WA Primary Health Alliance acknowledges and pays respect to the Traditional Owners and Elders of this country and recognises the significant importance of their cultural heritage, values and beliefs and how these contribute to the positive health and wellbeing of the whole community. Service Provider Connect #102 - 11 September 2024 In this edition:
Executive General Manager’s foreword
Procurement and contracting
Strategic update - Diversity questions in Census would improve primary health care
General information - Nominations now open for WA Primary Health Alliance’s LGBTIQA+ Stakeholder Reference Group
- Help develop referral pathways from the Head to Health Phone Service to WAPHA commissioned service providers
- Changes to Chronic Disease Management and MBS items
- 13YARN: First Nations 24/7 Crisis Support Line survey
- Australian Government response to the Better Access evaluation
- Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme – Final Report
- Lifeline WA online support group for survivors of suicide attempts – next intake 18 September
- Have your say on a national approach to preventing suicide
News and media - Orygen Youth Enhanced Services Forum
Training and events - Exploring burnout and activating self-care
- Mental health Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool training sessions
- 2024 WA Addictions Symposium: Novel psychoactives and the new frontier in addiction
- Diabetes Connect for Country WA
Resources - Commissioning policies and procedures
- Previous editions of Service Provider Connect
Executive General Manager's foreword Last week I attended the Australian Government’s Primary Care Conference 2024 in Canberra, joined by my Executive colleagues from WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) and Primary Health Networks (PHN) nationally, jurisdictional health department and hospital representatives and those from the Aboriginal community-controlled sector.
The program was jam packed with valuable keynotes and workshops and encouraged a national dialogue on primary health care, collaboration, innovation and shared learnings.
Conference sessions focused on formalised PHN and jurisdictional partnerships, referencing the National Health Reform Agreement re-negotiations that require joint planning, funding and co-commissioning commitments from national and state/territory health agencies.
The new National Health Reform Agreement is intended to be a health, rather than a hospital, agreement. WAPHA is well advanced in negotiating the WA Co-commissioning Agreement with the Department of Health and Aged Care and WA Department of Health - intended to formalise our joint commitment to reducing fragmentation of health care for those Western Australians who are most disadvantaged, and at risk of very poor health outcomes.
There was much to be learned from scalable examples of innovations in data linkage that enable a better understanding of the patient journey across primary, acute and aged care sectors - and a much clearer direction for collaborative initiatives that respond to the needs and ambitions of people receiving health care services.
Digital health solutions to complex health system failures were showcased - including AI and virtual care models. Data sets demonstrating significant and enduring primary health care workforce shortages and maldistribution were interrogated in the context of thin and failed markets - and the need for changes to the policy and funding settings that inhibit viable and sustainable multidisciplinary teams working in the places they are most needed.
WAPHA will further investigate innovations from the conference that are scalable to the WA context. We are confident in our response to the Strengthening Medicare Reform measures and Closing the Gap priorities, and will continue the course we have set, in partnership with our commissioned service providers and other partners, in furthering health equity in WA.
Kind regards
Mark Cockayne Executive General Manager – Commissioned Services Procurement and Contracting
Strategic Update
General Information Nominations now open for WAPHA’s LGBTIQA+ Stakeholder Reference Group
WAPHA established the LGBTIQA+ Stakeholder Reference Group after achieving Rainbow Tick accreditation in 2019 to demonstrate our commitment to ensuring people of diverse bodies, identities and experiences have access to safe, inclusive and culturally appropriate primary health care, and to help WAPHA mature our inclusive practice and inform, guide and support our work.
The LGBTIQA+ Stakeholder Reference Group comprises a diverse range of experts in the field of LGBTIQA+ health service delivery and those with lived experience.
Following our recent re-accreditation, we are expanding our membership and are calling for expressions of interest from experts in the field of LGBTIQA+ health service delivery and lived experience to inform activities and initiatives that improve and strengthen WAPHA’s inclusive practice and influence the practice of our stakeholders.
Find out more and nominate
Help develop referral pathways from the Head to Health Phone Service to WAPHA commissioned service providers
Engaged by WAPHA to deliver the Head to Health Phone Line Service in WA, Amplar Health is seeking to establish referral pathways with WAPHA commissioned service providers to ensure callers are directed to the appropriate service to receive the mental health support they need.
Launched in 2022, the Head to Health Phone Service offers free confidential assessment and referral for anyone seeking help for their mental and emotional wellbeing and/or wanting to support a patient, or someone they care about. The phone line operates Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to 5.00pm (including public holidays).
Amplar Health Engagement Manager, Jules Smart, has been reaching out to WAPHA mental health commissioned service providers since April to develop referral pathways, learn more about these services and help raise awareness of how the Head to Health Phone Service operates. If Jules hasn’t been in touch already, she will be contacting providers over the coming months, and we encourage you to be part of this process. Alternatively, you can reach out on jules.smart@amplarhealth.com.au or call 0467 938 194.
Head to Health is an Australian Government initiative that helps people to access the mental health and wellbeing services that are right for them. It comprises the Head to Health digital platform, the Head to Health Phone Service and a network of Medicare Mental Health Centres. Changes to Chronic Disease Management and MBS items
New information on changes to Chronic Conditions Management Items was released on 23 August 2024.
