Flexible Funds - program consolidation
Flexible Fund Guidelines- Single Point of Contact
This page contains Flexible Fund Guidlines for Single Point of Contact for Health Information, Advice and Counselling Fund August 2012
PDF version of the SPOC Guidelines (PDF 545 KB)
Word version of the SPOC Guidelines (Word 82 KB)
1 Introduction
Introduction
The Single Point of Contact for Health Information, Advice and Counselling Fund (the Fund) is an Australian Government initiative administered by the Department of Health and Ageing. The Fund consolidates the funding streams for services that are funded by the Australian Government and are, or will be, provided by National Health Call Centre Network Ltd (the Company).
Fund objectives and priorities
The Fund’s objective is to support people and carers to better care for themselves or their families by providing access, through current and emerging communication channels, to accurate advice and information about health, illness, and health and community service availability with the aim of supporting health literacy and care within the home. People will be directed to the most appropriate services and care options in their community if required.
The Fund will support the delivery of innovative and cost-effective healthcare through communication channels such as telephone advice lines, online web enquiry, video conferencing and a range of emerging interactive communication technologies.
The priorities of the Fund are to:
- Deliver to the Australian community health advice, information and support through multiple communication channels, including emerging interactive communication technologies and more cost effective channels. This reflects the rapidly evolving technologies enabling greater connectivity and ease of use.
- Support Australians to take more control and exercise greater choice over their health and how they access care. Support will include guiding each consumer to use the most appropriate health service, taking into account consumer need, location and the availability of local health services.
- Provide access to expert advice and support for health professionals in the after hours period and / or in areas where there is no general practitioner or other specialist support available, to assist with provision of quality health care services to the community.
- Manage the pressure on the health care system by reducing avoidable demand on face-to-face health care services and by steering people to the right care, in the right place, at the right time, whilst safeguarding patient safety.
- Offer a range of value added services through technology enhancements to meet the growing and changing demands for health care, in particular for people with chronic conditions. This includes web-based on-line services, telecare, telecoaching and telehealth.
- Improve access to valued health services by marginalised and special needs groups, Indigenous people and people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) background through targeted and responsive technology solutions.
Background
The Fund has been established in 2011 through the consolidation of a range of existing telehealth programs including healthdirect Australia and the Pregnancy, Birth & Baby Helpline, delivered through the National Health Call Centre Network (the Network).
The establishment of the Fund followed a strategic review of the administrative arrangements in the Health and Ageing portfolio commissioned by the Government in 2010. The review identified an opportunity to improve the management of existing telehealth programs by consolidating them into larger, flexible Funds, in order to increase flexibility, and more efficiently provide funding for the delivery of evidence-based services to improve healthcare in the community. Further information about the strategic review and the establishment of the flexible Funds is available on the Department’s website.
The Fund is intended to be flexible enough to support the current and, subject to value for money considerations, future activities provided by the Company in a more streamlined manner.
The Company is a public company limited by shares, established and jointly funded by the Australian Government and the governments of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia to deliver the Network. The Network provides access to health care information online, and has the capacity to support add-on services and to assist in health threats and emergency situations.
Fund scope and operating parameters
The Fund is intended to be broad in scope, and flexible enough to support a wide range of activities to strengthen the provision of healthcare that will better support people and carers to care for themselves or their families within the home by providing access, through new and emerging communication technologies, to accurate advice and information about health, illness, and health and community service availability.
The Minister for Health will allocate funding for the Fund Priorities and their supporting activities under the Fund. The funding committed to Fund Priorities and supporting activities may be varied over time, to take into account:
- Availability of funding;
- Evidence, including from evaluation activities, of the effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of Fund activities; and
- Emerging health and ageing challenges.
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1.1 Roles and responsibilities
Minister
The Minister for Health will be responsible for setting and reviewing priorities for the Fund and the allocation of funding against these priorities. These priorities will at all times reflect the aims and objectives of the Fund but may change over time to address emerging health and ageing challenges. Other portfolio Ministers will be consulted regarding the priorities for the Fund as required.
Department of Health and Ageing
The Department will be responsible for the management and monitoring of activities and funding arrangements under the Fund, including:
- Developing funding agreements or any alternative contractual arrangement with the Company for the provision of services and activities under the Fund
- Monitoring the performance of projects to ensure the conditions of the contractual arrangement are met
- Assessing performance and financial reports and undertaking follow up activity as necessary
- Making payments on acceptance of milestone reports as specified in the contractual arrangement
- Evaluating the Company and the activities provided under the Fund
The Company is responsible for the efficient and effective delivery of services in accordance with the obligations contained in any funding agreement or contractual arrangement entered into under the Fund including:
- Procuring and delivering services in accordance with contractual requirements
- Ensuring the specifications of the funding agreement or other contractual arrangement with the Department are met
- Ensuring each project is managed in a cost effective and efficient manner
- Maintaining contact with the Department and advising of any emerging issues that may impact on the success of any project
- Identifying and documenting risks and appropriate control strategies
- Reporting on project performance and expenditure in accordance with the contractual obligations
- Assisting with evaluation activities relating to both its performance and the activities provided under the Fund, as necessary
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1.2 Fund Timeframe
The Fund is an ongoing initiative available from 1 July 2011. Specific activities under the Fund will be funded and rolled out in line with agreed Australian Government timelines.
1.3 Fund value
The Total value of funds available under the Fund is $212.9 million over 2012-13 to 2015-16. Existing activities already committed to under the Fund currently account for $23 million over the period 2012-13 to 2015-16, with an additional $177 million forecast for expenditure over this period.
The Department will review priorities under the Fund on an annual basis and provide advice to the Minister on emerging needs, to allow for the adjustment of the funding allocation against priorities and to ensure that emerging health and ageing challenges are being addressed.
2 Eligibility
The Company will be directly funded to manage the delivery of Australian Government funded services and activities under the Fund.
3 Probity
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that the process for providing funding under the Fund is transparent and in accordance with published Fund Guidelines. The Company will be directly funded to provide services.
4 Fund Application Processes
Funding for services or activities under the Fund will be provided directly to the Company.
Any procurement activity conducted by the Department in support of Fund services / activities will be undertaken in accordance with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules.
Funding allocations will be monitored throughout the year with potential underspends identified and allocated to activities identified as being the most appropriate method of meeting Fund aims and objectives.
5 Conditions of Funding
5.1 Contracting arrangements
The Company will be required to enter into a funding agreement or alternative contractual arrangement with the Commonwealth (represented by the Department) for each service or activity.
5.2 Payment arrangements
Payments will usually be made on achievement of agreed milestones.
Where payments are linked to the achievement of specific milestones, payments will only be made after the Department is satisfied that those milestones and associated obligations of the contractual arrangement have been met.
5.3 Reporting requirements
The Company will be required to provide progress reports on the agreed milestones. These progress reports may include funding acquittal requirements. The timing of progress reports will be negotiated and form part of the final contractual arrangement. The format and framework for providing progress reports will take into account the size, cost and relative risks of the project being undertaken.
5.4 Monitoring
The Company will be required to actively manage the delivery of the project. The Department will monitor progress against the funding agreement or contract through assessment of progress and operational reports.
5.5 Evaluation
The services / activities provided through the Fund will be evaluated by the Department to assess their effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness in meeting the objectives of the Fund.
6 Procurement activities
Funds appropriated for the purpose of the Fund may also be used for the procurement of work by the Department directly related to the purpose of the Fund e.g. Program Evaluation. Such Procurements will be undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and will be for purposes that are consistent with the aims, objectives and priorities of the Fund.
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