When looking at the impact of widespread COVID-19 community transmission in Victoria, it is clear that continuity of primary care is crucial to support an effective outbreak response.
Most people with COVID-19 are likely to experience mild symptoms and recover without requiring special treatment or hospitalisation.
In Victoria, when the hospital system reached near capacity, general practitioners (GPs) were called on to manage mild cases. GPs are skilled in telehealth and ideally placed to provide quality care to patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms, but having adequate support and pathways in place is critical.
On 16 September 2020, Healthy North Coast hosted a virtual meeting for nominated GPs in collaboration with the Mid North Coast and Northern NSW Local Health Districts. Participants discussed GP capacity and preparedness to manage patients with mild COVID-19 illness, identify gaps and determine possible solutions.
Outcomes from the meeting include:
- GPs are well-placed to manage care for an existing patient with mild COVID-19 via telehealth with adequate funding, support and resources.
- Establishing a clear pathway to transfer COVID-19 positive patients from LHD to GP and back again.
- Undertaking needs assessment and risk analysis of general practice capacity across the North Coast may be beneficial to prepare for an outbreak.
- Need to ensure there are clear guidelines on the clinical criteria and pathways for GPs escalating a patient to hospital.
- Consider issues with access and cost of PPE for practitioners, staff and patients.
Healthy North Coast is working hard to ensure primary care services are ready to respond to a COVID-19 outbreak if necessary. Outcomes from the virtual meeting will guide development of initiatives to support general practice to prepare for and respond to COVID-19.
Our existing COVID-19 initiatives include:
Visit HealthPathways for more information on assessment and management COVID-19 in general practice.
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