After the cessation of the delivery of paediatric radiation therapy at a Brisbane-based hospital, a small group of clinicians, who specialised in paediatric radiation therapy, soon identified that the adult model was not delivering the outcomes that mattered to the adolescents and young adults (15-25 years) and their families still attending the service.

Using their skills as clinical leaders, to build a coalition of support and secure executive buy-in, these health professionals sought to overcome this, developing and embedding a new model of adolescent and young adult radiation care aimed at addressing the shared needs of adolescents and young adults and improving the outcomes that mattered. 

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Six years ago, a Ministerial complaint was made regarding patient dissatisfaction of access to lymphoedema screening in the Metro North area.  In response, a process of care pathway mapping was embarked upon to better understand the needs of this population segment. 

A broad range of stakeholders were engaged in this process including consumers, public hospitals, NGOs, GPs, private providers and the Primary Health Network (PHN).  Stakeholder engagement focused on understanding, maximising, and connecting existing services to create a pathway that supported those impacted by lymphedema to access services closer to home. In response to the needs and available services identified in the mapping process, a new service was established.

To find out more, view this VBHC case study in full here.

In 2012 data analysis releveled that of the 22,000 children referred for follow up audiology care due to the identification of risk factors at birth, only 200 cases of hearing loss were identified in follow up appointments. The costs to identify these children are high and in many cases ongoing care does not improve outcomes, instead resulting in children being maintained within the system when care is clinically not necessary. 

A more streamlined care pathway was hence presented to the audiology workforce, proposing a transition away from the review and treatment model to a less intrusive and time-consuming screening model. However, resistance from the audiology community has necessitated a long term process of culture change to get the audiology workforce to a place where it is open to exploring the implementation of a more value driven screening model of care.

The coordination effort for the North West COVID-19 vaccination rollout was massive, and involved understanding and leveraging the skills and expertise of numerous stakeholders across a number of sectors, including IT, communications, logistics, health promotion, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, Primary Health Networks, State Government, Federal Government, disaster management organisations, private industry and more. 

Core to ensuring an effective response with such a diverse number of stakeholders was mapping out and understanding the needs of different population segments within community, and identifying the existing services, relationships and partnerships that were in place that could be leveraged to deliver vaccinations quickly and effectively.

The Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) within the Cairns and Hinterland Health and Hospital Service (HHS) identified that despite having a high proportion of ageing community members with complex needs, there was a very small number of referrals to ACAT from the Aboriginal community of Yarrabah.

Thus, ACAT identified this community (the aged community of Yarrabah) as a defined population segment that was within their jurisdictional sphere of influence to improve health outcomes, and embarked on a process of co-designing a community centred, outcome focused and culturally responsive model of care that would better meet their needs.

To find out more, view this VBHC case study in full here.