Capital Health Network

The ACT and SNSW HealthPathways Program is a unique cross-border partnership involving ACT Health, Southern NSW Local Health District, COORDINARE (South Eastern NSW PHN) and CHN (ACT PHN). The HealthPathways Program is a web-based clinical tool that provides health professionals with localised and evidence-based pathways. These localised pathways feature the assessment, management and referral options available locally across both regions.

The objectives of the ACT and Southern NSW HealthPathways program are to:

From a patient level:

• improve the experience of patients and carers through seamless, integrated, coordinated health care across the ACT and Southern NSW

From a provider level:

• support health care providers to manage patient care for most conditions at the primary care level
• improve referrals and transition of care between primary and community care, hospitals and specialist services.

From system level:

• foster efficient and effective local care pathways and promote consistent ‘whole-of system’ communication between health services across the ACT and Southern NSW.

HealthPathways has 568 localised pathways (64% of the total number of pathways available to localise). In the last year, the program localised 51 pathways and reviewed 81 pathways to ensure information remains current. During 2019/20 HealthPathways had 5,312 users (a 32% increase) and 171,626 pageviews (a 24% increase).

Our biggest achievement has been our ability to be responsive and relevant to the local community needs by developing relevant bushfire and COVID-19 pandemic localised pathways in a short period of time. In February and March 2020, end of bushfires and start of COVID-19, we saw an increase in users of 49% and an increase in the number of times users logged in by 56% compared to the same period in the previous year. March 2020 saw the highest monthly pageviews ever recorded in the program with a total of 17,314 pageviews and 977 users.

The HealthPathways team was successful in obtaining an I-Day grant used to coordinate focus groups and an event for health professionals to highlight the needs of those with a disability accessing health care. This information assisted in developing supportive HealthPathways. The Health Literacy pathway was also developed in 2020 with an average of 28 pageviews per month and continued associated pathways are under development.