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
7. Guidelines and resources

Aim of the clinical community of practice

The Health and Social Policy Branch (Community Care and Priority Populations Unit) at the Ministry of Health will provide an opportunity for sharing of ideas, strategies, local solutions and concerns with respect to COVID-19 Pandemic preparedness and response.

The Community of Practice will include representation from key primary care organisations in NSW, enabling expert advice and guidance to the system, and escalation of matters that require a statewide or system response.

The aim of these sessions is to:

• support the networking and sharing of strategies, local solutions and issues with respect to pandemic preparedness and response for primary care
• identify, prioritise and escalate issues related to COVID-19 which are actually or potentially affecting clinicians providing primary care 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.

Governance

• Executive Sponsor: Deb Willcox, Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Resources
• Clinical Leads:
• Dr Kean-Seng Lim (Metropolitan)
• Dr Ai-Vee Chua (Rural)
• A/Professor Charlotte Hespe, (University of Notre Dame)
• Community of Practice secretariat: Hebe Thomas, Senior Policy Officer, Health and Social Policy Branch, NSW Ministry of Health MOH-PrimaryandCommunityCare@health.nsw.gov.au

The Health and Social Policy Branch will escalate issues raised by the Community of Practice to the Strategic Reform and Planning Branch.

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 Branch 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 has a clinical lead/s appointed by Deb Willcox, Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Resources.

The Clinical Leads:

• assist with the facilitation of the Community of Practice
• work with clinical peers 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.

The community of practice 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 comprised of representatives from key primary care organisations including the Aboriginal Health & Medical Research Council, Agency for Clinical Innovation, Allied Health Professions Australia, the AMA (NSW), Commonwealth Department of Health, Maari Ma Health, NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Primary Health Networks, and the RACGP.

Frequency of the community of practice

Every four weeks on a Friday from 1pm using Skype for business. Skype for business details will be attached to the calendar invite.

Please contact MOH-PrimaryandCommunityCare@health.nsw.gov.au if you would like more information about the community.

Guidelines and resources