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Rationale
for the development of the Health for Kids Network
In the current climate of outcomes-based funding, there is a particular
emphasis on the National Health Priority Areas. Divisional resources
have therefore been targeted towards adult-centred programs such
as diabetes, CVD and mental health. While these issues are crucial
for the health of the population, there is little focus on child
and/or adolescent health in the day-to-day activities of a division.
With the exception of immunisation, child and/or adolescent health
has largely been ignored or given a low priority.
The
development of the Health for Kids Network allows for increased
emphasis to be given to child and/or adolescent health by providing
a focus for activity in this area. It also allows greater networking
and collaboration between GPs, divisions and hospitals and the ability
to develop and sustain innovative practices, which can improve child
and/or adolescent health in metropolitan Melbourne.
The
history of the Health for Kids Network
The Health for Kids Network is composed of GPs who have an interest
in child and/or adolescent health. It was first established in 1997
as a result of a North West Melbourne Division project, "Improving
Paediatric Care in the Community". The Network aimed to improve
GP care of children and/or adolescents in a variety of ways, particularly
by improving GP liaison with hospitals providing children's services
and facilitating GP education in child and/or adolescent health.
Previously,
the network linked only with the hospitals in Women's and Children's
Health, WCH (previously Women's and Children's Health Care Network),
RCH and Sunshine Hospital and involved divisions in the catchment
area of these hospitals. The Melbourne, Western and North West Melbourne
divisions were the first to form the Network, followed by Inner
South East.
In
2004, funding became available from the state government to re-establish
the Health for Kids Network. A memorandum of understanding was signed
between participating divisions and hospitals that established a
new network involving two regional hubs. The MMC hub includes Monash
Medical Centre Clayton, Dandenong Hospital and Sandringham Hospital.
The RCH hub includes the Royal Children's Hospital, The Royal Women's
Hospital the Western Hospital, Sunshine Hospital and the Northern
Hospital. The ten participating divisions represented in the Network
include Central Bayside, Dandenong, Eastern Ranges, Greater South
Eastern, Monash, Melbourne, Northern, North West Melbourne, South
City GP Services and Westgate Divisions.
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What
kind of activities has the Health for Kids Network previously been
involved in?
The Health for Kids Network linked with and built upon a number
of related activities developed by member divisions and hospitals.
The
Inner South East Melbourne Division ran a successful project in
1997 providing clinical attachments for GPs in various outpatient
clinics at RCH. This was well structured, enabling GPs to explore
their personal areas of interest and increase their knowledge and
skills by meeting their stated objectives.
The
North West Melbourne Division, in liaison with RCH, developed clinical
attachments for GPs in the Emergency Department as part of the 1997
project, "Improving Paediatric Care In the Community".
A flow-on from this project has been the development of a three-hour
"hands-on" paediatric emergency workshop that has been
popular with GPs in the northwest.
Western
Melbourne Division had been active in improving liaison between
GPs and hospitals in their area, including Sunshine Hospital, which
has a large children's services section. Measures include faxed
notification to GPs of admissions and discharges and addition of
the GPs' names to inpatient bed cards.
The
Melbourne Division had been active in the provision of education
and the promotion of liaison.
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