PHNs have received funding from the Commonwealth Department of Health to undertake procurement to primary care providers, including but not limited to, Medical Deputising Services, to undertake home visits to provide care to COVID-positive patients, where their usual GP does not have capacity or where a person does not have a managing GP. This includes coverage in of both day-time (9am to 5pm) and in the after-hours (5pm to 11.59pm).

This program will target COVID-positive patients living in Residential Aged Care who need to have a clinical assessment face-to-face. Referrals will come from Local Health Networks and General Practice Respiratory Clinics and will be sent to the GP service provider. The Service Provider will assess the patient and take over clinical care. All referrals will be for patients who are COVID-positive or have tested positive for COVID in the past 30 days.

This face-to-face service will also be available to vulnerable members of the community, focussing on those without Medicare and other supports.

These face-to-face visits can be conducted by general practitioners, practice nurses under the supervision of a general practitioner or nurse practitioners. The services are for the treatment of COVID but can also include any treatment that a COVID-positive patient may need while they are isolating, for example a wound dressing, prescription, or pathology.

This Service will be set up rapidly to ease pressure on the Health System and will be ongoing until 30 June 2022 (unless extended with funding from the Department of Health).

This document seeks Expressions of Interest (EOI) from accredited primary care providers in the 12 local government areas in EMPHN’s catchment area (Banyule, Boroondara, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Mitchell (part), Monash (part), Murrindindi (part), Nillumbik, Whitehorse, Whittlesea and Yarra Ranges) to rapidly establish service delivery to undertake home visits to provide care to COVID-positive patients in Residential Aged Care Facilities and private homes.

Accredited general practices, medical deputising services and community health services with GPs may express their interest in participating in the program as per the guidelines below.

This EOI is intended to identify individual primary care providers capable of participating in this program. An EOI can be completed for multiple Local Government Areas in EMPHN catchment area.