Select Request for Tender for Melton General Practices Interested in Participating in NWMPHN’s Health Care Neighbourhood Project

Eligibility and locations

Accredited general practices located within the Melton local government are eligible to apply. Visit the City of Melton website for a list of suburbs and a map of the area’s boundaries.

Practices will need to nominate a lead GP, a practice nurse and an administrator for the project.

Applicants must adhere to the following points:

• Demonstrate capacity to participate in co-design and implementation of the Health Care Neighbourhood Project.
• Commit to collaborate with NWMPHN, the neighbourhood care team, patients and other community members.
• All patients involved in the project must be bulk billed. Project funding can only be used for services and activities that Medicare Benefits Schedule does not cover, like coordination activities.

Background information

As part of the Australian Government’s Strengthening Medicare reforms, primary health networks across the country are building multidisciplinary care teams to deliver high-quality continuity of care to address people’s health needs.

With funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, NWMPHN is commissioning multidisciplinary care from allied health professionals and general practices to improve the health of under-served patients.

Known as the Health Care Neighbourhood Project, this activity focuses on the Melton local government area, in which residents have high rates of complex and chronic conditions.

NWMPHN is commissioning three general practices and a neighbourhood care team. Successful applicants will work together, and with patients and other community members, to co-design a multidisciplinary model of care that best suits each practice’s ways of working and patient cohort.

Commissioned practices will each receive $49,950 (ex. GST) over an 18-month period. Funding for an additional 12 months may be possible, contingent on Commonwealth priorities.

The Health Care Neighbourhood Project aims to:

• strengthen the capability of primary care providers to deliver multidisciplinary care
• improve patient care by designing and delivering multidisciplinary care in general practice.

The intended long-term outcomes include:

• Participating GP practices and allied health clinicians develop capability and sustain the model of care beyond the life cycle of the project.
• Broader acceptance that the multidisciplinary model of care is a good way of working and is integrated into general practice.
• Improved chronic disease management, leading to better patient outcomes, reduced hospital admissions and improved integration.

The funding will be used to support the practice participation in the project, and for activities related to multidisciplinary care not currently funded via MBS. The funding is not for direct patient care; practices will utilise MBS items for this. Patients participating in the project must be bulk-billed.

Participating practices will work with the neighbourhood care team, also commissioned by NWMPHN, which will comprise a clinical care coordinator and a social worker.

It will be highly mobile and spend one day a week with each of the three participating practices. It will assist staff in assessing patient need, delivering care, supporting patient self-management, and coordinating access to other allied health and support services in the local area.

Communication and enquiries

All questions must be submitted in writing via the etender portal forum once the select request for tender opens. NWMPHN cannot respond to questions asked outside of this forum.

If your practice needs support to register for the etender portal, please contact the etender portal support team for assistance.