Meeting Record
09.00am – 11.00am
Attendees:
• Brenda Hutchinson, Representative, Aged Care
• John Charles, Representative, Community Health
• Lauren McTier, Representative, Higher Education
• Sam Pilling, Representative, Higher Education
• Marianne Shearer, Representative, Medicare Local (Deputy Chair)
• Maggie McIntosh, Representative, Mental Health
• Matthew Fields, Representative, Private Health
• Tess Vawser, Representative, Private Health (Chair)
• Jane Sheats, Representative, Public Health
• Kath Riddell, Representative, Higher Education
• Neil Spike, Representative, Regional Training Provider
• Christine Baker, Representative, Vocational Education and Training
• Cherie Howland, Secretariat, Melbourne East CTN Coordinator, Department of Health and Human Services
• Jacky Fernandez, Minute Secretary, Information Support Officer, Department of Health and Human Services
Guests:
• Anita Wallace, Networks Lead, Networks and Governance, Department of Health and Human Services
• Bernadette Hally, Manager, Networks & Governance, Department of Health and Human Services
• Kade Dillon, Manager, Data, Quality and Funding, Department of Health and Human Services
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ITEM / KEY DISCUSSION POINTS / OUTCOMES1. Welcome
a. Apologies
b. Declaration of conflict of interest / a. Listed above.
b. Conflict of Interests declared and noted on Conflict of Interest register. / · NIL
2. Department of Health and Human Services programs update
a. Networks & Governance
b. Clinical Training Programs (Expanded Settings, Simulation and Clinical Supervision)
c. Data, Quality and Funding (Fee Schedule Q&A) / a. Anita Wallace (Networks Lead) provided an update on Networks and Governance as per handout provided to committee members.
b. Statewide Advisory Groups
· The program areas will continue to seek advice from the SAG members out of session as needed to inform the program of work.
· A combined SAG meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 12 May 2015. This incorporates the Clinical Supervision, Simulation and Expanded settings advisory groups.
Clinical Supervision Program
· The current round of training for Melbourne East has concluded.
· Planning is underway for the next round of training, which will be prioritised to expanded settings (but health services will be able to attend). Locations are likely to include the CBD, Box Hill and Burwood.
· A combination of full days and half days are being considered.
· Clinical supervision workshops delivered during 2014 have generated a large amount of data and an evaluation is in progress.
· Work on guidelines for the use of the National Clinical Supervision Competency Resource is in progress. Stakeholders will be part of the consultation process.
· Further development of a user friendly validated self-assessment tool for the Competency Resource is commencing soon.
· A literature review and a mapping project to identify the minimum levels of training and experience expected of clinical supervisors across the range of health professions, and across the continuum of training is under way. The mapping project will require stakeholder input.
· SAG member commented that the Teaching on the Run licence for Melbourne East CTN runs until June 30th 2015. The CSSP team are currently looking what will happen beyond June 30th.
Simulation
· The simulation program team will be visiting projects over the March/April period.
· A communication titled Simulation and patient safety – the benefits for your organisation, that describes the benefits of simulation to an organisation, is being finalised
· Plans are underway for simulation showcases, both metro and to coincide with Simulation Week in May 2015.
· As requested by the Victorian Clinical Training Council (VCTC), the team are undertaking due diligence of the proposed collaborative operating model to support simulation in Victoria and are working towards reporting to the June VCTC meeting.
· SAG member commented that an Information Tool is being worked on and dates for the Simulation Week in May will be sent out.
Expanded Settings
· A procurement process is underway for the development of a consortia based framework for the use of expanded settings.
· Team are developing an evidence based paper to inform future directions.
· SAG member commented that sustainability of consortia models is paramount.
c. Data, Quality and Funding (Fee Schedule Q&A) - Kade Dillon (Manager, Data, Quality and Funding) provided an update on the current fee schedule and responded to questions from the committee.
Members stated that not everyone on the committee has seen the new fee schedule, as they were new to the committee or not from public health. As the Chair is keen to provide feedback to VCTC, who meet next Friday 20 March, the Chair asked that any feedback be forwarded to her by Friday 13 March.
Q. How are fees applied when the supervisor is in a supernumerary role?
A. Fees may be agreed between a health service and an education provider based on the dedicated time provided to support students.
Q. How will the fee be applied to a supervisor with 2 students for an hour; would they only be able to charge half the rate, because there were 2 students for 1 hour?
A. The Schedule provides guidance and direction for public health services and education providers in establishing fees. The Schedule recommends that fees should be established based on the dedicated support provided to students per day. If it was agreed in the partnership that 30 mins of dedicated time per student per day would be provided then the fee would be half the maximum.
Q. The terms used for roles such as supervisors varies between disciplines and partners. Why have certain terms been used?
A. Through the consultations it was recognised that there were variations between disciplines in the use of terminology. The terminology used has been based on extensive consultation. The definitions are intended to broadly encompass and acknowledge the variety of terms used to describe staff involved in clinical education.
Q. Cancellations are only recognised as cancellations, if a booking has previously been confirmed through viCPlace. An education provider is sometimes able to fill a placement they cancelled with some of their students that are suitable to the type of placement, but this depends on the agreement between the partners. How do cancellation fees apply in these instances?
A. The Schedule states that if the education provider replaces cancelled bookings the no fee may be charged. This does not apply if the health service has had to source replacement bookings from alternative education providers. .
Q. In the new schedule a ‘day’ has now changed from 7.0 to 7.6 hours. Why has this changed?
A. The 7 hour clinical placement day was used for consistency with national clinical placement data collections. The change to the definition of a clinical placement day aligns with standard definitions and the Public Health Sector Enterprise Bargaining Agreements (EBA).
Q. Public health services receive T&D (Training & Development) funding from the department. .. Will this funding ever be available in the non-public sector?
A. The department has funding responsibility for public health services. The Commonwealth government has funding responsibility for the primary care sector. The department is supportive of a whole-of-system funding model but this would require a joint State and Commonwealth funding pool to enable funding to follow the student wherever the training occurs. The department has previously explored this option with the Commonwealth and will continue to do so.
Q. In some cases where funding is provided and fees are charged, the education provider’s expectations are not met, i.e. there is a large number of students to one supervisor, or there is a mix of disciplines within the placement. What can be done about these situations?
A. This issue appears to be relationship issue and should be documented in the relationship agreement.
Q. A lot of work has been done over the past 10-12 years to increase the number of students on placements in allied health, such as increasing the number of students for Speech Pathology placements to 4, but it appeared that there is now less incentive to increase numbers, if potentially the placement provider would only be funded for 1 student. Was this the intention of the fee schedule? Members stated that BPCLE (Best Practice Clinical Learning Environment) looks at the ratios of students to supervisors and compared an organisation’s highest and lowest ratios.
A. The Schedule provides guidance and direction for partners to establish fees for clinical placements based on the direct cost of providing dedicated support for students. The department provides the Training and Development Grant to subsidise any embedded or indirect costs. The Schedule does not require, imply or favour any particular supervision model. Regardless of how many students are with a supervisor, fees should be established based on the period of time dedicated to facilitating learning away from normal service delivery duties.
The Schedule supports a number of aspects of the BPCLE Framework, in particular effective health service-education provider relationships and a positive learning environment. The BPCLE Framework does not assert that a particular ratio of students to educators is preferable. This evidence base does not currently exist.
Members stated that in some cases clinical placement providers charge education providers for the administration of clinical placements.
The department advised that department provides Training and Development Grant funding to subsidise this cost and it is also a widely held and accepted principle that all stakeholders should contribute to the cost of placements, including public health services.
Q. Members queried the transparency of the allocation of Training and Development Grant funds to and within organisations.
A. The department allocates the Training and Development Grant: Professional-entry student placement subsidy based on a health services clinical placement activity. The funding methodology, reporting requirements and funding allocations are transparently published annually on the department’s website. Stakeholders can view an historical record of funding allocations on Victoria’s Health Workforce Knowledge Bank. Since 2009-10 funding through this program has increased by 138%.
