The Commonwealth Government has selected Flinders University to run a $15 million, three-year program designed to ensure doctors keep up with the latest international and national medical innovations in clinical practice.
The main foci will be improving the management and prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and improving patient access to
GP services.
Work will start immediately on the project, which is part of the National Primary Care Collaboratives initiative.
"Flinders is recognised as a leader in training and development in medical and health care services and was selected from an international field to run this new program, which has national significance," said Flinders' Vice-Chancellor, Professor Anne Edwards.
The Flinders team aims to cover 20 per cent of Australian divisions of General Practice within three years.
"Once this proportion has adopted the change, a turning point will be reached whereby the innovation should spread quickly to the
majority of general practices around the country," said the Project Director, Professor James Dunbar.
Professor Dunbar is Director of the University Department of Rural Health. The Deputy Project Director is Associate Professor Liz Farmer,
from the University's School of Medicine.
The new project will involve managing the transfer of the successful National Primary Care Collaboratives program in the United Kingdom
to the Australian setting. The NPCC program is based on collaborative methodology - a strategy for achieving rapid improvement in clinical outcomes through bringing providers together and reviewing current clinical practice.
The University's subsidiary company Flinders Consulting played an important role in Flinders' successful bid for the project.
The Chair of Flinders Consulting, Ms Leonie Clyne, said the success was a further addition to a number of significant projects with companies and governments in Australia and overseas.
Further information: Professor James Dunbar (03) 5563 3315 or Nick Carne (08) 8201 2962
Media release: Flinders University 20 July, 2004
