Working Together – Partnerships
Key projects
Gippsland PHN has been identified by the Department of Health and Human Services as an appropriate agency to support the implementation of nine health strategies determined by the Hazelwood Mine Fire Inquiry: Victorian Government Implementation Plan.
Three distinct strategies aim to embed community behaviour change and health provider practice change on smoking, cancer screening and health assessment and management within the boundaries of the Latrobe City Local Government Area known as the Latrobe Health Innovation Zone (LHIZ).
A key component of the strategies is active involvement with local communities co-designing localised projects to decrease smoking rates, increase cancer bowel, breast and cervical screening rates and increase opportunities for screening for diseases supportive of early interventions.
Gippsland PHN delivers the three projects by promoting innovative solutions that support service integration and pooling of resources. This is achieved by Gippsland PHN’s leadership on the Clinical Reference Group and as a foundation membership of the Latrobe Health Assembly.
Key achievements
HealthPathways
Smoking
The winning video ‘It’s Time’ was watched by 5191 unique viewers and reached 12,823 people via Facebook. Most views were in Victoria and the Latrobe Valley. Viewing was evenly divided between men and women. Viewers ranged in age from 13 to over 65, with the highest proportion of viewers falling in the age bracket between 35 and 44, when research shows it is critically important to quit smoking.
Quit Victoria announced they would use the grand finalist video and one other finalist’s video in an on-line social marketing campaign throughout Victoria.
The five finalists were:
GRADY - Save a Life
SCRIBBLEVISION - Not Alone
LINDEN HANLEY - Overcome the Hurdles
SARAH MANINGON - A Better Path
WINNER: Spectrum Productions - It’s Time
A ‘red carpet’ gala event was held at the Moe Library to celebrate the five finalists, acknowledge partners and stakeholders and announce the grand finalist.
Finalist Grady Just (third from left) and family
The Latrobe City Council (LCC) Mayor,
Darrell White, opened the night.
From left to right, Darrell White (LCC Mayor), Dr Sarah White (Director, Quit Victoria), Brett Tippet and team (Spectrum Productions), Dan Clancey (Artistic Director, Pitch To Quit)
Population Based Cancer Screening
The aim of the Population Based Cancer Screening Program is to develop a range of sustainable, evidence based, best practice activities to increase the likelihood of people actively screening for breast, bowel and cervical cancer throughout their life.
The primary partners working with Gippsland PHN are DHHS, Cancer Council Victoria, BreastScreen Victoria, Latrobe Health Assembly, Latrobe Community Health Service, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Ramahyuck Aboriginal Services, Gippsland Women’s Health Service and general practices located in Latrobe City area.
In partnership with BreastScreen Victoria, Marjorie, the pink mobile screening Service van, was located at Ramahyuck in Morwell and Coles in Moe over three weeks.
Case study – Nik Le Sage
When Traralgon woman Nik Le Sage booked in for a routine check-up during a visit by BreastScreen Victoria’s mobile breast screening service to Ramahyuck in November 2017, she didn’t think twice about what the scan might find.
Strong and healthy with a passion for exercise, Ms Le Sage has never considered herself at risk of developing cancer. She could feel no lumps or pain in her breasts, had no family history of cancer and didn’t believe herself to be at risk.
Rather, Ms Le Sage made the appointment to encourage others from her “mob” – women from the Latrobe Aboriginal community – to overcome their embarrassment and cultural reluctance and have their breasts screened.
So it was a big surprise to be called back for a second scan to clarify anomalies found in the first, followed by an ultrasound, a specialist examination and a biopsy.
“The specialist felt a lump, which he believed to be a lesion and while it isn’t cancer, a lesion can hide cancer cells,” she said.
Five days before Christmas, five weeks after her initial scan, and just a month after losing her best friend to breast cancer, Ms Le Sage had a quarter of her breast removed at Latrobe Regional Hospital and began radiotherapy treatment.
“I had a benign lesion growing in my breast which I had to have removed, and I’ll have six monthly mammograms for two years, but I know it’s going to be ok,” Ms Le Sage said.
