The CYPFESC met on 7 June 2022. Discussion focused on monitoring progress of the Henry Review Implementation Plan and ensuring work considers equity and meets the needs of priority groups of children, young people and families. Key activities underway which will support better access and care were considered.
A patient story, of the lived experience of a family living in regional NSW that interacts regularly with the health system was shared with the committee. The committee reflected on the impact for family members, the potential for virtual care and how services can improve to better support families.
The Health Secretary Susan Pearce shared her vision for NSW Health including opportunities to align Henry Review implementation with broader health priorities, such as embedding virtual care, supporting the workforce and better health access and equity for regional NSW.
She discussed the importance of the formal apology on behalf of NSW Health to survivors of the Stolen Generations recently delivered. Ensuring culturally safe services and workplaces for Aboriginal people is essential to demonstrate our commitment to address past harm and show respect.
The Plan has been approved by the Secretary. Reporting on delivery will aim to provide sufficient detail to show change over time whilst not recreating onerous reporting requirements. Where possible, baselines will be established to track progress. The first implementation report will be delivered by December 2022.
The Committee is committed to improving equity and access. To drive this commitment, project leads will be asked to reflect on the impact of their work on priority population groups. The initial focus will be on Aboriginal people and children, young people and families living in regional and remote NSW.
The NSW Virtual Care Strategy aims to embed virtual care in standard practice as appropriate. The VC team are currently consulting with local health districts and other key partners (including primary care) on strategies to embed virtual care. The next step is to develop or amend models of care in non-admitted patient settings to include virtual care. Paediatrics is one of six key cohorts in the strategy. The paediatric cohort will be supported by a new project to standardise paediatric diabetes management and improve access by promoting scalable, sustainable virtual models of care. The VC team also sought advice on other non-admitted paediatric services that may be appropriate for future virtual care models.
The Committee agreed that there are opportunities to use virtual care more effectively in paediatric services to enable greater capacity, equity, and value-based care. The importance of virtual care models integrating with local health services, including primary care, was emphasised.
Contact Sarah Morton, Director, Disability, Youth and Paediatric Health, NSW Ministry of Health at sarah.morton2@health.nsw.gov.au.
