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 #101 - 14 August 2024 In this edition:
Executive General Manager’s foreword
Procurement and contracting
Strategic update - Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review
General information - Clinician Assist WA now live
- Nominate for the 2025 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards
- Be part of creating a health service vision for autistic individuals: Register now for co-design workshops
News and media - Making the MOST of digital mental health in WA
- Access and equity challenges in primary health care persist for LGBTIQA+ people
Training and events - Mental Health: A discussion with Associate Professor Mat Coleman
- Mooditj Leader Training
- Mental health Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool training sessions
Resources - Commissioning policies and procedures
- Previous editions of Service Provider Connect
Executive General Manager's foreword Now more than ever, mental health is a primary concern for communities, and we are seeing an increase in both community and organisational investment into mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention education and awareness initiatives.
WA Primary Health Alliance’s (WAPHA) suicide prevention team has been working closely with communities, GPs and organisations over the last 12 months to tailor activities suited to the needs of their local communities.
In the past six months alone, these initiatives have supported more than 1000 people ranging from community members to clinicians, enabling them to improve care and recognise and respond to those in need of mental health assistance in their community.
We are really encouraged by both the uptake of the community-based training being delivered by our partners in the regions, and the volume of health professionals attending the variety of accredited depression management and suicide prevention course.
In conjunction with this work, we are focussed on further strengthening the link between general practice and the mental health services we commission, to increase awareness among GPs and support/enable referrals.
Read more about the suicide prevention activities that have been taking place over the past 12 months and what is to come.
Kind regards
Mark Cockayne Executive General Manager – Commissioned Services
Procurement and Contracting Register to receive upcoming tender notifications. Strategic Update
Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review
The Unleashing the Potential of our Health Workforce – Scope of Practice Review has now entered its fourth and final phase, having completed stakeholder forums and consultation in June related to Issues Paper Two which proposes eight options for reform. The three grouped themes for reform include: - Workforce design, development and planning.
- Legislation and regulation.
- Funding and payment policy.
WAPHA has been providing input throughout the review process, with contribution to a PHN Cooperative submission in October 2023, and representation at stakeholder consultation forums in phases two and three. A draft final report and implementation plan is now in development, with a final consultation phase in July-September 2024. The final Review Report is due for submission by the end of October 2024. General Information Clinician Assist WA now live
WAPHA has launched Clinician Assist WA, a free to access, secure website to help GPs and other health professionals access guidance for assessing, managing and referring patients across Western Australia. The new website has replaced the HealthPathways WA website.
Our most important consideration in designing the new website was to ensure users can still access the same trusted, local clinical and referral guidance and the same features and functionality they are used to, in a more secure and user focused way. This includes all services which were listed on the previous website.
Developing and managing this website locally will allow WAPHA to better tailor the service to local user requirements into the future, supported by a unique login for each user to increase security.
Health professionals are encouraged to register now. Nominate for the 2025 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards
Nominations are now open for the 2025 Rural Health Excellence Awards. The Awards acknowledge the dedication of health professionals who have enhanced the range and quality of medical care available in rural Western Australia. Whether it's through exceptional patient care or leadership in clinical practice, we want to celebrate those who make a difference.
To learn more about each award category and the nomination criteria, please visit the 2025 WA Rural Health Excellence Awards website.
Be part of creating a health service vision for autistic individuals: Register now for co-design workshops
Through a series of workshops, the Autism Association of Western Australia invites you to share your experiences of providing health care and collaborate on initiatives to improve health outcomes for people with Autism. Each workshop will have a different focus area and look at barriers and opportunities to improve health service access, care, and outcomes for Autistic people. Using a co-design process, participants will provide feedback and collaborate on ideas for what needs to change and how services can be improved.
Register to attend a workshop News and Media
Making the MOST of digital mental health in WA Digital youth mental health service MOST has hit the ground running in Western Australia, with more than 100 young people already signed up and using digital mental health support as part of their care. MOST is a free digital mental health service for young people aged 12 to 25. It offers access to self-directed therapeutic content, a safe moderated online community, peer workers with lived experience of mental health challenges, careers counselling and one-on-one clinical support in partnership with the care they receive through their centre.
Read more
Access and equity challenges in primary health care persist for LGBTIQA+ people
A recent study by Curtin University, funded by WAPHA, shows many LGBTIQA+ people still face discrimination and experience stigma and exclusion when accessing healthcare, and gave recommendations for addressing gaps and improving services and policy.
Read more Training and Events Mental Health: A discussion with Associate Professor Mat Coleman
24 August 2024 6.00-8.30pm
Quality Inn Railway Hotel, Kalgoorlie
Psychiatric Associate Professor Mat Coleman will facilitate a GP discussion on mental health treatment plans including medication, titration and a variety of referral options.
Register now
Mooditj Leader Training
27 – 29 August 2024
Mooditj Leader Training is a four-day, hands on capacity building course that builds the confidence and knowledge of youth workers to yarn with young Aboriginal people about relationships and sexual health and support them to make positive and informed choices about their wellbeing and relationships.
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 August and September. Register now
View WAPHA'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. |
