RWAV Conference
It was a pleasure to attend the annual Rural Workforce Agency Victoria (RWAV) conference in Ballarat last week. This year the theme was: Pathways to Progress: Healthcare Access in Rural Victoria.
There were many excellent speakers, but some personal highlights included Dr Catherine Lees from Murray Primary Health Network, who outlined the data around GP Registrar needs and the capacity needed to support and supervise them. Another excellent presentation was given by Western Victoria Primary Health Network’s (WVPHN) Digital Health Manager, Sarah Crowe, who spoke about digital maturity within general practice.
RWAV’s conference made me reflect on the importance of partnership and community engagement when addressing workforce issues – no problem has a simple solution and each needs to be designed for the local circumstance.
Safer Care Victoria Cardiovascular Summit
Safer Care Victoria held its first Cardiovascular Summit on 14 February (yes, Valentine’s Day). The event was held in Melbourne and had more than 300 attendees, largely from health services, for the single day summit.
WVPHN, in collaboration with Grampians Health, was asked to deliver a presentation and panel discussion on What is a high-quality cardiovascular pathway? Breaking down silos.
The focus of the presentation was on how WVPHN and Grampians Health are working together to develop a model of care for Heart Failure in the CVD Transitions of Care – post event trial. This is part of a larger piece of work looking at using the concept of value-based health care to deliver improved outcomes for those at risk of, and/or with cardiovascular disease. Three things set this program apart from ‘what is usually done’: building a care pathway with capability, comfort and calm supporting the patient’s journey; collaboration between tertiary and primary care in a ‘systems approach’; consideration of redefining an episode of care.
If you are interested in more information regarding this piece of work, please contact Laura Martin at laura.martin@westvicphn.com.au.
Grampians/Gariwerd National Park Fires
Last week there were two small but intense bushfires in the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park region that led to loss of a lot of houses, particularly in the tiny town of Pomonal (on the eastern edge the park), which lost nearly 30 homes. It appears the fires were started by lightning, which then spread rapidly, fanned by gusts of wind up to 130km/h.
We know that many locals in the area have been severely affected by the fires, including health professionals, so we were very happy to help provide support via our membership of Victorian Department of Health’s Western Region Emergency Management Team, providing information about local health resources, particularly mental health services.
If you know someone affected by the fires who needs information about services, then they can find a list of psychosocial supports here.
Andy Giddy, Acting CEO WVPHN
21 February 2024