.org.au

SA Divisions of General Practice Inc (SADI) was formed in February 1998 by the fourteen Divisions of General Practice in South Australia. These Divisions are SADI's members and are as follows: Adelaide Central and Eastern; Adelaide Hills; Adelaide Northern; Adelaide North East; Adelaide Southern; Adelaide Western; Barossa; Eyre Peninsula; Flinders and Far North; Limestone Coast; Mid North Rural SA; Murray Mallee; Riverland and Yorke Peninsula.

SADI is a non-government organisation which advocates for Divisions in health policy and planning with State and Commonwealth Governments and assists Divisions' endeavours in program development, implementation and evaluation. As one of the State-based Organisations of Divisions of General Practice (SBOs), SADI, like its interstate counterparts, provides support to Divisions within its own State and provides a conduit and focal point for information between Divisions, to Australian Divisions of General Practice (ADGP) and State and Federal Governments.

SADI's mission is:

We strive to improve health outcomes by strengthening and developing the role of general practice in the health care system in collaboration with Divisions of General Practice in SA.

 The SADI Board of Directors is made up of three GP nominees from the rural Divisions and three GP nominees from the urban Divisions. Following Constitutional change in June 2004, a non-GP Director joined the Board in September 2004. Observers to the Board are the Medical Director and Executive Director of SADI and one representative from the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and one from the State Department of Health.

Two reference groups provide input to the Board: the Rural Divisions Group of SADI, comprising a GP nominee from each rural Division, and the Urban Divisions Group of SADI, comprising two representatives from each urban Division and including the urban GP nominees on the Board. In 2003-2004, Advisory Committees have provided input in the areas of mental health and informatics and reports from endorsed GP representatives have supported work in other areas.

Important strategic linkages included, for most of 2003-2004, two Directors of the SADI Board (Dr Helena Williams and Dr Michael Taylor) on the ADGP Board.  This link, previously formalised through the SADI Constitution, was altered in March 2004 following changes to ADGP's Constitution. Dr Michael Taylor continues as the ADGP Board Director for SA, as well as being a Director on the SADI Board. SADI has two Board Directors (Dr Chris Bollen and Dr Mike Beckoff) who together with SADI's Medical Director, Dr Tori Wade, attend the jointly convened State/Commonwealth GP Forum, which brings together representatives from all GP bodies in South Australia, including academic general practice.

SADI provides support to Division staff working in areas such as immunisation, mental health, quality use of medicines, diabetes and IM/IT. It works with Divisions in SA to build practice capacity through strategies including the development of practice nurse networks and, during 2003-2004, assisting GPs to access the Chronic Disease Management Incentives. SADI works to build the capacity of Divisions and forms strategic partnerships and alliances to further the influence and build the profile of Divisions and general practice. SADI provides a voice for Divisions and their member GPs at the State level and nationally. It monitors changes in the health system and works to ensure these changes are to the benefit of Divisions, general practice and the community.

SADI receives its core funding from the Divisions Program of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing which funds similar State-based Organisations in each State and Territory as well as funding 120 Divisions of General Practice throughout Australia. The Program aims to support GPs to work more effectively with each other and with other health providers to improve health service delivery and health outcomes.

All SADI's activities seek to enhance health outcomes in the community by strengthening and developing the role of general practice in the delivery of quality primary health care.

Achievements and Challenges

Major Achievements 2003-2004

• Projected budget deficit reduced to close to a balanced budget in a year in which expectations of SADI continued to increase
• Retention of skilled and committed SADI staff in a climate of uncertainty
• Well functioning networks supported and convened by SADI, for Division staff working in IT/IM, diabetes and CDM, quality use of medicines, EPC, immunisation, practice nurses, mental health and MAHS mental health, sharing issues, solutions and best practice examples, providing information for advocacy at state and national levels
• IT/IM Forum held May 2004 - starting point for developing strategic framework in SA for Divisions Network
• Constitutional change to expand SADI Board to include a non-GP Director ratified at State Divisions Forum in June 2004
• SADI Constitutional change to reflect ADGP change to only one Director now from each State and Territory - confirmed March 2004
• GP Registry established, live from November 2003 and formally launched by State Health Minister, the Hon Lea Stevens MP in May 2004
• MoU Workplan - second year Workplan developed as a professional publication and widely distributed
• GP Obstetric Shared Care - expanded program commenced April 2003 and is now considered a recurrent program by State Deptartment of Health
• SADI State Conference - theme of 'Running on Empty' held 4-5 September 2003 with over 100 people attending on each day. Division 'Brag Boards' of superb quality and gave a taste of the areas of excellence within Divisions in SA
• Ongoing lobbying and partnerships established to address the issues in the current GP workforce crisis, including the lack of a strategic approach to workforce by government
• SADI meetings with Chairs of new regional boards, exploring opportunities for collaboration and highlighting the value of working with the Division network locally and at State level
• Considerable staff and Board input into the State Government's First Steps Forward - health reforms arising from the Generational Health Review
• Attraction of two mental health projects of national significance - National Suicide Prevention and GP Access to Psychiatrists, with latter launched by the Hon Trish Worth in April 2004
• Involvement in development of State Primary Health Care Policy and continued work towards its implementation.

 Challenges 2004-2005

• Developing an agreed vision for the future of general practice
• Need for restoration of IT/IM capacity in Divisions Network in SA and nationally
• Negotiations on HealthConnect implementation with importance of genuine collaboration with Divisions and general practice to be emphasised to State and Commonwealth partners
• Gaining support and agreement between SADI, State Department of Health, Divisions and regional health on the revised MoU and Workplans
• Ensuring that primary mental health care is an essential part of the State mental health reforms implementation
• Strengthening linkages and partnerships with residential aged care and addressing the issues arising from the interface with general practice
• Working with Flinders Consulting, the successful tender for the Primary Care Collaboratives
• Continued efforts with the SBO/ADGP Coalition to achieve development of a national primary health care strategy by Commonwealth DoHA
• Continued efforts with the SBO/ADGP Coalition, in collaboration with Australian Rural and Remote Workforce Agencies Group and RWAs, to achieve a national workforce strategy
• Development of an MoU and Workplan between SADI, Divisions, Aboriginal Health Council and regional Aboriginal health services
• Continuing to provide the Urgent Psychiatric Advice (SA) service beyond the end-date of this project
• Securing funding for the CPD and rural pilot aspects of the GP Obstetric Shared Care program
• Securing ongoing funding for the Divisional Local Immunisation Coordinators Program from SA Immunisation Coordination Unit
• Implementing Phase Two of the GP Registry