Shared Medical Appointment grants
Supporting chronic pain and smoking management in general practice
Background
COORDINARE prioritises strategies which improve accessible and systemized care to reduce the burden of chronic disease in South Eastern NSW (SENSW). COORDINARE is seeking General Practices to participate in the implementation of Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) within their practices. The two programmed SMA's available are chronic pain self-management (CPSM) and smoking management, with the aim to contribute to better health outcomes for people living with chronic pain or for people who smoke in SENSW.
SMAs (or group consultations) are individual clinical consultations delivered in a supportive peer group setting. This type of consultation works for people with a similar condition or set of clinical problems. There are a number of advantages of SMAs for both patients and clinicians including less need for repetition of lifestyle advice, better management of patient wait times, facilitating patient access to peer support and education, and extra time with the practitioner.
EOI details
COORDINARE is proposing to commission general practices to implement Shared Medical Appointment programs within their practice. The two programs on offer are already developed and ready for implementation. Practices are not required to contribute to the design or establishment of program content - this grant is focused only on facilitating SMAs as a new type of care. The EOI is for a one-off grant of approximately $15,000 per practice over a 12-month period. The grant can be used to cover staff time to participate in project activities.
Lessons learned through embedding the SMA Program will be used to develop practice workflows and recommendations which will inform and may support a broader rollout of the program into primary care across SENSW.
General Practices in the SE NSW catchment area who have an interest in chronic pain management or smoking management are welcome to apply for this project. Practices must have the capacity to interrogate their data to identify eligible patients and be willing to prioritise and implement project activities over a 12-month project period until July 2025.
Note* If your practice has previously successfully applied for a SMA grant you will not be eligible to apply for this opportunity. If a previous application was unsuccessful, your practice is eligible to make a new application.
Important documents
- Expression of interest guideline
- Appendix 1: Output and outcomes measurement template
- Appendix 2: Application form
- Appendix 3: Budget template
- Appendix 4: Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Timeline
How to apply
Application close 5pm AEDT 14 April 2024.
To apply, complete the following:
- EOI application form (via Microsoft word document)
- Compliance documents as outlined in application form
- Budget template.
Email the completed documents to commissioning@coordinareuat.undev.com.au.
