BDGP Board

Consumer Advisory Committee

Privacy

THE BDGP BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Barwon Division of General Practice is governed by a Board of Directors which is responsible for establishing strategic directions and subsequently for monitoring and reviewing achievements.

Until recently the Board was made up of GP representatives from across the Barwon Division area but in April 2009, the Division’s first non-GP member was appointed, former Gunnedah Mayor Gae Swain.

2010 Board of Directors

Chair/Medical Director Dr Grahame Deane, Gunnedah
Immediate Past Chair Dr Nick Boyd, Moree
Deputy Chair Dr Di Coote, Warialda
Directors:
Dr Subramaniam Sivanathan, Wee Waa
Dr Kerry Moroney, Narrabri
Dr Deepal Gunasekara, Barraba
Mrs Gae Swain, Gunnedah

BARWON DIVISION OF GENERAL PRACTICE CONSUMER ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC)

The Consumer Advisory Commitee is a subcommittee to the BDGP Board.

MEMBERSHIP

The CAC will have the following 6 members:
1 x GP or retired GP
1 x Youth representative
1 x Aboriginal representative
3 x Community Organisation members
(The CEO of the Barwon Division of general Practice and other staff members will also attend meetings in an advisory capacity.)

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Key performance indicators will be developed by the Chair of the CAC in conjunction with the CEO and BDGP staff. Progress towards those indicators will be reviewed regularly.

REIMBURSMENT FEE

Members will be reimbursed at an hourly rate for attendance at CAC meetings.

GUIDELINES FOR THE WORKINGS OF THE CAC

The Consumer Advisory Committee will:

Report to the BDGP Board after each meeting, through the BDGP CEO or via a written report.
Identify, discuss and comment on the health needs of the communities in the Division area.
Make recommendations to the BDGP Board related to the community’s health needs identified and strategies for improving General Practice services to meet those needs.
Provide input and feedback from the community on BDGP’s programs and towards the development of new programs by bringing recommendations and ideas to each meeting.
Assist BDGP to identify community members who are interested in becoming CAC members in the future.
Provide feedback to the community on BDGP programs and General Practice issues through the distribution of the BDGP quarterly newsletter to community organisations.

CAC meetings will rotate around the towns within BDGP’s catchment area.

Achievements of the Barwon Division of General Practice Consumer Advisory Committee

The Barwon Division of General Practice has been fortunate to have a committed Consumer Advisory Committee (CAC) in operation for the past three years.

The committee currently comprises 6 members from various geographic locations across the Division. Members represent a variety of backgrounds including a retired General Practitioner, youth, Aboriginal, and community organisation members. The term of membership is 2 years, at the conclusion of which, positions are advertised. To ensure continuity, advertising for positions is offset and only half of the committee’s positions are advertised each time. Members are encouraged to reapply for positions and it has been beneficial that 2 of our members have attended the committee since its inception.

The Consumer Advisory Committee is important for business progress for the Division as it provides the opportunity to gauge public/local community opinion on health related matters. The members of the committee have been chosen due to their community focus and presence in their local communities and are considered to be very effective in conveying community opinion. This continues to be the major achievement of the committee.

As a sub-committee to the Board, community input continues to be provided through the CAC to the BDGP Board. After each quarterly meeting the Chairperson of the CAC has provided the Chairperson of the Board (Dr. Grahame Deane) a report of the meeting’s outcomes and recommendations.

In December 2008, the role of Chairperson was vacated by Peggy Hann and Noreen Kennedy was unanimously voted into the role. Thankyou to Mrs Hann for her continued interest and professionalism as Chairperson for 3 years.

Key Achievements of the CAC:

In particular, the Consumer Advisory Committee can be proud of the following key achievements.
(This report relates to the period March 2008-June 2009).

Attendance at Division planning days and contribution to the concept of a name change for BDGP to promote Division business.
Raising the profile of the Division to the general public.
Including:contribution to the Media and Marketing Strategy and Plan, contribution to the BDGP website as a committee, securing a regular health column in ‘The Courier’ in Narrabri, by Dr Anderson.
Generic Medications Project - promoting distribution of product information sheets by Pharmacists as well as community talks by Pharmacists
Presentation of Sugar Posters to Aged Care facilities.
Interest in Youth Health and provision of talks by GPs to high school students.
Participation in the annual More Allied Health Services (MAHS) Needs Assessment. The CAC’s involvement in the distribution of questionnaires, has allowed the Division a broad consumer perspective on Allied Health service gaps, resulting in enhancement of Allied Health Services in the Barwon DGP communities.
Dissemination of other needs assessments amongst the community (including Rural and Remote Mental Health, ABHI (Australian better Health Initiative and MSOAP (Medical Specialist Outreach Program).
Interest in promoting regular exercise in the community through the 10,000 Steps Program
Raising community awareness of depression, including attendance at local mental health days (ie. Dare to Care day in Gunnedah).
Interest in promoting CPR training for pool owners.
Assessing availability of community transport for specialist’s appointments as well as accommodation for families of inpatients at large hospitals.
Consideration of funding locations for Heart Start machines.

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