Co-designing Care Collective – Redcliffe

Following a successful pilot in the Caboolture region, the Brisbane North Health Alliance’s Care Collective program will expand to the Redcliffe region after securing additional funding through the Queensland Health Reform Office and the Commonwealth Primary Care Pilots Program.

Last month, Meld Studios facilitated two face-to-face and one online co-design workshops bringing together 25 hospital and allied health clinicians, general practitioners and practice nurses to discuss the program’s expansion and implementation in Redcliffe. Consumer interviews were also held to ensure the consumer voice was included in the co-design work.

Participants explored the differences between the Redcliffe and Caboolture regions, and related considerations for how the Care Collective program might be implemented to reduce non-urgent emergency department (ED) presentations for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and Debility (dementia, risk of falls, frail and elderly). For Redcliffe, these considerations included a higher rate of residential aged care beds, the timeliness of electronic patient discharge summaries from the Redcliffe Hospital to GPs, data sharing possibilities for the project and ways the hospital and general practice could work more collaboratively.

Consumers voiced the importance of having someone who has time to listen to their chronic health needs and provide assistance in coordinating their care in the community between providers. Given the critical role the Care Collective’s Complex Care Coordinators play in the primary healthcare setting, this consumer feedback bodes well for the project’s continued success in Redcliffe.

Overall, participants from all workshops agreed that it was highly likely that the Care Collective model used in the Caboolture would also succeed in the Redcliffe region, with some customisation to suit the specific local needs of the Redcliffe community.

A final summary report was circulated to all participants and work is now underway to seek interest from local general practices in the region to participate in the Care Collective – Redcliffe project.

Participants over the two days coming together to discuss the Care Collective implementation in Redcliffe.