Practices, Partnerships and Population Health: Report on the 2000–2001 Annual Survey of Divisions of General Practice. ATAPS Access to Allied Psychological Services ATSI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ASD Annual Survey of Sections. PHC RIS maintains an ever-growing list of over 1,000 acronyms for Australian general practice and primary health care (http://www.phcris.org.au/products/acronyms.php).
INTRODUCTION
METHOD
To maintain consistency and allow comparison with previous summary data reports, the Rural Remote Metropolitan Area (RRMA) classification system was used to divide Divisions by rurality in 2010-11. ASD uses the RRMA classification system to divide Divisions by village. Since a number of SLAs contribute to each Division, resulting in mixing of RRMA classifications within a Division, it was necessary to develop further criteria to divide Divisions into RRMA categories.
DIVISION CONTEXT
Some departments reported the number of GPs in one or more of these categories as unknown (see Table 3.2) and these data are not included. Note: in 2007-08 non-GP member numbers were not available for the two NSW disbanded divisions (formerly Liverpool Division and Sydney South-West GP Network). Note: in 2007-08 GP member numbers were not available for the two NSW disbanded divisions (formerly Liverpool Division and Sydney South-West GP Network).
GOVERNANCE
Funding and reporting arrangements for the General Practice Departments program were streamlined with the introduction of the Multi-Program Funding Agreement (MPA) in 2005. Details of departmental funding for MPA programs such as Rural Primary Health Services (RPHS) are not reported here . Excluding funding for the Department of Family Medicine program, the Australian Department of Health and Aging (DoHA) funded just under half of all additional funding for the Departments (see Figure 4.2 for a breakdown of all additional funding sources).
PREVENTION AND EARLY INTERVENTION
Note: Prevention and early intervention programs or activities were not required to be reported in 2007-08 so no data were available for this period. Note: proportions are calculated using the number of Divisions with the specified program or activity as the denominator. The number of divisions offering Lifescripts programs fell by just 1%, with Healthy for Life programs falling by 3% in 2010-11 to 19%.
A community awareness approach was used by all divisions reporting to the Men's Sheds programme, while Healthy for Life programs were mostly implemented through collaboration with other organizations (81%). As might be expected, Men's Sheds and Pitstop programs were aimed at men. Of the 21 divisions running the Healthy for Life program, 62% reported targeting Indigenous Australians (up from 48% in 2009-10), and continued to use a range of approaches.
ACCESS
Questions relating to access to aged care were not requested to report in 2007-08 and therefore no data were available for this period. In late 2009, the Australian Government consolidated four previously separate primary and allied health programs (the More Allied Health Services (MAHS) program, the Regional Health Services (RHS) program, the Multipurpose Center program (MPC) and the Building Healthy Communities in Remote Australia program into the Rural Primary Health Services (RPHS) programme.The 2010-11 reporting period was the first in which departments were not required to report MAHS data.
Six divisions reported that no allied health professionals were employed to provide services to patients in 2010-11. Thirty-five divisions reported engaging 'other' types of allied health professionals in 2010-11, with exercise physiologists/professionals being the most common response (n=16 divisions). One hundred departments reported 325,551 services funded by other programs and these were delivered by a total of 538 FTE-related health professionals.
The FTEs and services reported by the divisions in 2010-2011 increased for the majority of allied health paramedics compared to the previous year. In 2010–11, all but one Victorian division undertook at least one activity to improve access to primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Note: The wording of the question changed between 2007-08 and 2008-09, from improving access to key ATSI health services to ATSI basic health care services.
All but one South Australian department supported activities to assist GPs to accurately record the ATSI status of all patients in 2010–11.
COLLABORATION AND INTEGRATION
Programs or activities addressing elements of chronic disease management (CDM) or enhanced primary care (EPC) and collaborative care were not included prior to 2005–2006.
CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT
Chronic disease programs, as shown in Table 8.2, had a generic focus and were not aimed at specific population groups. However, where programs specified target groups, these were most likely to be women, men and Indigenous Australians, with approximately half of all divisions targeting these groups in at least one chronic disease program or activity; mainly for mental health activities of divisions) and diabetes programs respectively).
