Annual Report 2014-2015 | Page 18

8 Build Practice Capacity and Capability “I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU FOR A WELL CO-ORDINATED, INTERESTING AND REWARDING TWO DAYS IN WARRNAMBOOL. I THOUGHT THAT ALL YOUR TEAM WERE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXTREMELY PROFESSIONAL AND THAT YOU KEPT THE FOCUS, FLOW AND TIMINGS GOING WELL.” Mark Leddy, Practice Manager, Camperdown Clinic after attending ABCs of Practice Sustainability Workshop in Warrnambool. We provide professional and business support to practices, promoting knowledge sharing, networking, and training opportunities across Victoria. 8.1 Practice training RWAV has been working to better address the needs of practice staff to create positive work environments. Retention and workforce support officers visit practices routinely to help build capacity and encourage innovation. They speak to practice managers and connect with nurses, allied health professionals and other staff to provide assistance where it’s needed. 8.1.1 ABCs of Practice Sustainability In 2015-16, RWAV conducted pilot business training workshops, ABCs of Practice Sustainability, to assist practices in rural and regional areas to become more sustainable in the face of ongoing changes in the health sector. This two day program was aimed at practice managers and principals, operational managers and allied health professions to address the gap in the market by making the training accessible to staff in regional and rural areas. Making these sessions accessible, relevant and innovative was the key to enhancing practice knowledge, and we found them to be highly successful and engaging. 18 Annual report 2015—16 Rural Workforce Agency Victoria Rural Workforce Agency Victoria 8.1.2 Practice Ready Our Practice Ready orientation workshops, also part of a new pilot program in 2015-16, provided an orientation session to health professionals new to Primary Health Care. These workshops were about orienting health professionals who were from overseas or from an acute setting to the Primary Health Care system in Australia so they could be ‘Practice Ready’ when they entered the workforce. 8.1.3 Medicare Benefit Scheme program RWAV continued to deliver the highly popular Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) program this year. The workshop enabled health professionals to improve their knowledge of the MBS, while reinforcing compliance with MBS rules and regulations. Annual report 2015—16 19