On this page

1. Aim of the clinical community of practice
2. Governance
3. Clinical leads
4. This community of practice scope is not
5. Membership
6. Frequency of the community of practice
   

Aim of the clinical community of practice

Health and Social Policy will provide an opportunity for sharing of ideas, strategies, local solutions and concerns with respect to COVID-19 Pandemic preparedness and response among NSW Health community health services.

The community of practice will be multidisciplinary and include representation from all districts and networks. It will enable members to provide expert advice and guidance to the system, and to escalate matters that require a statewide or system response.

The aim of these sessions is to:

• support clinicians to network and share strategies, local solutions and issues with respect to pandemic preparedness for community health
• identify, prioritise and escalate issues related to COVID-19 which are actually or potentially affecting clinicians providing community healthcare that require a statewide or system response
  
• review and provide expert clinical advice on guidelines, resources and other information
• share Ministry approved advice and resources on the response to COVID-19 that can be circulated within all districts and networks.

Governance

• Executive sponsor: Deb Willcox, Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Resources
• Clinical lead: Kylie Burke, General Manager, Primary Care and Community Health, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District; Chair, Community Health Peak Forum
• Community of practice secretariat: Benjamin Thomson, Senior Policy Officer, Community Care and Priority Populations, Health and Social Policy Branch. Email: MOH-PrimaryandCommunityCare@health.nsw.gov.au

Collated issues/advice will be escalated by Ms Willcox through to the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and/or the State Health Emergency Operations Centre (SHEOC) as appropriate.

PHEOC and SHEOC responses will be provided to Strategic Reform and Planning and then to the community of practice secretariat(s).

Weekly community of practice updates will be provided to NSW Health Chief Executives.

Clinical leads

Each community of practice will have a clinical lead appointed by Deb Willcox, Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Resources.

The clinical lead will:

• assist with the facilitation of the community of practice
• work with clinical peers in the districts and networks to share ideas and develop appropriate response strategies
• provide expert advice and guidance to the system and Ministry as required
• escalate relevant matters to the Ministry that require a statewide or system response
• provide expert advice to respond to media enquiries.

This community of practice scope is not

A group which is able to endorse statewide changes or make decisions that impacts a unit or system or allocate funding to recommendations.

Membership

This community of practice is open to all members of the Community Health Peak Forum, the Chief Allied Health Officer and representatives from Ministry branches and the ACI with responsibility for portfolios within community health. As a minimum it will include representation from all districts and networks.

To join the community of practice participants should email MOH-PrimaryandCommunityCare@health.nsw.gov.au.

Frequency of the community of practice

Monthly basis on a Friday at 11am. Meetings commenced 26 March 2020 using Skype for business. Skype for business details will be attached to the calendar invite.