Better health for rural Tasmania
Rural Health Tasmania Inc.
Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned Rural Health Tasmania to deliver services to
improve the health outcomes of people with chronic conditions in four local government
areas in north west Tasmania.
Where will these services be?
Rural Health Tasmania will provide services in the following local government areas:
Circular Head, King Island, Waratah/Wynyard, Kentish and West Coast.
What will these services be?
Services will target people with the following chronic conditions:

mental illness (child, adolescent, adult)

cancer

circulatory and heart disease (cardiovascular disease)

lung disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD)

musculoskeletal conditions.
Rural Health Tasmania will deliver services through a ‘stepped model of care’. This enables
people to receive care that is appropriate to their needs and that can be can stepped up or
down as needs change.
People with severe symptoms or who have complex conditions will receive face-to-face clinical
care that may involve GPs, psychiatrists, mental health nurses, allied health care providers and
other health professionals, working as a team.
People with moderate symptoms will be able to access face-to-face clinical services with
additional support from specialist clinicians where needed.
People with mild symptoms will have access to low intensity intervention and treatment
services as well as health literacy, health promotion and early intervention and prevention
services. They may also choose to participate in other activities that focus on maintaining health
and wellbeing.
People who are at risk because they have early symptoms or previous illness will have access
to health promotion and illness prevention services as well as early intervention services.
People with chronic conditions who are mainly well will have access to health promotion and
illness prevention services aimed at reducing escalation of their condition.
Services will be provided both one-to-one and – where necessary, safe and appropriate –
through telehealth (including apps and videoconferencing).
Rural Health Tasmania will also work alongside Diabetes Tasmania to deliver improved health
outcomes for people with diabetes in these communities (see below).
When will they start?
Rural Health Tasmania will facilitate the transition of patients under the previous rural primary
health program on King Island and the West Coast. Rural Health Tasmania already provides
services in Circular Head and these will be transitioned to support people with chronic
conditions. There will be new services provided in the Waratah/Wynyard municipal area.
There is no anticipated delay or interruption to services in Circular Head, albeit a shift in
emphasis to chronic conditions. There will be minimal or no delay or interruption in service on
the West Coast and King Island as most infrastructure is in place and Rural Health Tasmania
already has plans to transition patients to the new service.
Rural Health Tasmania hopes to be delivering services in Waratah/Wynyard almost immediately
(due to using some existing staff across regions). The full complement of staff and service
delivery offer in Waratah/Wynyard is expected by March 2017.
How will they improve the health of people in rural
Tasmania?
All services commissioned by Primary Health Tasmania are focused on achieving certain health
outcomes for Tasmanians. Service providers will be required to demonstrate progress towards
these outcomes.
Through these services, Rural Health Tasmania aims to:

reduce psychological distress for people using these services

reduce the severity of symptoms and reduced hospitalisations due to complications from
chronic conditions.
Working together
Rural Health Tasmania will work closely with all health service providers in the four local
government areas, and in particular with Diabetes Tasmania. The two organisations will focus
on supporting people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes through healthy lifestyles (eating and
exercise) and by providing health checks that screen for risk factors.
There will also be a focus on improving the coordination of care for people at risk of or
diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
More information
Rural Health Tasmania
www.ruralhealthtas.com.au
[email protected]
6452 1266
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