Chronic conditions are diseases that are long-lasting and have persistent effects.
Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned services to support people with chronic conditions, and also supports health professionals treating people with chronic conditions by connecting providers to ensure coordination of care.
Our commissioned activity
Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned services for:
people with chronic conditions in rural areas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with chronic conditions.
Primary Health Tasmania has received Australian Government funding to deliver the Exercise Treatment Program in north west Tasmania.
It aims to improve the activity levels and quality of life of older people who have – or are at risk of – chronic health conditions.
The free 14-week, strength-based group exercise and lifestyle education program is evidence-based and individualised to meet the specific needs of participants, and includes advice about healthy living.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a higher incidence of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and renal disease than the rest of the Australian population.
To help turn this around, we’ve commissioned organisations across Tasmania to provide Integrated Team Care – that is, care coordination, outreach workers and supplementary services.
Health Care Homes is a way of caring for people with chronic conditions which puts the patient first. A health care home is a general practice or Aboriginal community-controlled health service with one team coordinating a patient’s care.
Primary Health Tasmania is supporting to healthcare providers and more than 400 patients already involved in Health Care Homes stage one trial, which will run until June 2021.
Moving on Up: Supporting the transition from child to adult care
Research suggests chronic conditions affect the everyday lives of almost 64,000 young Tasmanians.
For those who have become used to engaging with the health system in their childhood years, the transition to adult services can be a challenge.
Primary Health Tasmania has worked with the Tasmanian Health Service and other experts to develop Moving on Up – a practical framework to support the transition of young Tasmanians with chronic conditions to adult care.
Primary Health Tasmania has supported the development of a range of deprescribing resources, including fact sheets on medications such as antipsychotics, opioids and glaucoma eye drops.
My Health Record can boost the coordination of healthcare services by enabling better information sharing between different providers, and reducing time spent chasing up clinical details or conducting repeat tests.