Practice support
General practice is a constantly changing and challenging field. NWMPHN provides informed and steadfast support to ensure the sector is well informed and well prepared.
participating practices installed POLAR software
attendees of NWMPHN education sessions
individual users registered for HealthPathways Melbourne
This year NWMPHN has delivered a number of activities to build capability and add value to general practices in our region. This includes quality improvement, education and training, and networking with other health care providers through communities of practice and other forums.
In this section
In 2024–25, NWMPHN partnered with Emerging Minds to deliver Australia’s first Focused Psychological Strategies (FPS) training for children aged 5–12. Through a grants program, 20 GPs were selected to participate, with 19 completing the training. Participants reported increased confidence in engaging with children experiencing mental health concerns and in applying psychological interventions. All 19 GPs are now eligible to register with Medicare as FPS providers, gaining access to additional MBS item numbers.
HealthPathways Melbourne is a clinical and referral pathways program delivered in partnership between NWMPHN and Eastern Melbourne PHN. A free subscription service, it provides health practitioners with access to localised assessment, management and referral information for a large number of health conditions. In 2024 the program shifted to individual logins, with almost 3000 users registered. As part of the statewide program, a consumer campaign resulted in almost 24,000 page views to its Dementia Directory.
NWMPHN continues to support the Victorian Government’s Improving Childhood Asthma Management (ICAM) project, fostering collaboration between asthma care services in the inner west of Melbourne. In 2024-25 three communities of practice and a symposium were held, attracting multidisciplinary clinicians from community, primary and tertiary care services.
NWMPHN is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care to deliver the Primary Care Pathways to Safety Program. This provides direct tailored support to primary care providers, to improve confidence in responding to family violence, and build greater collaboration and coordination across a range of local health, social care, and family violence services.
Communities of practice are collaborative sessions that allow clinicians to connect and share insights across disciplines and geographic boundaries. In 2024-25 NWMPHN hosted 15 of these sessions, covering childhood asthma, family violence, and mental health. All up, they were attended by more than 400 people.
NWMPHN partners with hospitals, universities, peak bodies, business advisers, cultural consultants and primary care subject matter experts to host and support more than 100 education sessions. In 2024-25, some 1,550 primary care providers attended at least one session. Surveys revealed 98 per cent of attendees would recommend them to colleagues. In addition, our extensive YouTube library received more than 80,000 views.
Quality improvement (QI) is the basis of contemporary high-performing primary care. It includes team-based approaches, peer review, reflective practice and data analysis. NWMPHN offers all practices in its catchment multiple QI activities, comprising tailored options including self-paced learning, 12-month plans, and structured projects. In 2024-25, our QI tools were downloaded 542 times.
