Winter Strategy
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare studies potentially preventable hospitalisations as a measure of primary care effectiveness. Patients diagnosed with chronic conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive cardiac failure, diabetes, and hypertension, are at higher risk of deterioration and hospitalisation over the winter period.
We have been successfully implementing our Winter Strategy programs since 2019.
Our Winter Strategy has two significant components:
- General practice collaborative program, which is delivered across a seven to eight month period. The aim is to support practices in delivering proactive care for patients identified at high risk of being unwell and/or admitted to hospital during the winter (and influenza) season. Through this project practices can expect to improve care for vulnerable patients and implement quality improvement strategies.
- Aged care: influenza and COVID vaccination program in participating aged care facilities across the region. Registered nurses working in aged care are offered a scholarship to complete the immunisation accreditation course with ACN, and facilities are supported through a vaccination program for both their staff and residents. For more information visit our RACF Winter Strategy webpage.
General Practice Winter Strategy
Winter Strategy aims to support general practice in improving the management of patients with chronic conditions by implementing important preventative care measures to minimise their risk of hospitalisation. Patients are encouraged to be equal partners with their care team to better manage their chronic conditions, avoid hospitalisation and stay as well as possible during the winter months.
Winter Strategy QI Collaborative 2025 (WSQIC 2025) details
The WSQIC 2025 will run for an 8-month period starting in March 2025 and will end in October 2025.
Practices successful in this EOI will be required to:
- Sign the Winter Strategy 2025 Service Agreement.
- Sign up to LUMOS (if not already). FFnd more information on the LUMOS program.
- Participate in an online orientation webinar.
- Actively participate in 3 activity periods, where practice teams will work through QI activities and test small changes within their general practices using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles.
- The activity periods will be interspersed with learning workshops (two in-person and one wrap-up webinar). The in-person events will be held at the Wentworth Healthcare office in April and July.
Benefits to your practice
- Participation payments for the practice (up to $7,500 excluding GST)
- Increased awareness of chronic disease support for your patients
- Contributes to QI requirements for both accreditation and PIPQI
Eligibility
Practices participating in the Winter Strategy QI Collaborative will be required to enrol at least 20 patients to participate in the program.
- Practices using Primary Sense will identify these 20 patients using the Patients with High Complexity (5 and 4) report, filter this report by ACG score and enrolling patients with an ACG score of 4 or 5 who also meet the below additional patient eligibility criteria.
- Practices using PenCS will identify their 20 patients using the chronic conditions patient register and applying the below additional patient eligibility criteria.
- Patients enrolled into the program must also:
- Be adult patients (18 years and over)
- Have two or more chronic conditions
- Have been admitted to hospital in 2024 in relation to their chronic illness/es
- Be at risk of being hopsitalised due to the chronic illness/es in 2025
- Be likely to benefit from participating in the program to reduce their risk of hospitalisation in 2025.
GP Experience of their participation in Winter Strategy
“Like other practices within our region we have many patients with chronic and complex health problems and this program offered the opportunity to be really proactive in their care and management. The aims of the program were really well defined and we found it easy to identify patients that were at high risk of hospital admission or major sickness throughout the winter months. Using Top Bar with our practice software then helped identify the patients that we enrolled in the program and complete the necessary criteria. We have found that the additional time spent with the patient has been invaluable in updating medical notes, ensuring medications are reviewed, immunisations are up-to-date and care plans are given to patients to use in case of hospital admission. We are hoping that we will see a significant reduction in presentation to the Emergency Department from these patients over the winter months due to our proactive and multidisciplinary approach to managing their healthcare needs.” - Dr Kate Brunton - McGraths Hill Medical Centre
If you are interested in participating in the Winter Strategy QI Collaborative 2025, please complete the Expression of Interest form below by 5.00pm Wednesday 5 February.
