Gippsland Integrated Care and Commissioning

Gippsland PHN has been engaged to develop and support Integrated Care and Commissioning (ICC) models of care across the Gippsland region. This work supports providers to improve access to, and delivery of, aged care, disability supports and veterans’ care services across all six local government areas.

Supporting the Gippsland Community

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) with the support of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), Department of Veterans’ Affairs and National Indigenous Australians Agency are leading the implementation of programs that support bringing together resources across the health, disability and veterans care sectors to ensure people in regional, rural, remote and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can get the services they need, including trialling new and innovative models of care and support.

Gippsland PHN has been engaged to establish and support the implementation of a series of projects under the Gippsland ICC site. As part of this role, Gippsland PHN works closely with government agencies and local organisations to coordinate activity and ensure strong collaboration across the region. The organisation also contributes its knowledge of regional primary care needs, services and existing initiatives to inform and guide the design and delivery of ICC work in Gippsland.

Gippsland PHN is supported by a 21-member Stakeholder Advisory Group comprising of members from health services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs), and the education, aged care, disability and veterans care sectors. The primary role of the Gippsland Stakeholder Advisory Group is to provide advice on challenges and barriers impacting the care and support sector, while gathering and sharing cross-sector intelligence to inform integrated care solutions.

Capacity building projects

Capacity building projects are a key component of the Integrated Care and Commissioning initiative. These projects provide additional resources to address challenges identified by local communities and to build on existing strengths. 

The Integrated Care and Commissioning initiative can provide time-limited funding and support to strengthen local care services and improve service integration.

This includes:

  • Business or service system consultancy to help providers to identify capacity building requirements, advise on recruitment and employment systems, transition planning to an integrated model including business system enhancements
  • Minor capital works, building upgrades and refurbishments to assist organisations to expand their service offering and enable pooling of resources
  • Staff training and development such as creating training for both jobseekers and workers who wish to expand into other care sector roles or support for administrative staff to help them navigate the different care sector systems and strengthen financial viability
  • Local service coordination and planning – Identify, develop and implement opportunities to coordinate service delivery and address emergent supply gaps in Gippsland locations
  • Integrated service delivery and service diversification – Support the development and implementation of co-located models of care that may be implemented in Gippsland and scaled for other locations
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander capacity building – ​Support ACCOs in East Gippsland to expand into delivering services across systems, with a focus on aged care
  • Cross sector workforce initiatives​ – Explore opportunities for increasing culturally skilled and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce in Gippsland ​
  • Joint Commissioning – Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of funding arrangements for services by exploring joint commissioning mechanisms across sectors
  • Reduce barriers to accessing care and support for higher risk population groups including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • Reduce barriers to accessing care and support for older people, people with disability and veterans living in regional, rural and remote communities
  • Improve recruitment and the sharing of skilled workers across the sectors to meet demand
  • Improve the consumer journey by better integrating and coordinating the aged care, disability support and veterans’ support systems

The goal of the initiative is to enable communities to identify what better access to care looks like for them and what activities they need to get there.

For more information or to express an interest to join the ICC Stakeholder Advisory Group please contact the Project Coordinator:

Nicole Charles – nicole.charles@gphn.org.au