Update 12pm Wednesday, 15 March 2023: registration for these grants has now closed.
North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) is providing funding to support general practices to actively engage with at-risk communities.
The key objectives are to:
- keep people well and out of hospital by increasing uptake of vaccinations
- develop and implement winter plans for preventing ill-health
- proactively manage deterioration of chronic or seasonal illness.
This program offers practices an opportunity to implement short-term local solutions to supplement existing arrangements for the delivery of vaccinations and preventative care to at-risk cohorts.
What is involved?
Practices must complete these activities to qualify for grant payments:
- Conduct database searches to identify patients at risk of poor outcomes if they contract a seasonal illness or COVID-19.
- Reach out to the at-risk patient cohort to provide information and support on seasonal illness and preventative measures. Practices must complete at least 150 of these engagements. (*See below for more information.)
- Organise a follow-up appointment for those who require:
- a COVID-19, influenza, or other vaccination; or
- a GP consultation to assess and plan for early antiviral prescription (consultation may be face-to-face, or by telehealth if the patient meets the MBS criteria).
- Develop COVID-19 readiness plans for consenting individuals.
- Identify patients who are eligible for antiviral treatment if they contract COVID-19 or influenza, and put a treatment plan in place.
- Submit data to NWMPHN (using an online Microsoft Form) within 3 weeks of completing the activity period.
- Complete the activity within a maximum timeframe of 10-weeks from registration approval.
NWMPHN will fund $5,000 (ex. GST) per practice for this activity. A payment of 50 per cent is payable at the start and 50 per cent at the end of the activity, following submission of activity data.
NWMPHN will provide resources to assist the practice to undertake this activity. It is not mandatory to use them, but they comprise:
- winter treatment plan templates including this one developed by NWMPHN GP Adviser Dr Jeannie Knapp
- instructions on how to conduct a database search: see CAT recipes and COVID-19 vaccinations
- a daily tracking template (.xlsx) for data collection
- other resources available on the NWMPHN website: Influenza and COVID-19 Treatment Planning in General Practice.
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible, a practice must:
- be located in the NWMPHN catchment
- be a current National Immunisation Program provider
- have current insurances for:
- public liability of minimum $20 million per claim
- professional or medical indemnity of minimum $10 million per claim
- workers’ compensation applicable under Victorian law.
- not charge co-payments for COVID-19 vaccine administration, consistent with the Australian Government’s commitment that the vaccine will be free.
How to apply
If you are interested in the this grant opportunity, please complete the online registration form. This includes the terms of agreement, observation of which is mandatory.
Registration closes at 12pm on Wednesday, 15 March 2023.
There are a limited number of grants available.
Notifications
- Practices will receive an email confirmation that their registration form has been submitted.
- Within 5 days of registering, practices will receive email notification that registration and approval of the grant amount is successful.
- Ineligible practices will also be notified by email.
For more information contact:
Christine Ferlazzo
Phone: (03) 9347 1188
Email: Christine.ferlazzo@nwmphn.org.au
Or:
Lewis Crisp (only until 22 March 2023)
Phone: (03) 9347 1188
Email: Lewis.Crisp@nwmphn.org.au
*Please note this article was edited on 7 March 2023 to clarify the following information regarding contacting patients:
NWMPHN is aware that many practices have existing work processes – such as SMS – to recall patients for vaccination and follow-up care. As part of our winter planning grants project, we encourage you to continue using processes that work for you and your patients. The winter grant is an addition to your usual processes and can assist you to follow up at-risk patients who do not respond to your usual recall methods or who may be hard to engage.
This may involve contact by telephone, conversations or displays in your waiting room to promote vaccination and encourage patients to book an appointment to develop a winter plan and manage chronic or seasonal illness.
Grant recipients need to complete at least 150 of these proactive engagements with at-risk patients.
