The collaborative method. A strategy for improving Australian general practice.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The United Kingdom National Primary Care Collaborative (NPCC) is said to be the largest health service improvement project in the world. The 2000 practices participating serve 11.5 million patients throughout the UK. Improvements such as a 60% reduction in waiting times to see a general practitioner and a four-fold reduction in coronary heart disease mortality have drawn the attention of policy makers in Australia. In 2003, I accompanied a group of Australians to Manchester in the UK to participate in an international training course in collaboratives hosted by the NPCC. The Australian government has recently called for tenders to run the Australian Primary Care Collaborative (APCC) program. OBJECTIVE: To describe the NPCC and discuss how the methodology could be adapted and applied to Australia. DISCUSSION: The Australian primary health care system faces challenges in application of evidence to patient care. Collaborative methodology warrants consideration to address these. Differences including distance, business issues, remuneration mechanisms, infrastructure deficiencies and clinician cynicism present challenges in adaptation and application to Australia. Given adequate support, an APCC could empower general practices to continue to make improvements in many areas of activity.