Q. Has there been any further action on the fee schedule with regards to medicine?
A. The contribution of education providers to the clinical education of medical students reflects long-standing arrangements for this discipline. Guidance on the fixed education provider contribution has been moved from the Relationship Agreement for the Public Hospital Sector into the Schedule from 2016. Stakeholders have not expressed an interest in altering historical arrangements for this discipline.
Members were advised the Schedule will be presented to the VCTC at its meeting of 20 March 2015 for endorsement. The Chair will represent the range of views of this group at the VCTC. If consensus not be reached, the department will use its discretion, in consultation with the Chair, to progress a way forward.
The Chair requested that any further comments regarding the Schedule are provided prior to the VCTC.
The department advised that they were happy to take any further questions or feedback on the fee schedule outside of the meeting. / · Members to provide feedback on new Fees Schedule to the Chair by COB Friday 13 March.
· Knowledge Bank (Victoria’s Health Workforce Knowledge Bank) can be found at: http://www.vicknowledgebank.net.au/
· For further questions or feedback on the Fees Schedule contact Kade Dillon on 9096 5041 or
3. Business arising from previous meeting / · There are 2 new committee members:
· John Charles is representing the Community Health sector
· Matthew Fields is representing the Private Health sector
· Members were advised there is a vacancy for an Aboriginal Health and Public Health Medicine sector representative on the committee. Nominations for candidates should be sent to the Melbourne East CTN Coordinator.
· The updated CTN Terms of Reference (TOR) has been sent to all members. / · Nominations for an Aboriginal Health and Public Health Medicine sector representative to be forwarded to the Melbourne East CTN Coordinator
4. Sector representative reports / · General discussion regarding sectorial representation and which Melbourne East CTN sector each committee member represents. The best way to engage with members was also discussed.
· Out-of-sessions discussion to be held regarding the need for a Public Health Allied Health Science representation on the committee. / · Melbourne East CTN coordinator to provide updated list of sector members to committee members
5. Victorian Clinical Training Council (including reporting entities) update
a. 12 December 2014 meeting update
b. 20 March 2015 meeting agenda items
c. Statewide Advisory Groups update:
· Advisory Group for Standardised Student Induction (AGSSI)
· Relationship Agreement Advisory Group (RAAG)
· Expanded Settings
· Clinical Supervision
· Simulation Based Education and Training / a. Discussion points from 12th December 2014 to be provided to Committee member’s out-of-session.
b. The Chair informed members of the 20 March meeting agenda items.
c. Representatives from each of the Statewide Advisory Groups updated members on their current status during item 2b – Clinical Training Programs update.
AGGSI and RAAG update to be provided to Committee members out-of-session. / · Melbourne East CTN Coordinator to follow up
· Melbourne East CTN Coordinator to provide update
6. Other business
a. Eastern Primary Health Care Alliance
b. Summary of visits to Committee members / · Members were updated on the current status of the Eastern Primary Health Care Alliance.
· Members discussed some of the items that had been raised following the visits by the Chair and Coordinator to committee members.
· There was a discussion around the Availability Search function in viCPlace. Members were encouraged to provide feedback via the feedback link in viCPlace.
· Members queried whether education providers could have access to input student fields such as Police Check, Working with Children’s check etc. in viCPlace. Members were advised to use the feedback link in viCPlace for these types of requests.
· Members advised that they would like more information regarding what happens to feedback given via viCPlace. Members were advised that stakeholders should receive an email from ISO’s acknowledging that their feedback had been received.
· Members asked whether clinical school models working together with a central coordinator for students and sharing resources between organisations could be looked into further, including possible consortia models.
· Members queried the expiry date of the Teaching on the Run licence. The licence is available until June 2015 and Eastern Health are happy to conduct courses. If organisations are interested, please contact Jane Sheats as soon as possible.
· Members discussed professionalism resources for all disciplines, Public Health and Higher Education members advised that information is available via a national HWA resource.
· Members discussed stakeholder engagement and how can this be further developed. Coordinator to forward members an email template to send to their stakeholders.
· Members queried whether there should be more than one VET/RTO representative on the Committee. Members decided to have an out-of-session discussion. / · Jane Sheats contact details:
8804 9982/0477 337 472
· Melbourne East CTN Coordinator to forward members an email template to send to their stakeholders
Next meeting 10 June 2015
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