| Your Care Path is one of two health care service models introduced in western Victoria using a new regional care partnerships (RCP) approach.* |  |
Your Care Path is a new program to support people with a chronic condition or who are at risk of developing a chronic condition and who live in a rural or remote area. The program provides holistic support with set outcomes for their health and wellbeing. It has replaced the Chronic Conditions Model of Care program.
*The other service model using a RCP approach is Step Thru Care.
Note: Details on the referral processes for the new services are available from the Your Care Path Chronic Conditions Support page.
How Your Care Path is being delivered
Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) has appointed four consortia of local service providers – one for each of our sub-regions – to deliver Your Care Path. The new services were introduced at the start of 2024 by the following providers:
- Wimmera Grampians: East Grampians Health Service (lead agency) in partnership with Grampians Health, Rural Northwest Health, West Wimmera Health Service and East Wimmera Health Service.
- Goldfields: Maryborough District Health Service (lead agency) in partnership with Central Highlands Rural Health, Mecwacare, Springs Medical and Beaufort Skipton Health Service.
- Great South Coast: Heywood Rural Health (lead agency) in partnership with Moyne Health Service, Western District Health Service and Terang and Mortlake Health Service.
- Colac, Coast and Otways: Great Ocean Road Health (lead agency) in partnership with Colac Area Health and Hesse Rural Health.
The model is designed to complement not replace existing chronic conditions support provided by general practice. The support delivered is in addition to services funded through Medicare and/or other funding sources. Clients continue seeing their regular GP while receiving specialised treatment from other service providers at all stages of care.
Key elements of the program
- Delivers person-centred care.
- Supports early intervention and promote evidence-based self-management.
- Supports the development of multidisciplinary collaborative care teams.
- Supports partnership approaches.
- Supports integration with primary care.
- Supports standardisation of outcome measures.
- Ensures maximum value is delivered within the available budget.
Why a new service model was needed
WVPHN has a responsibility to ensure funding we receive from the Australian Government is used to deliver primary health care services that are of most benefit to our communities.
The former Chronic Conditions Model of Care services for supporting people with chronic conditions in rural and remote areas were first introduced more than ten years ago. Since that time, there have been numerous developments and advances in health care and health care policy, including the 10-Year Plan for Primary Health Care in Australia.
Therefore, it was important to review the existing service model to ensure services we fund are aligned with current health care requirements, policy direction, expectations, and health data.
How Your Care Path was developed
WVPHN developed the Your Care Path service model through a comprehensive co-design and tendering process that incorporated a Learn Phase, a Design Phase, and finally a Test and Refine phase.
2021
March |
Primary health service providers, people with chronic conditions and their carers were invited to share their experience and knowledge of chronic conditions care services in western Victoria at a series of online workshops as the first step in redesigning WVPHN-commissioned chronic conditions care services in our region to ensure they target communities of greatest need.
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2022
July |
Using the feedback from the previous year’s workshops combined with a review of chronic conditions literature and best practice policies, WVPHN took the next step to invite health providers to participate in designing a new service model. At a series of online workshops, we asked general practitioners, allied health professionals and people working in community and rural health services to consider the following priorities:
Note: the lead time between the two stages was longer than originally planned. This enabled WVPHN to separate the chronic conditions and mental health and AOD components of our consultation. At the same time, there were increased commitments to supporting the COVID-19 response. |
August |
A proposed enhanced service model was developed based on what was learnt during the consultation. WVPHN undertook market sounding to better understand the feasibility of the proposed model.
Chronic condition support organisations were invited to attend market sounding sessions to discuss the enhanced service model and explore opportunities for partnership development. The sessions were well-attended and included service providers from both within the western Victoria region and those from other parts of Victoria and Australia. At the same time, WVPHN released the Chronic Conditions Co-design Report (PDF 319KB) |
September to October |
The Chronic Conditions Commissioning Intent Document (PDF 1MKB) was released ahead of a call for organisations considering tendering for the chronic conditions support service contracts to register their interest in connecting with other organisations to develop partnerships for service delivery. WVPHN advised potential tenderers there would be a preference for a single application per sub-region/s from a lead agency that represents a formal partnership involving suitable organisations to deliver the enhanced chronic conditions service model in rural and remote communities in each sub-region.
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December |
WVPHN opened the tender process for the contracts to deliver the new Chronic Conditions support services, inviting submissions from relevant consortia to deliver the regional care partnerships service model in the rural and remote areas of western Victoria
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2023
February to June |
The tender period closed on 6 February with 4 tenders received – one for each of WVPHN’s 4 sub-regions. WVPHN assessed the tenders and then worked with each lead agency to develop transition strategies specific to the needs of their respective areas before finalising the contracts.
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July |
WVPHN announced that Maryborough District Health Services would partner with Central Highlands Rural Health, Mecwacare, Springs Medical and Beaufort Skipton Health Service to deliver the new chronic conditions support services – to be called Your Care Path – in the Goldfields region. This area includes the municipalities of Central Goldfields, Hepburn, Moorabool, Pyrenees.
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October |
East Grampians Health Services was announced as the lead agency for Your Care Path services in the Wimmera Grampians area in partnership with Grampians Health, Rural Northwest Health, West Wimmera Health Service and East Wimmera Health Service. The area covers the municipalities of Ararat, Horsham, West Wimmera, Yarriambiack, Hindmarsh, Northern Grampians.
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December |
WVPHN announced Great Ocean Road Health (lead agency) in partnership with Colac Area Health and Hesse Rural Health would deliver Your Care Path in the Colac, Coast and Otways area. This area includes the municipalities of Colac Otway and parts of the Golden Plains and Surf Coast shires.
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2024
January to February |
A partnership of Heywood Rural Health (lead agency), Moyne Health Service, Western District Health Service and Terang and Mortlake Health Service is announced as the consortium to deliver Your Care Path in the Great South Coast, covering the municipalities of Corangamite, Glenelg, Moyne, Southern Grampians and Warrnambool.
Your Care Path services begin across all four regions. |