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Beyond engagement: consumers and communities as agents of health care change and improvement AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE INSIGHTS AND INNOVATION VODCAST SERIES. Full Feature Length A Joint Prestantia Health and AUDIENCED Production, with – Dr Coralie Wales OAM, Honorary Community Fellow, Western Sydney University – Dr Paresh Dawda, GP Lead and Adviser, Founder Prestantia Health– Dr Tara Kiran, Family Physician and Scientist, St Michaels Hospital, Unity Health Toronto and Fidani Chair in Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto FACILITATORLeanne Wells, Associate Consultant, Prestantia Health Australian Health Journal Segment Filmed Online | April 2025 In a recently convened online conversation, expert and community leaders in primary health care, were invited to participate in an international panel in for the third vodcast in the Australian Primary Health Care Insights and Innovation Series. The series is a thought leadership initiative which features vodcasts and accompanying blogs covering predominantly primary care related topics of contemporary or emerging interest to health care policy makers, clinicians, researchers, improvers, commissioning organisations and consumers. The series is designed to stimulate discussion and reflection about the learnings and experience of health system experts from across Australia and around the world. The first vodcast in the Australian Primary Health Care Insights and Innovation Series highlighted that health system leadership must include consumer and community leadership. Harnessed and supported in the right way, consumer insights and preferences improve policies, services, experiences and outcomes. Policymakers, health administrators and clinicians must learn and embrace new ways to harness the transformative role consumers, community members and carers can play. Conversely, consumers and communities need support, capability and capacity to engage as equals in policy, research, program and service design. This is necessary if are to be less technocratic and realise the vision where all members of society can live the best life possible. As developed countries grapple with sustainability and how best to assure and strengthen primary health care, it is important that our system leaders and those who translate policy into services build trust by developing and demonstrating that they have a firm grasp on consumer and community expectations and preferences. Our system already features many ways to support consumer and community involvement. There are formal processes, including Royal Commissions, parliamentary inquiries, and government-led consultations. The Australian Commission for Safety and Quality in Healthcare mandates a partnering with consumer standard against which all hospitals are accredited. Primary Health Networks (PHNs) are required to have a community advisory committee as part of their governance structures, and it is commonplace for local hospital networks to have some form of consumer engagement forum. To further elevate and underscore the importance of consumer and community involvement, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has produced a social participation declaration. It too recognises that lived experience and knowledge shapes better policy, more inclusive health systems, improved services, experiences and outcomes. It also recognises that while people are increasingly being engaged as partners in health systems, recognition and influence is variable. Most importantly, the resolution makes social participation a core function within health systems, committing countries to strengthening, systematising and sustaining social participation. Source: Excerpts from Prestantia Health blog post written by Leanne Wells

In this video, Dr. Paresh, a GP based in Canberra, explains the General Practice Aged Care Incentive—an Australian funding mechanism designed to support high-quality, proactive care for residents in aged care facilities. He shares practical strategies for implementing the incentive, including team-based care, effective scheduling, leveraging technology, and streamlining workflows. The video offers actionable tips for GPs and practice teams to improve care delivery, reduce duplication, and build a sustainable model for the future of aged care.

Achieving High Performing Health Systems : Putting the social into health care AUSTRALIAN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE INNOVATION AND REFORM VODCAST SERIES. Full length Vodcast 2 A Joint Prestantia Health and AUDIENCED Production With - Dr Paresh Dawda, GP Lead and Adviser, Founder Prestantia Health - Dr Wally Jammal, GP, Hills Family General Practice- Dr Bogdan Chiva Giurca, Clinical Lead and Global Director, UK National Academy for Social Prescribing FACILITATORLeanne Wells, Associate Consultant, Prestantia Health Clinicians and consumers know only too well that life circumstances such as poor housing, income and food insecurity can have a negative impact on health outcomes. Conversely, participation in community activities, social connection and access to nature parks and leisure facilities can help maintain health and wellbeing. More recent phenomena in public health have also focused us on the health and social care connection. Stress factors such as the sudden loss of employment and social interaction, moving to remote work or schooling, and the impacts of sudden, localised COVID-19 ‘lockdowns’ to prevent further outbreaks were triggers of increased psychological distress. And loneliness is being described as our latest epidemic with chronic loneliness inked to a myriad of health problems and earlier death. A recent report  found one in four Australians say they feel persistently lonely, and that loneliness costs $2.7 bn a year in health costs alone. According to a 2024 Commonwealth Fund Mirror Mirror report, which compares the health performance of several countries, only 13% of Australian primary care providers (or other personnel in the practice) usually screen or assess patients for one or more social need – the third lowest in the OECD.  Primary care – predominantly general practices - is where most people get most of their health care and is a commonly visited health care setting.  GPs and others in team have a continuous relationship with their patient and the opportunity to identify factors beyond immediate medical care that can impact on health and wellbeing.    Integrating health and social care is an exciting frontier in healthcare and was described as such by Australia’s Assistant Health Minister at a National Social Prescribing roundtable hosted by the Australian Social Prescribing Research Institute (ASPIRE). Despite the recognition that primary care is a good place to start,  the barriers are real. Practice systems, data systems with the capacity to capture information and make intelligent insights, the lack of flexible funding and the time pressures on practices are among them. In this Australian Health Journal HIGHLIGHTS release, the panel discuss some of these barriers and the desire to put the social into health care. Vodcast 2 was convened December 2024. Read the Prestantia Health Blog Post https://www.prestantiahealth.com/post/putting-the-social-into-health-care Produced and published by AUDIENCEDGet your interviews captured across Australia https://www.audienced.org/contact/

