Annual Report and
Quality Account
2023

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Three IPC Health Allied Health staff smilingThree IPC Health Allied Health staff smiling
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IPC Health pays respect to the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we provide our services to the community – the Wurundjeri, Bunurong and Wadawurrung people of the Kulin Nation. We thank their Elders past, present and emerging for their ongoing guidance and valuable wisdom. We acknowledge all First Nations people and groups across this country and also acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags

We thank all LGBTIQA+ people who have come before and continue to work towards the improved health and wellbeing of their peers, children, families, friends and communities. We celebrate the extraordinary diversity of people’s bodies, genders, sexualities and relationships that they represent.

LGBTIQA+ flag

This edition of the IPC Health Annual Report and Quality Account outlines our performance against our Strategic Vision and against quality indicators and standards over the 2022–2023 financial year, unless otherwise stated.The details contained within were correct at the time of publication, November 2023. This Annual Report andQuality Account, along with previous editions, can be found on our website at ipchealth.com.au.

You can request a copy by contacting our Client Services team on 1300 472 432 or emailing ipchealth@ipchealth.com.au

Interpreters available

We welcome any feedback on our Annual Report and Quality Account 2023 at communication@ipchealth.com.au

IPC Health is pleased to acknowledge funding from the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments.

Victorian Government and Australian Department of Health & Aged Care government logos

St Albans
1 Andrea Street
St Albans VIC 3021

Sunshine
Level 1, 499 Ballarat Road
Sunshine VIC 3020

Altona Meadows
330 Queen Street
Altona Meadows VIC 3028

Hoppers Crossing
117-129 Warringa Crescent
Hoppers Crossing VIC 3029

Wyndham Vale
510 Ballan Road
Wyndham Vale VIC 3024

Deer Park
106 Station Road
Deer Park VIC 3023

Phone 1300 472 432
www.ipchealth.com.au
ACN 136 685 151 | ABN 68 846 923 225

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Message from the Chair and CEO

In 2022, as the world turned the corner on the COVID-19 pandemic, the partnerships and key learnings made by IPC Health contributed to our mission of delivering innovative high-quality services that are client centred, collaborative, coordinated and demonstrate value through measured impact.

Read Message from the Chair and CEO
[GS1]: Jayne Nelson (IPC Health CEO) and Daryl Whitfort (IPC Health Board Chair) stand smiling in the lobby of the IPC Health Sunshine campus.

Our services

Aged care

  • IPC Health Care Finder Service
  • Home Care Packages
  • Home Support Program

Chronic conditions

  • Cardiac rehabilitation
  • Diabetes education
  • Diabetes Wellbeing Hub
  • Living Well (integrated chronic disease management)
  • Needle and Syringe Program

Allied health

  • Dietetics
  • Occupational therapy
  • Physiotherapy
  • Exercise physiology
  • Social work
  • Podiatry
  • Speech pathology
  • Audiology

General health

  • GP clinics
  • Community and GP Practice Nursing
  • Health Promotion and Community Strengthening
  • Dental Services
  • Refugee health
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
  • Women’s health

Child, youth and family

  • Autism assessment clinic
  • Child occupational therapy
  • Child speech therapy
  • Specialist Paediatrician Service
  • Family Services
  • Early Help Family Service
  • Brimbank Melton Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local
  • Child and Family Hub @Wyndham Vale
  • Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies
  • Young people’s health
  • Family violence support
  • Psychology for children

Wellbeing and counselling

  • Alcohol and other drugs
  • Mental health and generalist counselling
  • Gambler’s Help and financial counselling
  • Head to Health
  • CAREinMIND
  • Power Over Pain

Our impact
in numbers

42,082

active
clients

344,389

services
provided

Services for priority populations

85%

of our Head to Health clients who completed care stated a significant improvement in their mental health; higher than the State average of 43.92%.

40.5%

increase for our Dental Services1 in the rate of engagement with our priority services, while our catchment area’s overall population grew by 2.6%.

