The Victorian Department of Health has partnered with Eastern Melbourne, Gippsland, Murray, North Western Melbourne and West Victorian PHNs to support general practices to build their capacity to manage patients with heart failure in primary care.

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome that is estimated to affect 480,000 Australians. Multiple hospitalisations are common for people with heart failure and prognosis is generally poor, with 20-30% of people with mild to moderate heart failure dying within one year of being diagnosed, and 50% of people with severe heart failure dying within one year. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience heart failure at a younger age and are more likely to die that non-Indigenous Australians.?Additionally, the continued ageing of the Australian population, as well as the impacts of deferred care through the COVID-19 pandemic, contributes to an increasing burden of heart failure on the healthcare system.?

This project will provide funding, education and comprehensive support to general practices to apply a whole of practice approach and complete QI activities. Through attendance at collaborative workshops and completion of PDSA cycles provided by the HeartPlan in a Box QI Toolkit, general practices will be supported to align their management with recommendations from the National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand: Guidelines for the Prevention, Detection, and Management of Heart Failure in Australia 2018.?

Through this EOI, Eastern Melbourne PHN (EMPHN) is seeking to identify and engage four RACGP accredited general practices in the EMPHN catchment area to participate in a heart failure quality improvement (QI) program supported by clinical experts and EMPHN facilitators, from January to August 2023. Successful respondents will have to demonstrate their capacity and capability to undertake the program, and will embed outcomes for sustainable improvements in practice. Funding of $7,000.00 will be provided to support the required activities for each successful respondent.