On 26 May 2016, Townsville hosted the first HealthPathways inter-regional meeting of coordinators in Queensland. The transformative event brought teams together from new and future HealthPathways regions Cairns and Sunshine Coast with their peers from Mackay and Townsville.

“It really set the foundations for what I truly believe in – collaboration and working together to improve outcomes for patients,” HealthPathways Mackay Coordinator Toni Simmons says.

“It was a positive day that allowed us all to grow and learn from each other’s experiences.”

The meeting addressed the HealthPathways Directory and clinical prioritisation criteria for pilot sites, and experienced coordinators provided insight around using Dot.

“It was a great opportunity to plan for future collaborative working arrangements,” HealthPathways Townsville Coordinator Alison Berigan says.

“These include sharing the health service directory when it comes online in July 2016, assisting each other with reviewing existing pathways, and planning blocks of work to ensure we can leverage off each other to reduce duplication and increase productivity at all sites.”

Sarah Ludwick, coordinator for Cairns HealthPathways, suggests that the event boosted morale and created stronger connections within the community.

“As Cairns HealthPathways is new and not yet live there is still so much to learn, and hearing first-hand about positive outcomes and successful ways forward was truly an invaluable opportunity.  Networking with those teams who are already performing so highly and to hear a direct update from the Streamliners Team about their exciting new ventures on the horizon reinforced the HealthPathways community feel. “

This sentiment was echoed by the Sunshine Coast team, which has a planned rollout in partnership with Central Queensland and Wide Bay from mid-August this year.

“Being able to link up with other coordinators has been very useful in the early stages of planning and implementation,” Coordinator Clinton Bazley says.

“It was extremely beneficial sharing information and resources, and the group members are highly supportive.”

Like the NSW coordinator meetings which take place every few months, events like these foster closer ties between neighbouring teams and lead to more efficiently produced and coordinated regional pathways. 

Photo: David Crawshaw at the English language Wikipedia (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) via Wikimedia Commons.