This video is about the implmentation of human reliability in the primary care setting.

A video highlighting the transformation efforts at South Street Surgery, Bishop's Stortford.

In this Op-Ed piece GP, Dr Paresh Dawda who has patients in palliative care, and palliative care nurse practitioner Nikki Johnston OAM talk about the issues that need be addressed in the Australian health system to support patients with complex care needs. The current model is discussed where there are limits on how palliative care patients can be cared for by traditional GPs and in clinical settings. The absence of a national register and definitions, affect all areas of the community, not just those who don't have equal access.

Join AGPAL presenter Dr Paresh Dawda for the third and final webinar in Series 1: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement (PIP QI) – Part C: The How?

Join AGPAL presenter Dr Paresh Dawda for the second of three webinars in Series 1: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement (PIP QI) – Part B: The What?

Join AGPAL presenters Dr Paresh Dawda and Angelene True for the first of three webinars in Series 1: Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) and Practice Incentives Program Quality Improvement (PIP QI) – Part A: Introduction and The What?

In this episode, hear a panel discussion moderated by Chris Smeed and featuring Riwka Hagen, Tracy Johnson and Dr Paresh Dawda. They have an all-out discussion about what is needed to resuscitate general practice in Australia.

The dynamics of health care are changing, with increasing acceptance of patients being engaged as partners with clinicians in their care. What does this mean for Australia’s approach, particularly at a time when the Federal Government is developing a 10 Year Primary Health Reform Plan? Emerging concepts and practices such as patient activation and aspects of health care that need to be strengthened such as self-management and health literacy will be discussed by the webinar panel featuring American exponent of partnership in health care, Professor Larry Baker, consumers advocate, Linda Beaver, Care Opinion, Assoc Prof Michael Greco, and a leader in general practice reform, Dr Paresh Dawda. Moderated by Leanne Wells, CEO of CHF.

Social isolation refers to limited social contact and interaction with others, resulting in feelings of loneliness and disconnection. It disproportionately affects the elderly due to factors like loss of friends and family, retirement, reduced mobility, ageism, and limited access to technology. The elderly are at higher risk of social isolation as they may experience a shrinking social circle and face barriers to social participation. Social isolation has significant detrimental effects on their mental and physical well-being, leading to increased rates of depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, and reduced quality of life. Addressing social isolation among the elderly is crucial for promoting their overall health and happiness. Social prescribing is a healthcare approach that recognises the importance of social factors in overall well-being. It involves connecting individuals with non-medical activities and community resources to improve their health and quality of life. Healthcare professionals, such as doctors or social workers, "prescribe" activities like art classes, gardening, exercise groups, or support groups, which can address underlying social determinants of health and promote holistic well-being. By addressing social isolation, mental health, and lifestyle factors, social prescribing aims to enhance individual health outcomes and reduce the burden on healthcare services. Social prescribing provides support in various areas of people's lives, leading to increased confidence, improved navigation of systems, and enhanced friendships and trust in healthcare, while communities should be designed in an age-friendly way to prevent isolation. In Part 1 of the Models of Care on Social Prescribing, Australian Health Journal spoke to 4 people advocating for social prescribing in Australia: - Dr Michelle Lim, Scientific Chair and Chairperson, Ending Loneliness Together - Patricia Sparrow, Chief Executive Officer, COTA Australia - Dr Paresh Dawda, General Practitioner, Director and Principal, Next Practice Deakin. All well as being a UK GP - Tracey Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Inala Primary Care The discussions with these advocates emphasise social prescribing is a necessary solution to address isolation, loneliness, and stress, but it requires more resources, funding, and support to make it accessible and affordable for individuals, particularly older Australians. Coming soon: Part 2 of the Models of Care on Social Prescribing, Australian Health Journal looks at the Bolton Clarke Connect Local, A free program for over 65's to promote wellbeing through social connection. The program is run by the Connecting Communities to Care (CCtC) in the Glen Eira community in Melbourne.