Community-led solutions for primary healthcare in Snowy Valleys

Almost 600 Snowy Valleys residents have contributed to the development of project activities for a joint initiative between MPHN, Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) and Rural Doctors’ Network (RDN) known as Collaborative Care.

From the ashes of the tragic 2019/2020 summer bushfires rose a community spirit, strength and resilience among the people living in the foothills of the snowy mountains. Residents, community leaders and local healthcare professionals of the Snowy Valleys Local Government Area (LGA) have continued to support each other, most recently through consultation and engagement with the Collaborative Care project to address local primary healthcare needs. One of five pilot sites across New South Wales, and the only site in the Murrumbidgee, the Collaborate Care project is focussed on exploring opportunities to connect local primary healthcare services to each other, and to those community members who require access to the services. Project Officer for the Snowy Valley’s Collaborative Care project, and Snowy Valleys local Catherine Cusack said momentum for this project was achieved in part due to the leadership from the three partner organisations. “I know how innovative and resilient our communities are in the Snowy Valleys. When we see a need, we are pretty good at fashioning solutions. However, healthcare does require the backing of organisations within the system to enact change. Often when you are trying to get buy in from the community for these types of activities, people look up to see what’s happening higher up in organisations and think, ‘yeah, that’s not going to happen’, but with Collaborative Care, people look up and see what collaboration is occurring and are excited about being involved,” Catherine enthuses. “It starts at the top. MPHN, MLHD and RDN are partnering with the Snowy Valleys communities to progress this work. This level of collaboration is priceless. The project is about identifying what valuable services and supports already exist across our communities, sometimes unevenly distributed, and how we can collaborate together with the purpose of achieving better health outcomes for the whole region,” she continues. Community interest was evident during the consultation phase of the project with more than 570 community surveys completed, and hundreds more people consulted at community events like Christmas markets, service club meetings, interagency meetings, organisation representatives, local healthcare providers including general practitioners, registered nurses and allied health professionals. The feedback, which also included quantitative health data, was then processed through the Collaborative Care working group members to determine five key areas of focus including, Aboriginal health, health literacy, crosscommunications between health providers, allied health and welcoming new health workers. Each priority area has a project group to brainstorm and progress ideas to implementation. “As the project officer I am privileged to see how each area’s activities are progressing. We have connected with the national Health Direct service to support a health literacy strategy; facilitating health provider forums to improve crossservice communications and networking; and while it isn’t in the remit of Collaborative Care to recruit health workforce, we are supporting health workers new to the area with a welcome pack, which have been made possible through connections with local Rotary clubs which also ensure longer term sustainability of the activity,” Catherine explains. “The allied health group has only recently commenced and is working to make these services more accessible to people in the Snowy Valleys. “Work with the Aboriginal health group has been inspiring. Seeing that drive and passion is really motivating. The group are creating three different videos focussing on diabetes – from the point of view of someone living positively with diabetes, a carer, and someone who has a genetic predisposition to diabetes. All people featured will be local Aboriginal people and the videos will be a terrific resource for helping curb diabetes prevalence in local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.” For Linda Swales, Batlow community representative and Collaborative Care working group member, seeing progress on these activities makes her excited about the future of primary healthcare in the community. “We are all unique and we all have different needs, but the one thing that this is going to fix up is that we will be more connected. The project is about trying to get this puzzle together so we are all receiving exactly what we deserve – good healthcare in our area,” she says.

SNOWY VALLEYS COLLABORATIVE CARE WORKING GROUP

• Justyn Walker – A/RDN Program Lead, Collaborative Care • Darryn Binks – RDN Regional Manager • Cate Cross – LHAC Representative • Hansie Armour – Tumut LHAC Chair and Snowy Valleys Councillor • Sue Bulger – CEO Brungle Tumut Local Aboriginal Land Council/Indigenous Community Representative • Tahnee Bulger – Aboriginal AoD and Mental Health Worker, MLHD/Indigenous Community Representative • Dr Alam Yoosuff – Director Primary Health Care, MLHD and Finely GP • Emma Field – Director Integrated Care and Allied Health, MLHD • Carla Bailey – Director Clinical Operations- East, MLHD • Wendy Arentz – Disability Inclusion Action Reference Group Member • Narelle Mills – Executive Integration and Partnerships, MPHN • Andrew Heap – Senior Manager, Primary Care Engagement, MPHN • Chris Blake – Tumbarumba LHAC and Project Officer Resilient Towns Initiative • Linda Swales – Batlow Community Representative and Chair • Tracy Wiggins – Manager Community Services, Snowy Valleys Council Representative • Catherine Cusack – Project Officer

COMMUNITIES OF THE SNOWY VALLEYS

TUMUT ADELONG KHANCOBAN BATLOW BRUNGLE TUMBARUMBA TALBINGO

(L-R) Emily Stepasiuk, Tess Lucas, Kim Scott, Evan Feather attendees at the Health Professionals Forum

WHAT THEY SAID

“It’s very important the health providers come together and are aware of the service they provide and what they specialise in.” “I enjoyed meeting other health professionals and discussing how we can move forward to improve access to health services for the Snowy Valleys population.”

Participant feedback from the Collaborative Care Health Professionals Forum held on Monday 20 June 2022