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Local Collaboratives underway |
 The first learning workshop for the local Collaboratives team (Wave 3) was held recently at Angourie Rainforest Resort in Yamba.
The division has been funded to put 10 practices through the local program. Five have already started, but there is still the opportunity for up to five more practices to join. Please contact Jenn Boomer before the end of October if you would like to participate.
The practices involved in Wave 3 are:
- Alstonville Medical Centre
- Ballina West Medical Centre
- Goonellabah Medical Centre
- Grant Street Clinic, Ballina
- North Coast Medical Centre, Byron Bay
The division’s chair Tony Lembke, who is involved in the Collaboratives though his Alstonville practice and as clinical chair of the national Collaboratives, presented to the new group. So did Tintenbar GP Lynne Davies, who is also part of the National Collaboratives and chair of its coronary heart disease expert reference panel.
The workshop was well received by everyone with all participants keen to begin the improvement journey.
About the Collabs
It is an improvement method that enables practices to adapt systems from other practices to improve systematic care for their chronically ill patients.
One of the ways it does this is to harness the power of information technology to improve chronic disease management. Participating practices learn to create registers of patients with diabetes and CHD that show if they are applying evidence based medicine to every patient every time.
The Collabs is the largest primary care program in the world with more than 600 practices in Australia now participating. It has produced significant results both here and overseas. In Peru for example, where 9 out of 10 people die of tuberculosis, the model has successfully been applied to achieve an 80% cure rate in participating practices. This success has even convinced the World Health Organisation to add medicines for this disease to their list of essential drugs.
GPs interested in joining the local program should contact Jennifer Boomer on 6622 4453 before the end of October. (Participating GPs receive 210 RACGP QA&CPD points.)
Aims
- To promote a culture of quality improvement in primary health care.
- To improve clinical outcomes and reduce lifestyle risk factors.
- To help maintain good health for those with chronic conditions.
For more information visit www.nrdgp.org.au/collabs.
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