Primary Health Insights

2022-23 saw WQPHN progress with our uptake of Primary Health Insights, utilising many of the advanced security and efficiency features available. Primary health data is now ingested using secure gateways reducing manual process and human error. Microsoft Synapse is utilised to increase performance and efficiency and reduce data duplication within the environment.

We have decommissioned the previous practice portal reducing manual security risks and introduced Row Level Security measures in Power BI, allowing end users to engage with interactive reports at the required access level, seeing relative practices within in their authority remit.  

Improved data quality allowed for more confident utilisation of primary health data to review clinical needs of our populations and support monitoring program effectiveness for a subset of commissioned service providers.

New products developed include:

• Primary Health Care Dashboard, a practice support report measuring against national measures of nKPI, PIP QI and Practice Incentive quality measures and preventative measures for the practice cohort;
• The Integrated Team Care reports have been replaced by an interactive dashboard with monthly refresh;
• Interactive Wicked Issues reports and local area profiles against a number of population health measures to assist in better targeting of services and support across the patch;
• CSIRO Hospitalisation Risk Assessment Tool, with more to come.

Clinical Chapters

The WQPHN Clinical Chapters offer a unique opportunity for local health care providers to network, exchange knowledge and discuss key issues in the region. Through this platform, primary care providers are empowered to enhance health outcomes and patient experience while identifying opportunities to address inefficiencies in the health care system together, with the goal of creating a sustainable, integrated, and patient-centred health care system.

Throughout 2022-23, a total of six meetings were held across the three WQPHN regions, attended by health care services commissioned by WQPHN, other local health care professionals interested in joining these collaborative groups, and consumer representatives. We also extended a standing invitation to the Chairs of the HHS Consumer Advisory Networks and Groups to join us this year, aiming to further integrate local networks already in place.

Key topics of discussion were:

• Targeted regional results of the WQPHN 2022-25 Health Needs Assessment,
• Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care (GCfAHPC) project,
• Legalisation of Voluntary Assisted Dying in Queensland and implications for local service providers,
• Availability of detox and rehabilitation services for Western Queensland communities, including access to “Binbi Yadubay – Healthy Beginnings” through Lives Lived Well, and
• The WQPHN-funded pilot of Clean State Clinic’s home detox service.
• Availability of detox and rehabilitation services for Western Queensland communities, including access to “Binbi Yadubay – Healthy Beginnings” through Lives Lived Well, and The WQPHN-funded pilot of Clean State Clinic’s home detox service.
  

The Clinical Chapter Chairs retired in late 2022, and we are extremely grateful to Cassie French, Jean Benham, and John Cain for their unwavering dedication towards health care development in their respective regions. Following their retirement, we took the opportunity to review and refresh the Clinical Chapter format to optimise our members' time and achieve the best outcomes for the region.

We look forward to a revitalised program in 2023-24.

WQPHN Commitment to Quality

Since 2016 WQPHN has maintained its commitment to continuous improvement and associated quality processes and outcomes.

WQPHN successfully achieved recertification under the ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems standard, via an external quality recertification audit undertaken by the Institute for Healthy Communities Australia (IHCA) in August 2022.  To maintain a detailed understanding of the ongoing alignment of WQPHN processes with the ISO 9001 standard, WQPHN subsequently progressed two internal quality audits in September 2022, and March 2023 by QAS International.

The scope of WQPHN’s certified Quality Management System (QMS) covers program and service delivery in accordance with Australian Government Department of Health and other funding agreements/contracts and facilitated supports. In 2022-2023, a monthly Quality and Safety meeting was established to support regular and detailed discussions regarding the operationalisation of WQPHN’s quality management system within all aspects of WQPHN’s activities.

As a commissioner of primary health care services in alignment with stakeholder interests, the ongoing effective alignment of WQPHN’s processes with the ISO 9001 standard is an assurance of WQPHN’s organisational maturity.

Ongoing independent certification against the ISO 9001 standard ensures WQPHN is keeping pace with contemporary issues and prioritising quality improvements across the organisation.  Observations and improvement opportunities from both internal and external quality audits are actioned as a continuance of the WQPHN quality improvement journey.

‍