Healthy North Coast is pleased to announce the successful recipients of their Residential Aged Care – Enhanced Primary Care Access Grants program. These grants have been awarded following an expression of interest process and panel evaluation.
Recognising the unique challenges associated with delivering primary care to residents in aged care homes – particularly in areas of GP shortages – we invited submissions from GPs, general practices, residential aged care and allied health providers proposing solutions that would best meet the needs of their local community, residents and healthcare providers.
The program supports initiatives that improve access to primary care for residents of aged care homes, increase capacity for primary care providers to deliver services, or enhance the capability of the aged care homes to respond to the care needs of their residents.
A total of $415,000 in grants was awarded to 5 recipients, including 4 GP practices and one residential aged care provider.
Healthy North Coast’s Associate Director of Healthy Living and Ageing, Jo Winwood, said:
“Across our region, we are seeing how GP shortages create very different challenges and opportunities. Innovative place-based solutions developed by aged care homes and primary care providers are sure to deliver the most effective approaches that really meet the specific needs of each community.
“The recipients of these grants all bring a different approach to the challenge. We look forward to seeing the impacts of these initiatives.”
Awardees
1. Flynn’s Beach Medical, Port Macquarie
The General Practice Integration program aims to make it easier for older residents in Port Macquarie aged care homes to see a GP when they need one. It centralises communication between the medical practice and the aged care home and helps GPs provide care without interrupting their usual work.
Flynns Beach Medical Centre is using a mixed-model of care in conjunction with structured communication workflows, where GPs visit residents in person and also provide scheduled follow-up appointments through telehealth from the practice. This approach increases the number of residents they can support and helps reduce common challenges GPs face when working in aged care, such as scheduling issues, time pressures, and communication difficulties.
2. Woopi Medical Centre, Woolgoolga
The nurse-led enhanced primary care access model is a strategic, hyper local solution that overcomes the challenges associated with reactive care practices and inefficient use of GP time. Under the nurse coordinator model, the practice and residential aged care team enjoy enhanced coordination, with anticipatory pre-work and care planning activities re-allocated to the nurse coordinator. This allows for the entire care team to operate at the top of scope, enabling the GP to focus on complex clinical decision making and improves communication and coordination across the RACH and practice staff.
3. St Andrews Village, Ballina
Recognising that one of the most significant barriers to health care access for aged care residents is safe and reliable transport, the Aged Care Resident Transport initiative will operate across the Northern Rivers region to assist residents, with attending appointments with GPs, allied health and specialist appointments. Priority access will be given to those with limited mobility, cognitive impairment or who lack family support.
With the support of a volunteer coordinator employed by St Andrews Village, the initiative will operate with a team of volunteers trained in aged care awareness and cultural safety.
4. Rose Avenue Medical, Coffs Harbour
Rose Avenue Medical consists of one practice principal providing primary care services to residents of 4 different homes in the Coffs region, along with community clinic commitments. To optimise the coordination of care and enhance GP capacity, the team will implement a nurse-led coordinator model.
This nurse coordinator will undertake visits to the home, conduct assessments, coordinate GP and allied health appointments, facilitate meetings with other healthcare providers and manage communication with residents’ families.
5. Your Family Practice, Laurieton
The clinical and practice management team at YFP have also adopted a novel approach to this issue of primary care access by developing a solution from a workforce development perspective. YFP has, over recent years, employed several International Medical Graduates (IMGs) to join their practice, and these GPs new to Australia have become a welcome and integral part of the community.
YFP will develop its own training program to meet the needs of doctors engaging in aged and palliative care. Training topics include practicalities and commercial aspects of aged care work, implementing principles of geriatric care into care planning, working with multidisciplinary teams in aged care, cultural factors in patient care, palliative care planning and many more. This training will also benefit other practices in the region.
By supporting initiatives that improve coordination, enhance clinical capability, and foster more responsive models of care, the Residential Aged Care – Enhanced Primary Care Access Grants are helping to create a healthier, more connected aged care system.
Healthy North Coast is proud to champion and invest in innovative health and aged care providers who share this commitment, and we look forward to seeing the lasting impact these projects deliver for residents, families, and communities across our region.
