North Coast NSW Medicare Local – Information Sheet

December 2011; Version 1.0
Thank you for your interest in the North Coast Medicare Local. As we are now receiving many questions, we would like to take this opportunity to provide some answers.


In what ways will the North Coast Medicare Local operate differently from GP Networks in the Region?
Originally GP Networks were set up to support General Practitioners. In later years, GP Networks also supported GP practice staff, practice nurses and allied health professionals. They have also become owners or operators of services in some instances.
 
The North Coast Medicare Local is a totally separate entity from the GP Networks, with a different role. One of the key and exciting roles of the Medicare Local is planning. Together, we have the opportunity through the Medicare Local to establish a Population Health Plan for this Region, submit it to the Government and then start to address some of the top priorities and service gaps in this Region.
 
What are the first steps needed to achieve your goals?
Our first priority is to establish the Medicare Local in the Region. We have until the end of June 2012 to do this. The North Coast Medicare Local will have a skills-based Board. This means the directors will be appointed for their skills, not as representatives of any particular organisation or professional group. We will have a transitional board comprising of six directors appointed from the founding members, with the ability to add three more, depending on the skills required. Following the transition stage will be calling upon our foundation and new members to nominate and elect Directors at our AGM to form the inaugural board.
 
In the mean time we are recruiting a CEO, a finance manager and establishing the business infrastructure for the Medicare Local. We will be setting up Offices in Tweed, Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and Hastings Macleay.
 
We aim to be calling for members in March. The Constitution provides
for one category of membership, which is an ‘organisational membership’. Information on eligibility and how to apply will be readily available once contracts for the Medicare Local have been completed with the Commonwealth.
 

As a clinician in this region, how can I have my say in the Medicare Local?
The Medicare Local will depend on clinicians and peak clinical organisations to:

• Deliver services funded through the Medicare Local. (service delivery partnerships)
• Contribute to planning – identifying service gaps and priority for service development and expansion. (program and strategic advisory groups)
• Assist in ensuring quality of services – ensuring evidence based best practice is consistently applied across the Region. (clinical governance groups)
• Lead and/or participate in the implementation of the health reform initiatives.
• Participate in workforce development – supporting colleagues, students, research and ongoing education.
  
  

The mechanisms to get involved include:

• Board Director: There are a number of essential skills required on the Board that would more than likely be held by a person with a clinical background.
• Clinical Leaders Groups (or existing State Clinical Networks) will provide advice to the Medicare Local.
• Our Local and regional advisory committees provide the vehicle to engage key stakeholders (consumers and clinicians) for the purposes of planning.
• Local and regional clinical governance: The Medicare Local will ensure that clinical governance covers our services in community settings.
• Membership – as the representative of your member organisation.
   

How can I become a member of the NCML?
Once established, NCML plans to help key stakeholders groups form organisations suitable to be regional members, where such groups do not already exist. Organisational members of NCML are expected to include groups such as Regional Development Australia, Universities active in our region, the peak body for local government as well as clinician groups. This is to help ensure a community and population health focus is embedded in the new organisation.
 
We do not expect to be ready to call for new members until NCML has its corporate infrastructure established and the transfer of business from the General Practice Networks has been completed.
 
How influential will NCML be?
To a large extent this depends on what the Commonwealth funds NCML to do. However, as an independent organisation NCML will have the ability to seek and use funding from other sources as well. For example these could include NSW Health, research organisations, and health insurance organisations.
The commonwealth has said that over time they expect more of their inputs to primary care to be via Medicare Locals.


What happens to the current Medicare system?
The name Medicare Local may be quite confusing as it has nothing to do with Medicare Australia as the main way of paying for health services. The name was chosen by the Commonwealth Government. The Medicare system as we know it will remain quite separate, and NCML will not have any special influence over it.
 
Contact us at:
Mr Gary Southey
Tweed Valley General Practice (TVGPN)
Ph – 02 66725158
Email – gsouthey@tvgpn.org.au
 
Mr Chris Clark
Northern Rivers General Practice Network (NRGPN)
Ph – 02 66224453
Email – cclark@nrgpn.org.au
 
Mr Paul Ward
Hastings Macleay General Practice Network (HMGPN)
Ph – 02 6583 3600
Email – pward@hmgpn.org.au
 
Mr Peter Spence
Mid North Coast Division of General Practice (MNCDGP)
Ph – 02 66515774
Email - pspence@mncdgp.org.au
 
Mr John Langill
North Coast GP Training (NCGPT)
Ph – 02 66815711
Email - johnl@ncgpt.org.au
 
Mr David Kennedy
Many Rivers Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance
Ph – 02 66520850
Email - dkennedy@galambila.org.au