Western Sydney Medicare Local

 

From 1 July 2011, WentWest became the Western Sydney Medicare Local. The transition from a Division into the Medicare Local has seen the organisation start to work more closely with local communities and health professionals to facilitate a more a streamlined primary health care system. This involves the integration and expansion of new and existing services, which reflect the local health care needs of Western Sydney’s diverse populations.

We are busy building on the depth and diversity of current services offered to local health professionals and their patients through the Medicare Local as captured in our ML Annual Plan. During this busy year we have undertaken 1600 practices visits, a record, to deliver support services and programmes to GPs. We are also actively planning additional services for 2012.

As a Medicare Local we need to engage and support a broader range of individuals and organisations in Western Sydney. Initial milestones in responding to this expanded role include:

 

Local Community Partnerships:

WentWest has established a network of six Local Community Partnerships (LCPs). These partnerships are a platform for health professionals including GPs, allied health professionals and community health leaders to identify primary health care needs at a local level. Operating in Auburn, Blacktown, the Hills, Holroyd, Mt Druitt and Parramatta, the LCPs are using the results of a comprehensive population health assessment combined with local knowledge and experience to identify the main primary health care concerns for each area. In engaging LCPs, WentWest is partnering to find suitable, sustainable solutions to the local needs identified.

 

Community & Consumer Forum:

To help gauge the success of the Medicare Local in meeting local primary health care needs WentWest has established a Community & Consumer Forum. This is a platform for local community representative and organisations from out-side the health care sector to feed-back to the Medicare Local on its performance in achieving the strategic objectives as set by the Department of Health and Ageing.

We also seek to enlist the help, local knowledge and expertise of the many local community representatives and organisations in Western Sydney for the benefit of the broader community and welcome additional expressions of interest for Community and Consumer Forum membership.

 

Western Sydney Local Health District:

As part of its commitment toward providing more integrated primary health care services, the Medicare Local has been working with the Local Health District to look at areas where a partnership model will benefit patients, GPs and primary care providers to deliver more seamless and integrated care. We will continue to work with the LHD over the coming years on various projects including HealthOne, Connecting Care and developing new models of care to support high needs patients.

 

Health Prevention Programs:

Under the new Medicare Local, the organisation is continuing to expand on the range and depth of services provided through the SHAPE programme and is working closely with partner organisations such as the Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney, Local Health District, HealthOne, and Local Councils to further tailor programs which meet the specific needs of identified patient groups.

 

After-Hours Services:

WentWest has made good initial progress in examining after-hours primary care services in the region, identifying and prioritising gaps and proposing approaches to improve after hours care. This includes a trial in the Mt Druitt region beginning in early 2012 and a region wide needs assessment to identify the community’s after hours needs, utilisation and awareness of services and barriers to accessing services.

 

Helpful resources and links

• Western Sydney Population and Health Needs Assessment

• yourhealth website

• A guide to working with and understanding general practice

• Improving primary health care for all Australians

Media Releases

 

Latest News

Western Sydney Medicare Local progress update, click here to read