Commissioning priorities and projects
Commissioning priorities for 2023 are:
- HealthPathways
- Primary care continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities
What is HealthPathways?
HealthPathways is a web-based, location specific information portal designed by clinicians to help you navigate your patient through the primary, tertiary, and community healthcare systems. Each pathway is evidence-based and helps you identify a streamlined care plan and referral process, whilst reserving clinical autonomy and patient preference.
HealthPathways aims to:
- encourage collaboration
- improve the health experience
- identify appropriate referral pathways
- ensure correct pre-referral tests are completed
- reduce the time patients spend on waiting lists
- enhance the quality of referrals to minimise rejection
- enhance clinical knowledge and promote best practice
- ensure the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
Visit your region’s HealthPathways:
- HealthPathways Far North Queensland For further enquiries email FNQhealthpathways@health.qld.gov.au
- HealthPathways Townsville For further enquiries email healthpathwaysTSV@health.qld.gov.au
- HealthPathways Mackay For further enquiries email MackayHealthPathways@health.qld.gov.au
CQI is an activity undertaken with the purpose of reviewing, monitoring, evaluating, and improving the quality of services, processes, or experiences delivered at your practice.
NQPHN is dedicated to assisting providers in engaging in quality improvement activities. The toolkit provides the information required to successfully carry out quality improvement by guiding you through a process of:
- ensuring quality data
- identifying areas for improvement
- planning QI activities
- implementing QI activities
- evaluating QI activities.
Undertaking QI allows your practice to deliver improved care and health outcomes to people in your community, as well as improving staff wellbeing and increasing the sustainability of your business by reducing costs or finding new revenue streams.
Find out more here.
Underpinning our approach to commissioning is our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which seeks to build a culturally aware workforce and strengthen relationships with First Nations organisations and communities.
To guide how NQPHN commissions services for First Nations peoples, we have adopted the Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) - Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles, developed in March 2016, acknowledge the commitment made by all PHNs to work with ACCHOs to improve access to health services and improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The principles are:
- connection to culture
- empowering First Nations peoples to determine and implement solutions
- improving cultural awareness and respect across the wider Australian population
- effective partnerships.
NQPHN’s Commissioning Framework has prioritised the following actions to meet these principles:
- include cultural safety as an element of all service models
- trust the ACCHO sector to design and deliver solutions
- ensure solutions cause no harm and improve health and wellbeing
- commission with transparency and respect.
Learn more about First Nations health commissioning projects here.
Commissioning priorities and projects
Commissioning priorities for 2024 are:
- First 1000 Days
Commissioning priorities for 2023 were:
-
First 1000 Days – ACCHO social and emotional wellbeing
-
Child and maternal workforce development uplift
Better Health North Queensland Alliance
On behalf of the Better Health North Queensland (BHNQ) Alliance, NQPHN collaborated with a wide range of partners to develop a First 1,000 Days Framework which will guide service planning, commissioning, delivery, and review across northern Queensland, and will be rolled out at scale to ensure consistent approaches to achieving maternal and child health outcomes for our region. As we progress, the framework will be extended to the first 3,000 days.
NQPHN is using this framework to commission a First Nations social and emotional wellbeing program for the region and will use it to guide further commissioning later in 2023.
Learn more about the First 1,000 Days Framework
First 1,000 Days social and emotional wellbeing co-design workshops
In March 2023, NQPHN and Beacon Strategies facilitated phase one of NQPHN’s First 1,000 Days social and emotional wellbeing co-design workshop in Cairns.
The workshop brought together a cross-section of staff from six Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs), Hospital and Health Services (HHSs), the Department of Education and Early Childhood, Tropical Health, Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC), and digital health organisations from across the region to work collaboratively on developing a new model of care for First Nations maternal and child health social and emotional wellbeing.
Midwives, early childhood educators, mental health directors, immunisation specialists, women’s’ health representatives, and Indigenous health workers were also in attendance and offered unique insights and skills and expertise during the workshop.
This was the first phase of the co-design process with the next round of co-design scheduled with ACCHOs in April 2023.
NQPHN is committed to working with First Nations peoples to develop models of care that best support the needs of their communities.
Commissioning priorities and projects
Improving access to high quality mental health services and improving the coordination of care for people experiencing mental health challenges are important goals for NQPHN.
In 2024, NQPHN will be engaging with the sector to progress a range of exciting initiatives. Some initiatives have a focus on redesigning the current system, so it is easier for people to navigate and access the types of services they need. Other initiatives will focus on commissioning new services.
Commissioning priorities for 2024 are:
- Procure and establish stepped care services
- Procure and establish Cairns Head to Health
- Procure and establish universal aftercare Mackay and Townsville
- Distress Brief Support trial - Tablelands
- Psychological Support for RACH residents
Commissioning priorities for 2023 were:
- Redesigning mental health stepped care services
- Codesign Cairns Head to Health
- Codesign universal aftercare services Mackay and Townsville
- Community-based suicide prevention activities
- Alcohol and other drugs review
Across the North Queensland region, NQPHN commissions mental health stepped care services to support people with low, moderate, and high intensity mental health needs.