“But it’s alerted me to the importance of doing women’s health checks. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen to me and it’s really important for women of all ages to check their breasts, have any changes checked and to go for regular breast screens.”
BreastScreen Victoria offers free mammograms, and follow-up tests where necessary, to find breast cancer early before any symptoms are noticed and when treatment is most successful.
Three-quarters of women diagnosed with breast cancer are aged 50 and over, so breast screening is recommended every two years for women in this age group.
“While women with a strong family history of breast cancer have a higher than average risk, nine out of 10 women have no family history of the disease,” Julie Foat from BreastScreen Victoria said.
The Chief Executive Officer of Gippsland PHN, Marianne Shearer, said: “Women have the best chance of surviving breast cancer when it is detected early and the best way to achieve that is through a breast screen every two years.”
However, figures show that breast cancer screening rates in the Latrobe Valley are below the state average, particularly among women in Moe, Morwell and Churchill, “that’s why Gippsland PHN brought the mobile breast screening van to Latrobe”, Ms Shearer said.
Since sharing her experience on Facebook, Ms Le Sage says 11 family members and friends have attended BreastScreen clinics and two have been called back to investigate lumps they otherwise couldn’t detect.
“I hope my experience encourages all women to go for a breast screen,” Ms Le Sage said. “It’s such a simple process, it doesn’t hurt and everything is arranged for you. They are the most caring staff members I’ve ever
encountered.”
Opportunistic Screening
Risk Assessment and Opportunistic Screening Program
The aim of the Risk Assessment and Opportunistic Screening Program is to develop a range of sustainable, evidence-based and best practice activities to support people in the community to assess their own risk
of developing disease and local health systems to deliver best practice prevention orientated to primary healthcare for the Latrobe community. This will enable healthcare clinicians and health service operational managers to implement behaviours and processes to support people to prevent the occurrence or delay the onset of chronic conditions.
The primary partners working with Gippsland PHN are DHHS, Heart Foundation, the Victorian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, Latrobe Health Assembly, Latrobe Community Health Service, Latrobe Regional Hospital, Ramahyuck Aboriginal Services, Gippsland Women’s Health Service, and general practices located in Latrobe City area.
Health Check Pilot
In 2017, Gippsland PHN and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) worked with the National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance (NVDPA) and Victorian Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance (VCDPA) to develop a consumer health check to assess a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke) and chronic kidney disease.
Launch of Black Pages
Gippsland PHN consulted with members of the Aboriginal community to develop a health directory called Black Pages. This directory features local health services for the Aboriginal community and was originally developed in a printed format in 2017. It then progressed to an online format in 2018 with the Black Pages website going live during NAIDOC Week (9 July 2018).
The name Black Pages originated out of a consultation process with Aboriginal community members and the directory was developed with the assistance and support of these communities with parts written in traditional Gunai language.
Doctors in Secondary Schools Program
This initiative is funded by the Victorian Department of Education to enable GPs to attend up to 100 Victorian government secondary schools for a session per week. They provide medical advice and healthcare to those students most in need.
In Gippsland, nine secondary schools were successful in their application to join the Doctors in Secondary Schools Program.
- Swifts Creek P–12 School
- Bairnsdale Secondary College
- Sale Secondary College
- Maffra Secondary College
- Traralgon Secondary College
- Kurnai College — Morwell
- Warragul Regional College
- Drouin Secondary College
- Neerim District Secondary College
Over the past 12 months, Gippsland PHN has:
- engaged local general practices to become service providers to the schools
- formalised the commissioning of the practice through service agreements
- managed the reporting and payment processes
- reported on progress to the Victorian Department of Education through North West Melbourne PHN – the lead PHN for this project
- successfully supported participating GPs and practice nurses through training and ongoing professional development to help ensure a youth-friendly service is provided.
The Doctors in Secondary Schools Program is funded by the Victorian Department of Education and managed by the Gippsland PHN, which has commissioned the service providers to the program.
My Health record community engagement
Gippsland PHN is continuing to actively engage with consumers and health professionals for the My Health Record expansion opt-out period, guided by the Australian Digital Health Agency. The Gippsland PHN Digital Team recently presented on My Health Record at several information sessions held across Gippsland. These sessions targeted CALD and vulnerable communities, consumer and provider network groups and Rotary and Probus clubs.