Find out more 13YARN: First Nations 24/7 Crisis Support Line survey
The Department of Health and Aged Care has engaged Scyne Advisory and yamagigu to conduct an independent evaluation into the 13YARN support line. 13YARN is Australia's first national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and offers confidential one-on-one yarning opportunities and support.
The evaluation aims to assess the service's cultural appropriateness, awareness, efficiency, accessibility and effectiveness with recommendations for service delivery improvements. As part of the evaluation, the Department would like a greater understanding of the awareness that mainstream service providers and practitioners have of 13YARN, their likeliness to refer people to 13YARN and any suggestions for integration or delivery.
Please complete the 5-10 minute survey before 20 September 2024.
Australian Government response to the Better Access evaluation
The Australian Government has provided a response to the final report of an independent evaluation of the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative.
Read more Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme – Final Report
In its 2020 Inquiry Report into Mental Health, the Productivity Commission identified a large gap in Australia’s provision of psychosocial supports and recommended further work be undertaken to estimate the extent of unmet psychosocial support needs at a regional and state/territory level (Productivity Commission’s recommended action 17.3) (Productivity Commission, 2020b, p. 42). This technical report provides detailed estimates of unmet psychosocial support needs in Australia.
Read more Lifeline WA online support group for survivors of suicide attempts – next intake 18 September
Eclipse is a free online support group from Lifeline WA, for adults who have survived one or more suicide attempts. It offers a safe space to connect with people who have had a similar lived experience and learn valuable skills to increase coping responses in relation to suicidal thoughts.
The next eight-week Eclipse program commences 18 September, with sessions on Wednesday mornings.
Find out more and register on the Lifeline WA website. Have your say on a national approach to preventing suicide
The Australian Government is calling for feedback on the draft National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The consultation draft of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy is open for comment until 27 October. Feedback can be provided as an individual, organisation or as a collective.
Find out more News and Media
Orygen Youth Enhanced Services Forum
Orygen, the National Centre for Excellence in Youth Mental Health, hosted representatives from Primary Health Networks across Australia for the Youth Enhanced Services Forum in Melbourne on 21 – 22 August 2024.
Since 2016, PHN have been funded to develop local service models for young people presenting with severe and complex mental health issues, known as Youth Enhanced Services (YES). The Australian Government funds Orygen to provide expert advice and guidance to PHN’s to support this work.
Two representatives from WAPHA attended, taking part in a number of sessions including a lightning round where each of the PHN’s gave an update on services in their regions, a presentation from the Orygen research team on the nature of young people accessing YES services, and a spotlight on single session work being done across a number of funded services. There was also a data Lab session where the PHN’s could provide their input to the focus on utilising routinely collected data to enhance mental health service planning, provision and evaluation, as well as capacity building in data literacy and practices.
Day two provided the opportunity to hear from YES services who participated in the Orygen Implementation Lab in 2023-24. The Implementation Lab is an opportunity for YES services and PHN’s to participate in 12 months of dedicated support from Orygen. This year the services participating in the lab have worked on topics such as refining intake processes and eligibility criteria, goal setting and outcome measurement, implementing single session thinking, and developing monitoring and evaluation plans.
There was also time for the PHN’s to connect with each other over the work being done across the network with YES services, a valuable opportunity for knowledge sharing to power the continuous improvement of innovative approaches to youth mental health care. Training and Events Dealing with Depression in Rural Australia
7 October 2024 9am-3pm
Dealing with Depression is a highly interactive, multidisciplinary program developed specifically to address the needs of clinicians delivering health care for people presenting with depression in a rural setting. Using a case-based problem-solving format, the program outlines a practical framework for assessment and management planning readily applicable to primary care.
Register now
2024 WA Addictions Symposium: Novel psychoactives and the new frontier in addiction
12 October 2024 9-4.30pm University Club of WA - Overview of the Emerging Drugs Network of Australia project.
- Opioids: Something old, something new and something blue.
- Gamma-hydroxybutyrate.
- What do Queen Victoria and whippets (not Corgis) have in common?
- Phenylethylamines, dimethyltryptamine.
- Cathinones.
- Fake pharma frontier: Harm reduction in the era of counterfeit prescription meds and novel benzodiazepines.
- From fentanyls to nitazenes: the evolution of designer opioids.
Register now
Exploring burnout and activating self-care
22 October 2024 9am-1pm
Imagined Futures Community of Practice is running a free workshop for frontline workers in the human services sector to improve their wellbeing. This training explores stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, boundaries and self-care.
Register now
Diabetes Connect for Country WA
Dates from 18 September - 15 October 2024 Online
With an explosion in new treatments and research outcomes, we have better ways to care for patients living with diabetes. However, it can be tough for healthcare providers to figure out the best individual plan with all the different options, services, and PBS subsidies available. This discussion will cover common challenges, and show how getting timely advice and support can help you confidently provide excellent evidence-based care.
Register now
Mental health Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool training sessions
The Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool helps general practitioners and clinicians to recommend the most appropriate level of care for a person seeking mental health support. It is designed to be used alongside a comprehensive, holistic mental health assessment to gather information and guide referrals.
Upcoming sessions are available throughout September and October. Register now
View WA Primary Health Alliance’s events calendar. Resources Commissioning policies and procedures Commissioned service providers can access WAPHA’s policies and procedures in one location here that their organisation is expected to comply with.
Notifiable Incident Reports are also lodged via this webpage.
Previous editions of Service Provider Connect View previous editions of Service Provider Connect here. |