NQPHN is responsible for ensuring stepped care arrangements make the best possible use of available services and resources, work effectively across the various levels of need, and address service gaps through commissioning activity.
Following an independent review of the model and funded services completed in 2022, NQPHN undertook a far-reaching codesign process to design the services and stepped care model that will optimally support people in the region.
By working with a range of health and social service professionals, people with lived experience of mental health challenges, and other interested community members, NQPHN has been able to design services that will be matched to a person’s needs, rather than their illness or diagnosis.
A stakeholder summary report has been developed to finalise the codesign process and provide an overview of the vision for the future stepped care model.
Resources
Throughout 2023, NQPHN, in partnership with Townsville and Mackay Hospital and Health Services (HHSs), undertook consultation and codesign activities to inform the implementation of new universal aftercare services. Universal aftercare services are intended to support people who have attempted suicide or been assessed as at imminent risk of attempting suicide. Click on the link below to read the summary report of the consultation and codesign.
Head to Health is a new approach to supporting people with their mental health and social and emotional wellbeing. Head to Health centres provide a welcoming, low stigma, soft entry point for people who are experiencing distress or crisis, including people with mental health concerns that are too complex for many current primary healthcare services but who are not eligible for, or need more timely care than that available from, Queensland Health community mental health services.
Head to Health sites offer immediate support, without the need for a referral or appointment. They also provide short and medium-term episodes of care, and service navigation to connect people to ongoing services. You can find more information about Head to Health here.
Cairns Head to Health
Cairns Head to Health has been funded by the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments through the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement and Bi-Lateral PHN Program. This service is being commissioned by NQPHN in partnership with Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
Cairns Head to Health will deliver a new approach to supporting individuals with their mental health, social, and emotional wellbeing needs. As one lived experience representative put it, through ‘wobbly life moments.’ The centre will offer a welcoming, low-stigma, and soft entry point for individuals experiencing distress, crisis, or other mental health challenges. Support will be immediate, with no need for a referral or appointment.
Cairns Head to Health has been through a comprehensive co-design phase between July 2023 and February 2024. A detailed summary of this work can be found here.
A tender process will soon be underway to identify a lead agency for Cairns Head to Health. Organisations interested in this process should register for NQPHN’s eTenderBox portal.
What is Distress Brief Support?
Distress Brief Support (DBS) is a community-based approach to supporting people experiencing distress, combining two kinds of support (outlined below).
- Community engagement points: These individuals will be ready to offer immediate compassionate support and will connect those in distress to the short-term support team.
- Short-term support team: This dedicated team will provide those in distress with person-centred, practical assistance to explore strengths-based solutions and longer-term support options if required.
The Tablelands and Mareeba region is one of six sites across Australia trialling this new approach. Whilst all of the sites will share a common vision, objectives, and principles, each will differ on where and how the approach is implemented, based on local consultation and codesign activities.
What is distress?
Distress can take a wide variety of forms. Distress can be an unpleasant emotion, feeling, thought, condition, or behaviour.
Emotional distress may include unpleasant feelings, symptoms, or experiences which may result from a particular event, or life circumstances.
Situational distress may be challenging or a mix experience of thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, or behaviours, which may result from life events or situations such as grief, a change in health status, relationship breakdown, financial, or workplace or employment difficulties.
If you are a contracted service provider, NQPHN makes the following commitments to you:
- work with you openly and honestly in a spirit of partnership
- develop an understanding of providers and the contributions they make to delivering the outcomes
- share population health and performance data with you
- consider investing in capacity building and sector development
- engage with you or your peak body, to design outcome-focused solutions
- seek your feedback and input when evaluating services.
In working with NQPHN, we would appreciate the following from our contracted service providers:
- You are required to acknowledge NQPHN’s support in key written documents and at certain events. We have a logo use and branding guidelines document to help.
- Sharing good news stories is a great way of communicating with NQPHN and our funders the impacts your services are having in our communities. Please share good news stories with your NQPHN contract manager who will involve the NQPHN Communications and Marketing Team to develop a story, or submit a story idea here.
NQPHN has adopted the Quintuple Aim Framework to guide evaluation and monitoring at an outcomes level, considering the range of stakeholders involved in delivering services. NQPHN has committed to a strong focus on outcomes, whereby all five domains of the Quintuple Aim are used to develop, monitor, review, and evaluate service provision. The domains are:
- improve patient outcomes
- improved population health outcomes
- improved health equity
- improved provider experience
- value for money.
First Nations health
The Australian Government is investing $220 million in grants, over two years from 2022-23 to 2023-24, through the Strengthening Medicare – GP Grants Program (the Program), to support general practices and eligible Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs).
The Program will provide funding to general practices and eligible ACCHOs to make improvements to their practices to expand patient access and support safe, and accessible, quality primary care.
