Getting Involved
As a member of the community, you can be involved with the GP Super Clinic in a number of ways.
Community Consultative Committee
We will establish a Community Consultative Committee made up of representatives from key groups within the Blue Mountains community.
The role and purpose of the Committee is to ensure that the GP Super Clinic remains in touch with local community needs. The Committee will meet and report quarterly to the Balance! Healthcare board, and be chaired by a Board member.
Expressions of interest for Committee membership are being sought from a diversity of community groups; these may include, the indigenous community, women's health, men's health, mental health, disability, drug & alcohol, diabetes or specialist conditions.
The Committee will be balanced in terms of gender, equity and access (i.e. primary health care being accessible to all based on need not ability to pay).
Partnerships Committee
The Partnership Committee is to provides an advice (from the perspective of your area expertise) to the Board.
The aim of this Committee is to:
- promote a culture of mutual respect and patient focus amongst all health professionals through their shared values
- promote and support effective communication strategies between all staff, in clinics, partner practices and allied health professionals
- invest in management and leadership skills for managers and clinicians at all levels of the system;
- recognise and support the health needs of all staff, and target the benchmark for best practice in workplace health programs. [for example, OH&S issues including security]
- believe in the important role of primary health care in promotion, prevention, early detection and chronic care management;
- embrace the potential for new modes of delivery of health care, including e-technology;
- are working on extending hours of the clinics to accommodate commuters and those requiring attention outside normal trading hours
- cater to the health needs all people in the community including the special needs of groups such as children, adolescents, the aged, Indigenous Australians
- involve the community by promoting the services, facilities and activities available through the clinics
- are supporting, and working with, Great Community Transport for the provision of patient transport
This Committee will report bi-monthly to the Board of Balance! Healthcare and will be Chaired by a Board member.
Outreach Program
We will offer community outreach programs.
At our main centre at Springwood, an education room will be used to run community education sessions on health and wellness in the evenings and at weekends. While, our training rooms will be made available to various community health groups for their activities.
The Springwood practice will have a small bookshop, as well as a library and reading room offering free reference material for loan to clients.
There will also be "soft play" equipment for children to enjoy. This will encourage parents to bring their children to the Clinic for book readings, education sessions on nutrition and school holiday programs.
Community Café
We will establish a Community Café at our Springwood practice. Run as a not-for-profit business, the Café will provide a place for people to meet, offer affordable and healthy food and serve as a centre for community networking.
The Café itself will be open from 9am-3pm, with all proceeds reinvested back into its operation to ensure its long-term viability. It will be a child and family-friendly environment.
Our aim is that the Café will help:
- Reduce social isolation (provide a place to meet neighbours, other members of the community)
- Increase general safety (more people out and about, somewhere for people of all ages to go)
- Encourage employment & training opportunities (TAFE Outreach, parenting programs, work experience, use of volunteers in the café)
- Improve access to outreach support services (employment agencies, Centrelink, child & family support).
Newsletter
We will produce a quarterly Community Newsletter (please link to Newsletters under the News heading), providing information on new developments and appointments at the Clinic and key health issues.
Ongoing Community Consultation
Annually, Balance! Healthcare will review the quality of its services and service delivery through a combination of community focus groups, consultation and surveys.
We will keep you updated on any developments!
For any information please contact us on info@balancehealthclinic.com.au
