Canterbury Clinical Network
The past year has seen Pegasus Health continue to partner with others across the health system, through the Canterbury Clinical Network (CCN) - a collective alliance of healthcare leaders, professionals and providers in Canterbury.
The focus of Pegasus Health’s work with the CCN is to continue to improve health outcomes within General Practice. Pegasus also hosts the CCN Programme Office.
Care Plus funding
In the 2015/16 year, Pegasus Health has been involved in changes to the Care Plus funding distribution model, which is set to be rolled out on 1 October 2016. This new funding model, referred to as ‘Enhanced Capitation’, aims to better distribute Care Plus funds in Canterbury. The initiative has been clinically-led by a working group under the Flexible Pool Service Level Alliance within the CCN.
Enhanced Capitation provides additional funding for General Practices to support people who require high levels of care or have high needs because of chronic conditions or terminal illness. The changes to funding distribution will increase General Practice’s flexibility in how funding is applied to patients: the only expectation being that funds are used in a way that enhances the quality and coordination of care provided to patients. This will be a system-wide change that will see Canterbury PHOs work together to distribute funding to enrolled populations that need it the most.
Jane Cartwright, the CCN’s Acting Programme Director, says that the change will improve the population health outcomes for people with complex health needs by better supporting practices to care for patients.
Smoking cessation
In its capacity as a member of the alliance, Pegasus Health’s population health specialists were among a number of experts who provided CCN with input on Canterbury’s smoking cessation programmes in 2015/16. In response to this advice and guidance, Maori and Pacific health providers have begun offering new smoking cessation programmes to their communities. Pegasus was also part of the development of CCN’s latest ‘Stop Smoking Service’ in Canterbury, which will start on 1 October 2016.
Collaborative Care
In the last 12 months, Pegasus Health has worked closely with CCN to make it easier for community, primary and secondary health services to make the best use of Collaborative Care for patients. Collaborative Care involves community, primary and secondary health services working together to proactively manage and plan for complex needs. Coordinating input into a single proactive shared care plan allows for improved communications and real time information. The shared care plans are accessed through HealthOne and Health Connect South.
Jane Cartwright says sharing the lessons learnt in General Practice has been one of the important elements in the success of Collaborative Care.
In the last year the focal areas for Collaborative Care have been pulmonary rehabilitation; integrated diabetes and respiratory services; creating easier access to Shared Care Records; and encouraging and promoting Integrated Family Health Services. Pegasus’ resources have been used to look at a wide range of services and how accessible they are for the young, elderly and Maori people of all ages.
Supporting General Practice
Jane Cartwright says the benefits of the CCN for General Practice teams include efforts to provide the best tools to do their work; make funding streams easier to use; offer access to subsidised procedures; and to make sure that the ‘General Practice voice’ is heard in any CCN conversation. She says input from primary care clinicians is needed to make sure changes to the Canterbury health system will work and “to help oil parts of the system that support General Practice.” “Ultimately, any changes involving or with the potential to affect General Practice, need to be designed with patient care in mind, as well as the future sustainability of practices.”