Reflections on the IFIC Australia Autumn School 2021
Between 22nd and 25th March 2021, the CCRI and its partners at IFIC Australia developed and hosted an Autumn School on Designing and Implementing Integrated Care for Metropolitan Communities in Australia. The event built on the past success of IFIC Australia’s accelerated learning courses and workshop programs held regularly under the framework of IFIC’s Integrated Care Academy ©.
Commissioned by Sydney LHD, South East Sydney LHD and Central and Eastern Sydney PHN – with sponsorship from the BUPA Health Foundation – the CCRI partnered with the Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, University of Newcastle and the International Foundation for Integrated Care to co-produce the IFIC Australia Autumn School 2021.
Delivered as an on-line course, it was specifically designed to help build capacity and skills in the effective adoption of integrated care programs in metropolitan communities. The week-long provided an intensive on-line training course in the effective design, implementation, management and evaluation of integrated care programs.
Specifically, the course helped LHDs, PHNs and their local partners to form small multi-disciplinary working groups with the aim of assisting them develop structured implementation plans for new integrated care projects. The three projects were:
- Place-based wellbeing community wellbeing, to support people, families and communities with health, social and welfare concerns living in public housing in Maroubra and surrounding communities;
- Taking an integrated, whole-of-health, approach to patient flow to support ED/hospital avoidance and care in the community; and
- Community wellbeing champions in Waterloo
The course concluded with group presentations outlining the purpose, rationale and key priorities for action that each of these project teams would commit to. The course was characterised by the energy and enthusiasm from the groups to work in their partnerships and tackle key priority issues for their local communities.
“What a great week you have had. I keep getting pulled up in corridor and having texts sent by staff saying how much they have learned and how they are looking forward to the next steps. I too am looking forward to the continuing collaboration and work on the placed based models across the two districts.”
One of the strategic priorities for the CCRI will be to provide ongoing education support services to support the effective design and implementation of integrated care. The CCRI’s strategic partnership with IFIC and the University of Sydney to support the ongoing work of IFIC Australia will continue to promote ways in which international knowledge and research evidence can be used to inform and translate into effective service developments.
Please contact us for more details on the services that the CCRI and its partners can offer.
Professor Nick Goodwin
Director