Abstracts & Presentation Summaries - Department of Health

for PAG programs. The benefits for Service Providers included an opportunity for
greater collaboration and support and a greater understanding of services offered in
the sub region. The model was recognised as one of good practice and received
funding in the 99/2000 funding round to continue and further develop the model
implemented in the pilot.
The model has now been in operation for twelve months and the following values
and limitations have been noted.
The identified values of the model have included:
Increased coordination between all of the PAG programs in the sub-region.
This has generated many other spin offs including sharing resources and
ideas, collaborative approaches to planning and networking for PAG
coordinators and staff.
The establishment of one central waiting list for each of the programs.
This has assisted in identifying unmet needs and potential areas for funding
applications. There has also been a great deal of positive feedback from
referring agencies who are very supportive of the one point of referral for all
PAG programs. Agencies have explained that in the past they have been
unsure of where to locate PAGs and who to make referrals to, which has in
some instances led to referrals not been made at all.
Despite the many benefits of this model, there are challenges that continue to arise.
These have included: time constraints, adjusting to new approaches to service
delivery and the development of one assessment tool.
Since commencement of the Assessment role, referrals for PAGs in the sub-region
have been consistently over 40 per month. When the position commenced it was
estimated that only 30 referrals would be received per month. From this it could be
assumed that having one point of entry has in fact increased the number of referrals,
therefore, supports this model of service delivery. At this point, it must be noted is
that the current amount of time allocated to this position does not reflect the
demand.
The position has been operating for almost a year, which has allowed us to identify
some potential service developments. From the commencement it has become
evident that the needs of the target groups would better met through increased
coordination that transcends organisations and focus on the common elements of
service delivery. Some areas that may benefit from cross-organisation coordination
are volunteers, casual staff pools, service planning and transport. Through this
position it has also become apparent that there is a need to review the programs
currently offered by each service provider. This need has grown from the
identification of unmet needs in the sub-region.
In conclusion, despite the various challenges that have arisen, it can be said that these
have been far outweighed by the values of this new approach to service delivery.
It is recognised that there are some areas that require further development to ensure
the ongoing success of the position. This model is a living example of service
providers working collaboratively, which will be increasingly important for many of
us with the realisation of Primary Care Partnerships.
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