MSOAP - SONT - a funding stream provided by the Commonwealth Government that aims to improve the access of regional, remote and rural communities top medical specialist services; and
DHF have submitted the 2010 SONT Business Plan and SONT Annual Plan to the Commonwealth for endorsement.
The aim is to:
- Work together with the Commonwealth Government, stakeholders and where appropriate existing service providers to enable a transparent, coordinated and integrated Specialist Outreach Service which provides regular and consistent core medical specialist services to remote and rural areas within the Northern Territory and supports primary health care services by improving access to a broader health team where appropriate consolidating new and existing funding into one program - Specialist Outreach Northern Territory, incorporating a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to core specialist outreach service delivery.
- Implement robust policies and guidelines to ensure accountability of expenditure.
- Ensure that future models will be based on a needs-based approach.
The framework must also be flexible enough to expand to accommodate other funding streams as they become available. The funding streams currently accounted for within SONT include;
NTG Specialist Outreach- a funding stream provided by the Northern territory government for the provision of medical specialist outreach to remote areas of the Northern territory. Yearly funding is distributed through the medical divisions in both Royal Darwin hospital and Alice Springs. Currently this is the largest funding stream;
Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program - Indigenous Chronic Disease (MSOAP-ICD)
MSOAP-ICD - a funding stream provided by the Commonwealth Government that aims to increase access to a range of health services, including expanded Primary Health Care, provided to people in rural and remote Indigenous communities for the treatment and management of chronic disease.
DHF will address the MSOAP ICD objectives through the execution of MOUs between DHF and individual Remote Health Centres (RHC) and regionalisation committees as they are developed.
The Medical Specialist Outreach Assistance Program - Indigenous Chronic Disease (MSOAP-ICD) guidelines partner the MSOAP-ICD Policy Framework.
The objectives of the MSOAP-ICD measure are to:
- support health professionals to provide outreach services to rural and remote Indigenous communities;
- increase the range of services offered by visiting health professionals to detect, manage and prevent chronic disease more effectively;
- foster the collaboration between health services in the local Indigenous community and visiting health professionals to target the delivery of essential treatment to patients with chronic disease;
- improve ongoing management and continuity of patient care;
- provide up-skilling opportunities in the outreach location; and
- work with communities to build knowledge and support informed self-care.
The MSOAP-ICD measure will focus service delivery in outreach locations on the following chronic conditions
- Diabetes;
- Cardiovascular disease;
- Chronic respiratory disease;
- Chronic renal (kidney) disease; and
- Cancer.
The Commonwealth's Indigenous Chronic Disease Package will deliver a comprehensive package of measures to reduce chronic disease risk factors; encourage earlier detection and better management of chronic disease in primary care services; improve follow-up care; and increase the capacity of the primary care workforce to deliver effective health care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