GENERAL PRACTICE SUPPORT
Note: when comparing over the years, 'patient admissions for accreditation' replaced 'support for accreditation' in 2008-09. Information management and information technology (IM/IT) training and support activities, provided by divisions to general practices in their catchment area, were assessed in terms of which practices requested and what divisions provided. The proportion of departments providing training decreased for all types of training, except for the use of clinical information systems which remained unchanged with 94% of departments providing that training.
Over 97% of the time, and comparable to previous years, departments in 2010-11 typically offered training if a practice requested it. The biggest difference occurred for website development, where 8 divisions provided training out of the 13 that received a request and basic computer skills fell by 6% compared to 2009-10. In terms of support to IM/IT activities, for 2010-11 there was a decrease in the proportion of divisions receiving inquiries and providing support in all IM/IT activities, except for bulk purchase of computers/software, which increased from 2009-10 (see table 9.3).
Requests and provision of computer support and technical assistance remained unchanged on the previous year; however, the proportion of departments providing support to practices requesting support rose slightly to 55%. Computer Information and Advice was down 3% on requests but decreased 11% in providing support for this IM/IT activity, 63 divisions provided support out of the 72 that a.
CONSUMER FOCUS
Note: Issues relating to consumer involvement in the Division's activities were not requested for reporting in 2007-08 and therefore no data are available for this period. For divisions (97%) reported conducting evaluation, needs assessment and strategic planning activities, of which 101 (9%) involved consumers in one or more of these activities. Since first reporting this information in 2004-05, the proportion of divisions engaging consumers in program evaluation (74%) is at its highest to date, with consumer involvement in needs assessment (62%) and strategic planning ( 59%) fluctuating around current levels over the years (see figure 10.3).
Note: Questions relating to assessment, needs assessment and strategic planning were not requested for reporting in 2007-08 and therefore no data are available for that period. Questions relating to assessment, needs assessment and strategic planning were not requested for reporting in 2007-08 and therefore no data are available for that period.
WORKFORCE
The majority of departments (98%) reported that they provided at least one activity to support the workforce needs and wellbeing of GPs in 2010–2011. All support activities were carried out in 2010-2011 by similar proportions of departments as in the previous year, with a slight increase in family and social support activities and a small decrease in teaching and mentoring and locum support (see Figure 11.3). As shown in Figure 11.4, more than 50% of departments encouraged GPs to have their own GP, which was the most common activity during the reporting periods.
With the exception of needs analysis/data collection activity, there had been increased activity to support GP development and training (see Figure 11.5). Continuing professional development remained the most commonly delivered activity and all 111 divisions provided this support in 2010-11. The reported total number of medical staff receiving WSRGP support increased over the three reporting periods, as well as an increase in 2010-11 for all GP types (see Table 11.4).
As shown in Figure 11.6, there was an increase in four of the nine activities compared to the previous year, with GP support again being the most reported support activity for GPs funded by the WSRGP. A total of 38 divisions reported receiving WSRGP funding for at least one primary care activity for the 2010-2011 reporting period. All reported general practice activities funded by the WSRGP remained relatively consistent across divisions between 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 (see Figure 11.7).
Fifty-nine divisions reported receiving WSRGP funding for at least one general practice development and education activity during 2010–2011.
THE DIVISIONS NETWORK (AND RWA)
How many general practitioners do you estimate practiced in your department's catchment area per Jun 30, 2011. How many Aboriginal community-controlled health services were there in your division's catchment area per 30 Jun 2011. How was your department involved in activities aimed at improving access to medical services in 2010-11.
Which programs or activities aimed at improving the cooperation of general practitioners with hospitals and/or specialists was your department involved in implementing in 2010-2011? What programs or activities to improve the collaboration of general practitioners with other primary care providers was your department involved in implementing in 2010-2011? How did your department provide support to practices in 2010-2011 (via GPs or practice staff).
What formal mechanisms did your division use to engage Indigenous health organizations or Indigenous consumers in 2010-2011. Please explain why there were no formal mechanisms for Indigenous consumer involvement in your division in 2010-2011. How was your department involved in carrying out activities or programs to improve GP care for the elderly in 2010-2011?
How was your Division involved in activities aimed at supporting practice nurses in general practice in 2010-11. What activities did your Division undertake to support the workforce needs and wellbeing of GPs in 2010-11. Did your Division use the AGPN National Resource Library (formerly known as the Clearinghouse) in 2009-10.