In addition to these sessions, pharmacists and GP clinics across Gippsland have been provided with information, resources and training sessions to assist them in understanding the registration process and further support their discussions with patients. Gippsland PHN is working closely with allied health professionals by offering additional training sessions and linking them to number of useful resources on My Health Record.
Gippsland PHN welcomes the opportunity to further engage with local health professionals and community groups on My Health Record.
In the Gippsland region, GPs recorded 100% awareness and engagement was met for the My Health Record Expansion Program.
Mental Health
Engagement of People with Lived Experience
A key early part of the systems-based model is the engagement of people with lived experience to ensure their meaningful contribution to the development of the system-based approach to suicide prevention in Bass Coast. This investment has been building community engagement and contribution and connection to local communities, supporting lived experience representation at advisory meetings and governance structures, delivering community workshops to engage and consult, and resource development.
Nine community education workshops were held, including in Wonthaggi, Leongatha, Korumburra, with 115 people attending in total. Events have been delivered in partnership with community houses, health services, local sporting clubs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service providers and LGBTIQ+ community members. The 'Tell Maria' postcard campaign identified priorities for community members with lived experience.
The AFL Gippsland Mental Health and Pride football rounds
Seven games featured in the AFL Gippsland Football and Netball Mental Health Round in seven senior football and netball leagues in Gippsland with the tagline of make good mental health your goal’. The events included promotional materials, guest speakers, health and welfare agencies staff present to ensure support for attendees on the day and a media campaign.
There were three community events at selected football and netball clubs featuring guest speakers presenting on mental wellbeing and access to services.
Home teams were provided with blue football socks and netball bibs to wear; information and promotional materials were distributed and representatives from Gippsland Mental Health Alliance
attended games with resources.
Sharing Stories of Lived Experience
Dairy farmers' calendar
A dairy farming calendar was developed for Gippsland dairy farmers with a mental health theme, detailing 12 farmers’ personal stories about mental illness.
Each calendar page showcased a dairy farmer who had experienced poor mental health, with their lived experience story and key messages about help-seeking and accessing care, encouragement, and how they manage their own mental health. The calendar used imagery of local farms across the whole of Gippsland and provided a list of support services available.
The mental health calendar was launched in April 2018 at Lardner Park Farm World. Calendars have been distributed to 1,400 dairy farmers in Gippsland through milk processors’ tanker drop. The power of personal and local storytelling is generating conversations that have a ripple effect throughout the Gippsland farming community and beyond.
Celebrating Diversity and Resilience
'We are the 10 per cent' video
South Coast Inclusion Network in partnership with Drift Media is developing the ‘We are the 10 per cent’ video life stories project, which focuses on the lived experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people living in Bass Coast and surrounds.
The project demonstrates the lived experience of the LGBTI community. This includes the challenges people face, such as accessing inclusive services and social exclusion, as well as celebrating diversity and resilience by showcasing successful examples of LGBTI inclusive practice and promoting positive ways to seek support. The video stories will be launched in April 2019.
Community-Led Approach to Suicide Prevention
Suicide prevention is a shared focus of the Department of Health and Human Services and Primary Health Networks, (PHN).
Key policies include the 5th National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Plan and the Victorian Suicide Prevention Framework 2016-25. In line with these, the Victorian Government and the six Victorian PHNs are collaborating to trial place-based approaches.
Our goals are for reduced rates of suicide; reduced suicide attempts; improved individual and community resilience and wellbeing; and an improved system to prevent suicide in an ongoing way.
Gippsland PHN is supporting a community-wide approach to suicide prevention in Bass Coast and Latrobe Valley.
This community-led approach is integral to building the capacity of people to support those facing a suicide crisis and helping people in the local community to be informed and better connected.
Gippsland PHN is proud to be working with Wellways to support people with lived experience to talk about suicide in their local communities and reduce stigma.
Optimal Care Pathways
Gippsland PHN is working in collaboration with the five other Victorian Primary Health Networks, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Regional Integrated Cancer Services Network to support the implementation of the Optimal Care Pathways (OCP) with general practitioners, cancer services, specialists and other health professionals across our region.
