Health Outcomes

Improved rural health outcomes

One of the biggest challenges in Australia has been the reduction in the rural medical workforce. Ochre Health has been successful in increasing the number of doctors and other health professionals in the locations in which it operates.
We currently operate in ten locations in NSW, Queensland and Tasmania. Ochre started its services in 2002 and in subsequent years has taken on the provision of health services in a number of rural communities. During this time Ochre has:

Increased total doctors numbers across all locations: 75%
Increased female doctor numbers across all locations: 200%

Case Study A town in northwest New South Wales had been without a permanent doctor a with many periods of no medical cover. Ochre was able to provide a short term locum service before contracting a medical couple residing in New Zealand to join the community and provide medical services for a period of three years. Ochre achieved a 50 percent increase in the medical workforce with one doctor working full-time and the other part-time. The couple were very well received by the town and after a few months the local Aboriginal community conducted a smoking ceremony to welcome them.

Ochre's continuing support ensured that when the part-time doctor took maternity leave, Ochre recruited a third doctor to the town. Following the moving on of the doctors after three years, Ochre recruited two permanent full-time doctors. Six years later, the town continues to be well serviced, with 2 resident full-time GPs providing services to both the Medical Centre and local hospital.

Improved primary care service delivery results in a reduction in the use of acute hospital services:

Ochre continuously researches the impact of improved delivery of community care by its General Practitioners and Medical Centres with a range of services, including nursing and allied health. Current research into relative utilization statistics has shown that good community care from GPs can reduce acute inpatient care in a community. A reduction in the relative utilisation means that there is a reduction in acute inpatient care being provided at the hospital. From 202 to 2008, Bourke and Brewarrina hospitals have recorded a fall in relative utilisation of 18%.
Reduction in the use of Acute Hospital inpatient services over 6 years: 18%

Improved Health indicators in Indigenous health:

Ochre currently has three medical centres enrolled in the Australian Primary care Collaboratives (APCC). The APCC is a program that collects de-identified clinical data and measures improvements in a number of key health indicators, in particular diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It should be noted that the latest APCC wave has been rolled out by the Divisions of General Practice, which have assisted Ochre in achieving improved clinical outcomes. The following provides an example of APCC improvement over a 5 month period in an Ochre medical centres of which the community has a very high index of social disadvantage and greater than 50% aboriginal population:

Patients with coronary vascular disease and a BP less than 140/90 has improved from 23% to 52%, a 126% improvement. This result is 6% better than the APCC average in NSW and Queensland.

Patients with reasonable diabetic control represented by a HbA1c less than 8 is 56%. In terms of improving diabetic control, this figure represents an 8% improvement above the APCC average in NSW and Queensland.

Patients with diabetes and optimal cholesterol control represented by a total cholesterol less than 4mmol/l has improved from 16% to 27%. This is a 67% improvement and is 17% better than the APCC average in NSW and Queensland.