New working group established
IFIC Australia has established a governance arrangement to provide oversight, support the momentum of IFIC Australia, and provide leadership to the Australian hub. In March 2024 the IFIC Australia Working Group was formed as an action group that helps to support the Executive and Partnership Committees, and drive IFIC Australia forward. The group has representation from parties that signed the IFIC Australia Memorandum of Understanding. The group meets monthly to progress work towards actions identified by the IFIC Australia Executive and Partnership Committees.
Evidence review commissioned and completed
Included in the IFIC Australia 2023/2024 work plan was one commissioned evidence review on a topic determined by the IFIC Australia Partnership Committee. The topic selected for the review was the health and social care navigator workforce in general practice, specifically:
- What are the conditions needed for successful integration of care navigators into general practice,
- What are their tasks and responsibilities,
- What is the experience of the role from the viewpoint of patients, other general practice staff and the navigators themselves, and
- What is the impact of care navigators in general practice?
The review was led by Dr Suzanne Lewis, Chief Knowledge Officer, Central Coast Research Institute (CCRI), and the team comprised the following members:
- Dr Zoi Triandafilidis, Research Fellow, CCRI, and Professor Nick Goodwin, Director, CCRI (currently seconded to CCLHD),
- A/Professor Sue Lukersmith, Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, and
- Professor Yvonne Zurynski, Professor of Health System Sustainability, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University, and Ms Shalini Wijekulasuriya, Research Assistant, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University
This review was completed in December 2024. Deliverables include a report to IFIC Australia, and a manuscript to be submitted for publication in the International Journal of Integrated Care in 2025.
Three webinars were held
As a part of the IFIC Australia education program, the following webinars were held in 2024:
- March: Unveiling the power of evidence-based reviews in integrated care: A practical case study approach
- May: ‘Epic fails’ in integrated care – Learning from our failures
- November: Is it enough for people to be centered in their care, or should they be driving it?
Click here to watch these webinars online.
Communication updates
Work on the IFIC Australia website has been ongoing to keep the content refreshed and up to date. Updates to the website include:
- A new ‘Resources’ section: https://integratedcarefoundation.org/ific_hub/ific-australia-resource
- A new blog post: International reflections on the implementation of the NSW Primary Health Network – NSW Health Joint Statement
IFIC Australia email newsletters are distributed regularly to people subscribed to the mailing list. Newsletters are available for download here.