In 2017, the first two priority areas identified by DHHS for the PHNs to focus on were colorectal (bowel) and lung cancer. Gippsland PHN worked with Gippsland Regional Integrated Cancer Care Services (GRICS) to enable these OCPs to be embedded into standard practice across all services to improve the patient cancer care experience.
In 2018, the priority areas identified were prostate cancer and oesophago-gastric cancer. Gippsland PHN will be undertaking work to support the critical role of GPs in the adoption of the prostate cancer and oesophago gastric cancer OCPs including:
- building general practitioner awareness, knowledge and use of cancer OCPs
- improving collaboration between GPs, cancer specialists and health professionals working in the acute sector
- driving better practice cancer care through the adoption of the OCPs
- identifying areas for service improvement.
Key achievements /Highlights and Stats
HealthPathways
Networking and communications
- Regular bimonthly meetings with GRICS.
- Various meetings with/presentations to other teams within Gippsland PHN.
- Various meetings with/presentations to other stakeholders.
- OCP webpage developed for Gippsland PHN website, articles/content developed for Link, general practice support emails, Facebook.
- OCP information/fact sheets, resources etc. developed and distributed.
Gippsland PHN Prostate Cancer OCP Project:
‘Assisting GPs to help their patients make informed decisions about PSA testing’.
Aim: Development of a pilot ‘PSA Testing: Patient Information and Resource Pack’ for GPs to:
Patient and GP feedback/survey results are being analysed.
Education and Training program
The Education and Training program at Gippsland PHN involves the coordination of a variety of educational opportunities in various formats targeting general practitioners, nurses, practice staff and other medical professionals.
Gippsland PHN’s Education and Training Officer holds an Education Activity Representative (EAR) accreditation to develop high quality education activities for GPs that meet the RACGP QI&CPD triennium requirements. Other events also meet the professional development requirements standards set by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM), Nursing and Midwifery Board, Australian Practice Manager Association (APMA) and Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA). Gippsland PHN’s education and training program is often conducted in collaboration with professional bodies, local organisations or consultants including the National Asthma Council of Australia (NACA),
The Cancer Council, Latrobe Community Health Service Pharmacotherapy, Victorian HIV and Hepatitis Integrated Training And Learning (VHHITAL) program, program of Experience in the Palliative Approach (PEPA), National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), Heart Foundation, Gippsland Region Palliative Care Consortium, and many more.
Key Achievements:
- 1066 people attended events in over 30 different topics, including (but not limited to): codeine & real time prescription monitoring, childhood emergencies, thunderstorm asthma, smoking cessation, digital health, obstetrics, heart health, palliative care, poverty, human resources, blood borne viruses; nutrition, NDIS, eye health, advance care planning, general practice administration, immunisation plus more.
- Bridges Out of Poverty held over 14 days in seven different locations reaching over 340 participants.
- Gippsland PHN in collaboration with the Heart Foundation implemented the Practice Nurse Ambassador Program. This program trained practice nurses to understand and support the early detection of cardiovascular disease risk when caring for their patients. Interested nurses were required to apply through an expression of interest and attended four days training during the five-month program. By the end of the program, they had developed system improvements to drive change within their practices to manage patients at risk of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
Snap Shot Summary of an event:
During May 2018, Gippsland PHN hosted three workshops on Understanding the Medical Treatment Planning & Decisions Act 2016 for General Practice in the separate LGA sub regions. The workshops highlighted new terminology, processes and required conditions of the Act. Participants were informed of the new behaviours required by medical practitioners as well as the roles of decisions makers and support persons. Instruction was also provided on use of new forms and how to consolidate plans for implementing of the MTPD in the workplace. The workshops were targeted to all practice staff and were attended by General Practitioners, Practice Managers and Practice Nurses.
Delivering on our Stategic Directions
Engaging with our Regional Professional Stakeholders
Our Stakeholder Engagement and Communication Governance Framework guides us as we involve our stakeholders in key decisions of the organisation when delivering on our core functions: health planning, system integration, commissioning, and support to general practice and other health professionals.
