Anticipatory Care Projects in Tasmania

What is the issue?

In Tasmania, the number of people with chronic conditions is increasing. The Anticipatory Care project aim was to improve the prevention and management of these conditions.

This action learning research project studied different and combined approaches to implementing anticipatory care in Tasmania to find effective ways of reaching people who need care most; identifying and assessing future risk; enabling people to improve their health; improving people’s experience of the health system, and using local health data and consumer input to plan care.

How did the project address the issue?

The project learnt from local communities about the different ways anticipatory care occurs in a select number of local Tasmanian communities, what is working well and why, and what could be improved and further developed.

The Prevention Centre was engaged to support the action research, along with the University of Tasmania and the Sax Institute.

The four Tasmanian communities involved were:

• Ulverstone – led by the Patrick Street Clinic
• Flinders Island – led by Flinders Island Aboriginal Association (FIAAI) together with the Flinders Island Health Co-ordination Group
• Northern suburbs of Launceston – led by Starting Point Neighbourhood House and the Northern Suburbs Community Centre (NSCC)
• Clarence – led by Clarence City Council.

What did the Prevention Centre contribute?

The Prevention Centre provided resources and mentoring on systems approaches and facilitated action learning/systems thinking workshops in each community.

We also contributed to the project reference group and project team as required, and, along with the Sax Institute, evaluated the project. We designed an overarching Guiding Principles Agreement to facilitate the shared understanding and ways of working across this community-based initiative.

What was the relevance for policy and practice?

The project contributed to the evidence base around place-based and community development approaches to supporting health and wellbeing. The aim was to support communities in making effective and sustainable changes that strengthen ways of working across their communities and the state.

The Anticipatory Care project was a significant project for Tasmania to demonstrate its continued commitment to health reforms that aim to more effectively respond to chronic conditions.

It aligned with the Healthy Tasmania Five Year Strategic Plan, and with the Tasmanian Department of Health’s strategic priority to deliver key strategic projects to build services that continue to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of Tasmanians.

What were the outcomes?

• Increased knowledge and understanding about anticipatory care in different communities
• Greater knowledge and understanding about the enablers and barriers in each community in relation to delivering anticipatory care approaches
• Greater knowledge and understanding about how communities and health services can work together to engage ‘at risk’ Tasmanians in primary health care for assessment and management of their health needs.