WQPHN delivered the first round of training to seven primary care practices across north west, central west and south west Queensland.
WQPHN CEO Mr Stuart Gordon said that, ‘our practices fully committed to the training and sent majority of staff along leaving only skeleton staff in the practice. This reflects the commitment of our practices to improving the quality of care they provide, and shifting the current disease trajectory so that people in the bush get the care they need, when they need it.’
Training is an essential part of the new model of care and the first workshop orientated practices to the first four foundations of the model. Practice principal and GP from of Mount Isa Medical Dr Michael Mbaogu said ‘the new model provides the foundation pillars that will help us make the necessary changes needed to improve the quality of care we provide. This is not just about changing how our practice operates, but is also about looking at how we interact with our patients’.
As part of the orientation training, results from the Patient Satisfaction Survey, Team Health Check and Maturity Matrix were fed back to each practice and being used to help guide where the practice needs to make improvements.
‘Using evaluation feedback is central to the program and having immediate access to results means the practices are able to be responsive to changes needed. This information is also fed into the practice implementation plan which assists practices to make incremental improvements in practice processes, systems, team culture and behaviour change,’ said Director Dr Kylie Armstrong of Healthy Futures Australia who is working in partnership with WQPHN to implement the new model.
Likewise, practices in the Early Adopter Program are also using the feedback to implement new collateral including trialling digital technology tools TopBar, VideoCall and GoShare. WQPHN Team Coordinator, Practice Innovation and Health Care Homes,Ms Natalie Kerrigan said, ‘the new technology is already having an impact with all practices implementing the new patient education platform, GoShare, which is providing quality patient education delivered virtually to patient’s hand-held devices or computer’.
To support successful implementation, WQPHN are actively supporting practices through six core Support for Uptake strategies including change management, primary care partnerships, connecting care, service frameworks, business and health intelligence and workforce development.
Practices also have access to a suite of service offerings that are based on the WQ HCH 10 foundations and include WQPHN practice support, training programs, workforce development, procured and commissioned services, and tools and techniques.
WQPHN Executive Manager, Practice Capability and Innovation, Ms Rhonda Fleming said, ‘our Practice Coordinators work directly with practices offering both face to face and virtual visits and already their support has made a difference with 100% of practices uptake of the technology tools embedded within the practices. Success like that only comes when you have well trained and confident Coordinators who are able to guide and navigate practices through the change process’.
‘At the end of the day, it’s all about systematically and incrementally improving to achieving patient centred high performing quality primary care, and our practices have certainly risen to the challenge and taken this on board with gusto’, said Mr Gordon.
Western Queensland PHN acknowledges the traditional owners of the country on which we work and live and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to them, their cultures, and to elders past and present.