The Program is being implemented in partnership with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO), who will administer and manage the Program in relation to general practices and ACCHOs, respectively.
Find out more and download the factsheet here.
Strengthening Medicare – GP Grant application packs have been sent out to general practices who have provided NQPHN with an authorised contact to receive these packages.
All queries should be directed to grants@nqphn.com.au
NQPHN is providing local primary healthcare providers with the opportunity to grow and develop a seamless digital health care service for their patients through the NQPHN Digital Capability Grants Program 2023.
- Open to allied health clinics and pharmacies in the NQPHN catchment to grow and develop digital health care capability.
- Grants of $3,000 (ex. GST) available per allied health clinic/pharmacy (note: one application per business/organisation, NOT per individual provider).
- Successful organisations who applied for round one grants are not eligible to apply for round two.
Find out more here.
All queries should be directed to grants@nqphn.com.au
*The grants round has now closed.
NQPHN invites proposals for the provision of after hours primary health care services to be delivered to NQPHN catchments of Mackay Hospital and Health Service (MHHS) and/or Townsville HHS in accordance with the requirements of this Request for Proposal.
Find out more and apply here.
*This tender has now closed.
NQPHN invites applications for the provision of community-based suicide prevention activities for the Townsville Hospital Health Service (HHS) and Mackay HHS regions, in accordance with the requirements of this Request for Tender.
The approach is designed to seek submissions for the provision of whole of population access to community-led suicide prevention initiatives that will be delivered within a collective impact framework within the MHHS and THHS regions.
Find out more and apply here.
*This tender has now closed.
The Care Finder Program seeks to establish and maintain a network of Care Finders to provide specialist and intensive assistance to help people within the Care Finder target population to understand and access aged care and connect with other relevant supports in their community.
*This tender has now closed.
First Nations people are a priority population identified in the First 1,000 Days Framework, and outlines the importance of recognising and responding to the cultural needs and strengths of First Nations communities in the provision of maternal and child health services. This commissioning initiative invites Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) in Northern Queensland to design and deliver a First Nations Maternal and Child Health Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) program aims to achieve:
- positive family experiences of services and supports
- reduction in maternal and child health risk factors in priority population groups
- positive social and emotional wellbeing of children and caregivers
- more children born healthy and strong.
*This tender has now closed.
Healthcare Business Solutions delivered grant and tender writing workshops across the NQPHN catchment in April 2023. Participants were provided with essential information, resources, and the tools to build capabilities and improve knowledge around preparing and submitting competitive, compliant funding applications.
Grants and tenders provide valuable resources for primary care providers to perform projects or provide services they otherwise would not be able to. It is important to remember; however, that grants are competitive, and it takes time and preparation to find the right grant and tender opportunities, plan a project, and write the application.
Below are some tips and resources developed by Healthcare Business Solutions.
Developing a stand-out capability statement
The business capability statement template:
- is organised and clearly laid out
- includes key business information
- shows how your practice/organisation stands out
- presents a professional overview of your business.
Key business and project information
The key business and project information template will organise your business and project information in a clear and concise way ahead of time, ensuring you are prepared when a funding opportunity arises.
Requesting a letter of support
The requesting a letter of support template will save you time when requesting a letter of support from a stakeholder or partner.
GPs and other primary care professionals
Older persons health
NQPHN currently commissions services in the following areas:
- After hours care
- Alcohol and other drug treatment
- Chronic condition management
- First Nations
- Maternal and child health
- Mental health and suicide prevention
- Older persons health and palliative care
NQPHN has launched the Commissioned Services Directory, developed in partnership with My Community Directory.
The Commissioned Services Directory features an interactive map that displays NQPHN-commissioned services by category and location, making it easier for healthcare providers and consumers to locate and access these services.
The new NQPHN directory does not duplicate the My Community Directory tool, instead, it leverages the existing platform and pulls organisational information already listed on My Community Directory.
The aim is to promote NQPHN-funded service providers and raise awareness of these services among consumers and key stakeholders, whilst improving transparency around the services NQPHN funds and where.
The Commissioned Services Directory will be a valuable resource for those seeking locally-funded healthcare services in North Queensland, and will enable NQPHN to better serve the healthcare needs of the community. The information provided in the directory will assist local councils, Hospital and Health Services, and other key stakeholders to plan complementary services in the region.
If you currently receive funding from NQPHN for one or more of your services, and are already listed on My Community Directory, your listing will automatically appear on the Commissioned Services Directory. If you have any concerns please email support@nqphn.com.au
Please double check that your service is listed on My Community Directory. If it is not listed, click here to register your service then email support@nqphn.com.au to advise that you have recently created a service listing.
If your contract has ended with NQPHN, your service will no longer appear on the NQPHN Commissioned Services Directory page, however, your listing will still be available on My Community Directory.
All services providers who receive funding from NQPHN are now required to maintain their My Community Directory listing. Simply ensure that your details are up to date by regularly reviewing your listing.