Generating maximum return on investment for 3 LMICS-funded ‘Model of Care’ projects

Background

In 2022 LMICS funded 3 regional health services to develop a model of care (MOC) for their respective cancer services:

• Swan Hill District Health
• Echuca Regional Health
• Mildura Base Public Hospital.

What is a model of care?

A MOC outlines an approach to delivering integrated cancer services and care within the scope and capability of a sub-regional health service. Ultimately, it details how services should be delivered to ensure people get the right care, at the right time, by the right team and in the right place. The model embeds person-centred care and optimal care pathways (OCPs) to guide best-practice service delivery. It incorporates re-designed governance and workforce structures that enhance leadership, accountability, and improvement, and ensures continued delivery of high-quality, safe care with capacity to accommodate future growth of services.

Purpose

To create synergistic opportunities across the 3 MOC projects that were being developed in 2021-22 and facilitate links with the Bendigo Regional Cancer Centre Service Plan that was also being developed.

What we did

As well as contributing to the MOC planning processes via provision of cancer service usage and demographic data, Loddon Mallee region cancer service system knowledge, and service improvement ideas, LMICS also sought to maximise the engagement, collaboration, and impact of the 3 MOC projects. LMICS initiated and facilitated regular meetings between the 3 consultants undertaking the MOC work and health service representatives during the life of the MOC projects. Where appropriate, the Bendigo Health Regional Service Planner and key representative stakeholders also attended these meetings.

Outputs

This collaboration:

• enabled the consultants to discuss common MOC framework/implementation issues
• provided a reciprocal channel for consultants, health services, and the service planner to engage with each other
• created a forum for input from invited peak body representatives who had regional relevance to cancer planning in the Loddon Mallee region
• ensured LMICS could hear and learn from the MOC/service planning projects.

Impact

A key outcome of LMICS’ collaborative process during the projects was not only a comprehensive sub-regional overview of needs/opportunities, but also identification of future areas of potential support by LMICS, including where advocacy can occur with other organisations for resources/solutions beyond LMICS’ immediate remit.

Notably this project has resulted in strong local ownership of forward planning of cancer services alongside collaboration with LMICS for input and support as needed.