COVID-19 care pathways
Primary care management of COVID-19 patients in our region.
Page last updated: 9:30am, 21 January 2021
Background information
The COVID-19 Positive Care Pathways program is the Victorian statewide program for assessment and management of COVID-19 patients.
Public hospitals, primary and community health care providers, Primary Health Networks and GPs offer pathways that are relevant and responsive to each local service system and population.
The Victorian Department of Health and Human Services has provided a fact sheet for referrers (.pdf) that contains more information about the program plus contact details for the intake and assessment services across Victoria. Clinicians may wish to use this information to get in contact with other pathways programs to either:
- refer patients who are known to you but reside in another catchment area; or
- to follow up on patients known to you. For example: a confirmed case (from being a close contact of a current patient) who you wish to confirm is in a care pathway.
North West Melbourne pathway
A care pathway for patients who are COVID-19 positive is active in the north west region of Melbourne. This pathway began in a pilot phase from 3 August 2020 and supports continuity of care with patients’ usual general practice. Clinical and referral information is available on HealthPathways Melbourne.
The pathway was co-designed by the Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), cohealth, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) and the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), supported by PwC. Western Health, Mercy Health and Djerriwarrh Health Services have also joined this pathway.
The pathway is designed to provide safe, high quality care, including community-based care for low risk COVID-19 positive patients, with escalation mechanisms to higher levels of care if required.
- Low risk patients are defined in the model as those who have no or mild symptoms and no risk factors.
- Medium risk patients and high risk patients are cared for by RMH.
Our Primary Health Care Improvement team is reaching out to GPs who have a patient enrolled in the pathway to provide support and access to useful resources and tools.
The following information relates to the North West Melbourne pathway between DHHS, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, cohealth, NWMPHN, Western Health, Mercy Health and Djerriwarrh Health Services: