Clinical engagement
The Department of Human Services is committed to building engagement with senior medical staff, as a key strategy in the ongoing development of the health care system.
The Statewide Quality Branch has a suite of clinical engagement projects currently underway, working closely with senior medical staff and health services to further policy implementation and facilitation of safe, high quality health care. These include:
- The release in July 2007 of the ‘Credentialling and defining the scope of clinical practice for medical practitioners in Victorian health services’ policy, which provides guidance to hospitals in relation to the appointment and ongoing employment of senior medical staff. This policy was updated in February 2009.
- Collaboration with the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch, (ADAVB), Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV), and the Dental Practice Board of Victoria to develop guidelines for the process of credentialling and defining the scope of practice of dentists working in Victorian hospitals.
- The recent extension of the policy to include the credentialling of General Practitioners and other senior doctors who provide services to residents of publicly operated Residential Aged Care Services.
- Development of a statewide performance appraisal and support process for senior medical staff which commenced in December 2008. There is broad acceptance from the sector that processes for regular practice review are fundamental to effectively managing scope of practice in an ongoing way.
- Current development of the “Understanding Clinical Practice Toolkit” which will deliver a practical guide for clinicians and managers to support the implementation of clinical governance, the credentialling and scope of practice policy, and the performance appraisal and support process.
The department has convened a Clinical Engagement Advisory Group (CEAG) to advise on the projects and the implementation of the credentialling and scope of practice policy. The CEAG is an expert advisory group that has representatives from across the health sector and the department.