Partners in Health : Strengthening the Partnership

2. Partners in Health: Strengthening the Partnership

3. Aims of visit are to; • Share with you Tasmanian experiences of strengthening the Government/University health partnerships; • Share with you our operational experiences; • Listen and Learn from your partnership experiences regarding successful partnership models, challenges and future directions; • Explore the potential for the development of sustainable partnerships between Tasmanian and SW Victoria.

4. What is Partners in Health? • Partnership between the DHHS and the UTAS FHS • First formed in 1998 • The fundamental Principle is to contribute to: “The health and well being of the people of Tasmania through workforce education and development, quality service delivery and health research” • Partnership reviewed 2008 - Strengthening • Strategic and Operational Partnership

5. The Healthcare workforce is vital, it delivers health services to the people of Tasmania – our customers. • Tasmania is experiencing health workforce challenges; • Teaching, training and education arecore elements of the health system; • Through Partners in Health DHHS and UTAS will work together to provide a more sustainable and flexible health workforce for Tasmania.

6. Policy Context – State • Tasmania Together • Memorandum of Understanding between State Government and UTAS

7. Policy Context – Agency • UTAS Context • - EDGE 2 • DHHS Context • - Tasmania’s Health Plan

8. Policy Context - Operational • UTAS Context • FHS Strategic Plan • UDRH Plan • DHHS Context • Primary Health Plan and Clinical Health Plan

9. What have we done to strengthen the Partnership? The achievements so far…

10. PiH Future Directions • Sets out how the partnership between the DHHS and UTAS FHS will work. • Identifies the long term strategic objectives of the partnership and sets out the main priority outputs of the partnership over the coming 3 years 2008-2011. • Shaped by the overall strategic priorities set within the policy context. • Joint work through Partners in Health can assist both parties to make a significant contribution to their own strategic priorities directly and indirectly and in the long, medium and short term.

12. Governance Framework • Details the Governance Framework for the strategic partnership of PiH. • Focus’ on partnership principles, decision making, management of resources, record management, monitoring evaluation and review, dispute resolution and partnership exit. • Details the Governance Structure for PiH and includes Terms of Reference for the PiH Management Committee. • This Governance Framework governs the operation of the strategic partnership. Operational partnerships shall continue to be governed by other relevant agreements.

13. Management Committee • The Partnership is managed by the Partners in Health Management Committee • The Management committee consists of senior representatives from DHHS and UTAS • The Chair position is rotated on a two yearly basis. • The Role of the PiH Management Committee is two fold; - Strategic Role - Program Management Role • Recent Management Committee activities are described in the Annual Report.

14. Program Management Approach • Based on Tasmanian Government Project Management Guidelines • Project Management Approach • Project Brief, Project Progress Report (Quarterly), Closure Reports • Gantt Chart – 14 projects currently being undertaken

15. PR and Communications • Communication is vital to the ongoing success of the partnership • This communication strategy has the following objectives;

16. UTAS Health Services and Workforce Education Unit • New UTAS Unit • Strategic Role • Drive and coordinate across UTAS • Will link with key areas in DHHS, ie Care Reform, Statewide System Development, Chief Nurse and Allied Health and others

17. Work Program 2008-2011 • Focus on activities to achieve the Six Strategic Objectives. • Work Programs are detailed in the Poster Paper and Annual Report, specific examples Clinical Psychology, Paramedic Education, Oral Health. • Not all ongoing partnership work is detailed within the strategic work plan. • Management Committee are focusing on areas where there is no activity. They initiate projects to achieve shared strategic objectives. For example, Allied Health. • Operationally other activities take place, these may be governed by specific agreements for example at the UDRH… many of these relationships are not governed directly by PiH Management Committee but the principles of partnership working are the same.

18. NEXT STEPS in Strengthening the Partnership • Communication and Staff Engagement • Monitoring and Evaluation • Action Planning • Networking and Learning

19. A good example of Partnership Work • University Department of Rural Health, Tasmania

20. Policy Context - Operational • UTAS Context • Faculty of Health Science Strategic Plan (FHS) • University Department of Rural Health (UDRH)

21. University Department of Rural Health, Tasmania • Funded by the Department of Health and Ageing • One of 11 UDRH’s around Australia • Part of the Academic Rural Health portfolio within the Faculty of Health Science, UTAS

22. UDRH Mission • Working collaboratively to achieve an adequate, appropriately trained and stable rural health care workforce; • Facilitating access to appropriate education and training opportunities, resources and on-going support across the learning continuum, and • Promoting and supporting a primary health care approach to rural health research and preventative health strategies.

23. UDRH Operating Environment • UDRH-Tas collaborates with state and local governments and non-government organisations including Divisions of General Practice and community-sector organisations across Tasmania to develop and evaluate innovative models of care, and to foster health research. • The main areas of research and interest are in Health Services Systems, Mental Health and Workforce Development (recruitment and retention). There is a strong sense of, and commitment to, community engagement which is a guiding principal of our modus operandi.

24. Collaborative Environment UDRH - Primary Health Service (DHHS) • Guiding policy documents • UDRH Strategic Plan • Primary Health Plan • Clinical Health Plan • Shared Focus • Workforce Sustainability • Workforce Education and Training • Promoting and supporting a primary health approach through partnerships and collaboration

25. Features of UDRH – Primary Health Service collaboration • Complementary not competitive • Built around areas of mutual interest (Flexible) • Multi-dimensional, includes research, professional development and project activity • Culture of engagement • Designated positions for managing collaborative arrangements (established communication process) • Shared interests, commitment and associated risks • Multidisciplinary and non-hierarchical • Low level of formality (Under review)

26. Case examples collaboration activities UDRH – Primary Health Service • Research • Spatial analysis of socioeconomics, accessibility and remoteness to primary health care services in rural Tasmania • Community Health Development • Sustainable Farm Families • Workforce • Rural Inter-Professional Program Emergency Retreat

27. Considerations for enhancing UDRH – Primary Health Service Collaborations • Formalising collaborative arrangements through MoU, expression of respective organisational needs, norms and expectations • Closer linkages with existing State – University partnership structures • Closer scrutiny of areas of comparative advantage achieved through joint planning activities • Opportunities for sharing of infrastructure and resources • Marketing and promotion of collaborative activities • Strategy to sustain collaboration, organisational buy in, shared benefits, governance structures, organisational restructure succession planning • Monitoring and review

28. This is what Partners in Health can offer