COVID-19 outbreaks in residential aged care facilities in Sydney and Victoria have demonstrated the critical role general practice plays in mitigating the impact of a COVID-19 outbreak for residents. For this reason, Healthy North Coast has launched the COVID-19 Residential Aged Care Facility Outbreak GP Framework to support GP coverage in residential aged care facilities.
The framework supports GPs to prepare for, respond to and provide medical coverage for a COVID-19 outbreak in a residential aged care facility (RACF). The framework offers a range of tools and resources to ensure clarity of GP roles and responsibilities (preparations, during and post) and provision for funded GP Team Leader and a GP Locum roles during an outbreak.
If you are a GP and work in an RACF please consider:
- Reading the COVID-19 RACF GP Framework Fact Sheet.
- Reading the COVID-19 RACF GP Framework Guidelines.
- Becoming familiar with the COVID-19 HealthPathways for RACFs.
- Becoming familiar with your RACF’s Outbreak Plan.
- Participating in the COVID-19 RACF GP Framework Management Kit completion with your RACF management.
- Completing the Primary Care Impact – RACF COVID-19 GP preparation quality improvement activity.
- Considering if you are interested in being a GP Team Leader or a GP Locum.
- Having these key documents ready if there is an outbreak.
Click images to download documents
Background
RACF managers are currently having training on the framework and will be discussing with you the roles and preparations required to complete the GP Outbreak Kit. To date, feedback from RACF managers has been positive, recognising the substantial contribution that GPs will make in an outbreak.
Working groups of North Coast GPs and RACFs guided the framework through three virtual participatory workshops held in June and July 2020. Learnings from the outbreaks in Sydney and Victoria, as well as input from the local health districts (LHDs) and the Public Health Unit, also influenced the model.
The launch of the framework complements ongoing collaboration between health and aged care providers to prepare for COVID-19 outbreaks in our region. Since March 2020, Healthy North Coast has facilitated weekly meetings with RACFs and fortnightly meetings with community aged care providers in collaboration with the LHDs. A Basecamp site supports up-to-date information being shared across all facilities and health organisations. Scenario planning has also been undertaken providing the opportunity for service gaps and pathways to be identified and addressed.
The Newmarch report released this week found that GPs are an underused resource during a COVID-19 outbreak in an aged care facility, and the executives responsible for Newmarch House failed to ensure adequate general practitioner coverage.
These findings validate Healthy North Coast’s response framework, emphasising the significance of having clear operating protocols that outline key stakeholder roles. Healthy North Coast’s COVID-19 RACF Outbreak GP Framework clarifies GP responsibilities in an outbreak and funds GP outbreak roles, meeting the report’s findings and placing GPs in a clinically safe, supported environment to practice.
If you have any questions please contact:
Bron McCrae
Deputy Director Healthy Living and Ageing
Healthy North Coast
[email protected]
(02) 6580 3918