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 NSW Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI) will convene the Virtual Care Clinical Community of Practice to provide an opportunity for sharing of ideas, strategies, local solutions and concerns with respect to COVID-19 pandemic preparedness. The community of practice will be multidisciplinary and include representation from all districts and networks. It will enable clinicians and clinical managers using virtual care from all districts 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 virtual care
• identify, prioritise and escalate issues related to COVID-19 which are actually or potentially affecting clinicians providing virtual 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 within all districts and networks.

Governance

• Executive sponsor: Deb Willcox, Deputy Secretary, Health System Strategy and Resources
• Clinical lead: Dr Shannon Nott, Rural Health Director of Medical Services, Western NSW Local Health District
• Community of practice secretariat:
• Lead – Regina Osten, Stream Manager Integrated Care and Aboriginal Health, ACI
• Secretariat – Rachael Sinclair, Project Officer, ACI
• Key stakeholders:
• clinical virtual care champions from each LHD/SHN including a mix of medical, nursing and allied health representatives
• Australian Digital Health Agency
• representatives from the Telehealth Strategic Advisory Group
• representatives from the CXIO Executive Leadership Group.

The Virtual Care Community of Practice will liaise with the Virtual Care and Telehealth Strategic Working Group and Virtual Care Clinical Advisory Committee (convened by eHealth) regarding technical components and statewide rollout of models of care.

ACI will escalate issues raised by the community of practice to Strategic Reform and Planning. Key information will be collected and distributed through MOH-COVID19-ClinicalAdvice@health.nsw.gov.au, which will be monitored by Strategic Reform and Planning.

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 clinicians and appropriate telehealth staff with an interest in virtual care. As a minimum it will include representation from all districts and networks. However, membership may be extended more broadly to include all interested NSW Health staff as well as professional colleges, private providers/clinicians and other non-government organisations as appropriate to the clinical speciality.

To join the community of practice please email the Virtual Care Community of Practice at ACI-VirtualCare@health.nsw.gov.au.

Frequency of the community of practice

This Community of Practice will meet virtually on a monthly basis. Meetings will be held on the first Wednesday of each month from 12pm-1pm.

Guidelines and resources

Agency for Clinical Innovation: COVID-19 Response: Communities of Practice