Clinicians and other healthcare providers across the Murrumbidgee region are enjoying access to even more localised guidance, with the local HealthPathways team reaching a milestone of 100 clinical pathways in February.

Murrumbidgee HealthPathways is a collaboration between Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) and Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD).  The programme launched in June 2018 and a local team of GP clinical editors has been working hard to localise the pathways

General Practitioner Dr Marietjie van Der Merwe, Clinical Lead for Murrumbidgee HealthPathways, says topics covered by the 100 pathways are varied and prioritised according to community needs.

“We now have pathways on a range of topics including child health, palliative care, pregnancy, respiratory, cardiology, diabetes, gastroenterology, mental health, aged care, and alcohol and other drugs.  Feedback we have received from those accessing HealthPathways indicate it being a valuable resource, especially for new clinicians and locums to the area,” she says.

“HealthPathways have proven what a valuable resource they are where local information can be provided quickly to assist clinicians, where in response to the recent bushfires and COVID-19, we have quickly localised pathways to assist them.”

Left to right:
(Back row) Karen Jones –  Integration Consultant; Narelle Mills - Senior Manager Commissioning; Toni Preuss - Manager HealthPathways; Felicity Kerslake - Integration Consultant.
(Front row) Dr Jane Laloma – Clinical Editor; Dr Marietjie van der Merwe - Clinical Lead; Professor Louis Pilotto - Clinical Editor.

Future plans

MPHN’s Murrumbidgee HealthPathways Program Manager Toni Preuss says the team are guided by the area’s health needs and engagement capabilities when managing a regional workforce. 

“We’re working closely with the Murrumbidgee Local Health District to localise pathways identified as priorities by the MPHN health needs assessment,” she says.

“Being a regional area, our medical workforce balances a range of professional engagements, so we are always trying new strategies for both engaging clinical editors and subject matter experts.”

Building local engagement

For tips and resources to help you build HealthPathways engagement in your area, see Getting General Practice Engaged with HealthPathways, or Engagement and Education. These resources have been provided by members of the HealthPathways Community.

If you have any questions about the Murrumbidgee HealthPathways Programme, please contact your lead writer.