Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local

Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local, South Australia

Characteristics of the local area:

Within the Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local area, 16.4 per cent of people are 65 years and over, 1 per cent are recorded as Aboriginal, 16.7 per cent are born in predominantly non-English speaking countries, and 7.6 per cent are born overseas in predominantly English speaking countries.

New key activities as a Medicare Local:

To meet the strategic objectives for a Medicare Local, the Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local will undertake a range of activities that will initially include:

Establishing a totally integrated after hours GP service for the whole of the Medicare Local catchment.
Increasing GP services to aged care facilities, using innovations such as telehealth and remote monitoring.
Adopting an enhanced e-health agenda which will include telehealth, personally controlled electronic health records, and secure management and communication of health information.
Identifying key links with the South Australian Health Strategic Plan, with an emphasis on areas such as chronic disease, aged care, mental health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health.
Achieving precision in population health mapping and planning for needs based resource and workforce allocation.

Achievements to date:

GP partners Adelaide has a strong partnership with Nunkuwarrin Yunti to provide psychological support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Adelaide Western General Practice Network (AWGPN) created the Practice Health Atlas and Computer Systems Clinical Audit Tool for developing business models for more effective health care services, and to predict future health care needs and trends. The Practice Health Atlas continues to be used by Divisions of General Practice around the country.
AWGPN developed and managed the state-wide framework for the Obstetrics Shared Care Program to increase options for care of pregnant women and provide continuity of care.
AWGPN partners with the Aboriginal Health Council of SA and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community groups to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health care. AWGPN has employed Aboriginal people to Closing the Gap positions and these staff are actively involved throughout the community.
The Adelaide Hills Division of General Practice created the GPcare After Hours Service, which operates 365 days a year, and provides more than 90 per cent of the region’s after hours primary care.

Local partnerships:

GP partners Adelaide, with Adelaide Western GP Network and Adelaide Hills Division of General Practice, worked together to establish the Adelaide Central and Hills Medicare Local. Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local will directly engage with clinicians, primary care clusters, patients, Local Health Networks, local lead clinician groups and other local health stakeholders.

Consultation mechanisms and structure:

The Central Adelaide and Hills Medicare Local will:

Establish a Clinical Governance Advisory Committee and a Stakeholder/Consumer Advisory Committee. The Clinical Governance Advisory Committee will facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of primary health care programs. The Stakeholder/Consumer Advisory Committee will allow the Medicare Local to better appreciate and respond to the diverse range of primary care needs of the community.
Develop a new constitution.