Primary Care Expert Advisory Group
Terms of Reference
February 2015
1) Purpose
The purpose of the Primary Care Expert Advisory Group (PCEAG) is to provide independent sector-wide advice to the Commission, and the Commission’s other expert advisory groups. This advice will inform the Commission’s engagement with primary care and help identify activities to improve the quality of primary care services, and health and disability services more broadly. This advice is to contribute to achieving the Commission’s vision, namely:
New Zealand will have a sustainable, world-class, patient-centered health care and disability support system, which will attract and retain its workforce through its commitment to continually improve health quality, and deliver equitable and sustainable care.
The key purpose of this expert advisory group is to:
a) Proactively support effective relationships between primary care and the Commission
b) Make recommendations to the Commission on strategies to improve the quality and safety of health and disability services with a focus on primary care services that are informed by evidence and national and local knowledge
c) Share information that supports a national approach to quality and safety improvements
d) Foster an integrated approach to improving the quality and safety of health and disability services with other Commission programmes.
The expert advisory group will provide advice on a primary care work programme that is in the first instance focused on the current work of the Commission, and evolve to include new initiatives.
The PCEAG initial priorities are to:
a) Take an overview of current Commission work to improve the quality of primary care services and provide advice on how this could be strengthened.
b) Support sector engagement
c) Inform the completion of the initial scoping and prioritization of possible new primary care initiatives
d) Provide advice on the development of a work programme
2) Accountability and Governance
a) The Chief Executive of the Commission has key accountability of the PCEAG on behalf of the Commission. The PCEAG will provide advice and recommendations to the CEO and Senior Leadership team and will work in partnership with the Commission’s other expert advisory groups and mortality review committees.
3) Membership
a) The PCEAG will comprise 8-10 members. The Chair will be appointed by the Commission.
b) The membership will comprise well respected leaders, who are experts in their respective fields, and/or who are actively engaged in the community or group/s they seek to represent. Membership will include, but not necessarily all of or limited to, representatives of:
i) Clinicians from primary care settings, from across professional disciplines.
ii) People with expertise and experience in quality and safety improvement in primary care.
iii) Consumers who can demonstrate their links to consumer groups and will engage widely with other consumers of primary care services
iv) Additional members who may be co-opted to provide specialist advice as and when required.
v) College of GPs, GPNZ and professional bodies
vi) PHOs and District Health Boards
4) Responsibilities
The PCEAG has an obligation to conduct its activities in an open and ethical manner.
Members are expected to:
a) Work strategically so that the Commissions actions contribute to sustainable system improvement.
b) Work co-operatively, respecting the views of others with a focus on improving health outcomes and overall system performance as well as improving the experience for health care consumers, whanau and family.
c) Act, as a collective group, in the best interests of the Commission’s quality and safety initiatives locally, regionally and nationally.
d) Make every effort to attend all meetings and devote sufficient time to become familiar with the priorities of the group and the wider environment within which it operates
e) Identify and declare any conflicts of interests and proactively manage any conflicts.
f) Refer requests for media comments to the Chair or the Commission Chief Executive
5) Meetings and Decision-making
Recommendations to the Commission will be made at the PCEAG meetings and ratified through the Chair. Decisions will be made by consensus.
a) The PCEAG will meet a minimum of quarterly, either by tele/videoconference of face to face
b) A quorum will be a minimum of five members
6) Secretariat
The Group will have a secretariat provided by the Commission.
The responsibilities of the secretariat include:
a) preparing and distributing the agenda and associated papers at least five days prior to meetings
b) recording and circulating the minutes no later than a fortnight following the meeting date
c) managing the organisational arrangements for meetings, including flight bookings, the provision of rooms and audiovisual equipment
d) managing the membership appointment process.
7) Reporting and Communication
Progress of the PCEAG will be reported quarterly via a report prepared by the secretariat with overview and approval by the Chair of the EAG.
Key messages from the PCEAG will be communicated via the Commissions communication networks and mechanisms such as website, newsletters.
8) Terms and Conditions of Appointment
a) Members will either be invited to join the Group and / or appointed following a “call for applicants” and review of credentials by a selection panel.
b) Any member may at any time resign as a member by advising the Chair in writing.
9) Fees
Members who are staff of a New Zealand public sector organisation including public service departments, state-owned enterprises or crown entities are not permitted to claim a fee to attend the PCEAG meetings.
The Commission has a Fees Framework that applies to members who are not included in the above groupings.
10) The terms of reference for the group will be reviewed after two years.
Approval of these Terms of Reference
HQSC Chief Executive EAG Chair
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Primary Care Expert Advisory Group - Terms of Reference - January 2015