Our Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness Response (HaRH) program engaged with:

2,567

people

340

clients registered

between July 2022 through to June 2023, including 10 people who identify as Aboriginal; 120 from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; 59 rough sleepers; 85 rooming houses, 93 high risk private rentals, 52 public housing, 8 caravan park and 23 community housing residents.

Our nurses and social workers provided:

3,188

hours of service to

294

individuals

who were under 65 years of age, or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples under 50 years of age, experiencing or at risk of homelessness.2

3,034

interpreter sessions provided

1 Priority individuals include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, refugee, asylum seeker, homeless or at risk of homelessness, child or young person in residential care, youth justice client in custodial care, mental health, intellectual disability, eligible pregnant women.

2 Estimated overall number of people classed as homeless in our catchment areas in 2021 census: 3,469.

Client Feedback Survey

Our clients receive an invitation to give us their feedback via an online survey after they have attended one of our campuses for an appointment. We use this information to make continual improvements to our services and campuses throughout the year.

3,718

Number of client feedback surveys completed

93%

Surveyed clients who told us they were happy or very happy with the service received

88%

Surveyed clients who were likely or extremely likely to recommend IPC Health to family and friends

Victorian Health Experience Survey

The Victorian Health Experience Survey is an annual independent check-in with our clients to see how we performed over the past year. In 2023, the Community Health survey transitioned from an in-situ to an out of service method of data collection. The change in methodology and the different time periods in which clients were surveyed should be considered when interpreting any differences in results with previous years.

In 2023, 4,281 people across the IPC Health client cohort were invited to participate in the Community Health survey; 392 participated, this is a response rate of 9%

92.3%

We are pleased to report that we scored 92.3% for Overall Experience, this is similar to the overall Victorian score of 93.2%

Our people,
our culture

IPC Health staff member smiling

25 years of IPC Health

On 2 March 2023, we marked the 25th anniversary of our Incorporation.

Although we have been providing health services since 1974 in Deer Park, 25 years ago five of our campuses came together, with Wyndham Vale opening in 2014. Our teams celebrated the day with some sweet treats that we sourced from a local business. We also commemorated the beginning of community health across the country as it turned 50 in 2023.

Four Client Services Officers stand together smiling in front of rows of orange folders. They are holding two signs with the number 25 on them.
Members of the People & Culture team walk in a line across a pedestrian crossing smiling while two of them hold two signs with the number 25 on them.

Our volunteers

Our volunteers giving back to their communities.

Our volunteer program is constantly growing and in the 2022–2023 financial year, 33 volunteers worked across the organisation and gave us 1,879 hours of volunteering. Some of them even found the time to be involved in multiple activities!

Read more
Reception Concierge volunteer Arnold stands smiling in an IPC Health reception area. He is wearing the IPC Health volunteer blue vest.Car wash volunteer Beryl stands smiling next to a white car holding a washing tool. She is wearing the IPC Health volunteer blue vest.Image 2 ‐ binGO MOVE volunteer Jo sits smiling in front of the bingo cage with coloured balls in it. She is wearing the IPC Health volunteer blue vest.

Logged hours by activity category

Bar chart showing logged hours by activity category

Number of volunteers by activity category

Bar chart showing number of volunteers by activity category
Three people stand together smiling in the IPC Health Sunshine campus kitchen holding plates of food.

Pathways for university students and graduates

On 9 May 2023, our Sunshine campus hosted the very first Allied Health Graduate Information Night. The night was also used to launch our inaugural graduate recruitment program.

Attendees from Deakin, Melbourne and La Trobe universities participated in the evening, where they heard our passionate staff talk first-hand about their experiences as new graduates at IPC Health, and why working in community health is such a rewarding experience.

The program offers eight graduates from the disciplines of speech pathology, podiatry, physiotherapy and occupational therapy an opportunity to work at IPC Health on 12-month fixed-term appointments. This work forms part of our Workforce Strategy 2022–2025. The graduate positions were advertised on job websites and we finalised the recruitment in August 2023 for a January 2024 commencement.

Also, the Occupational Therapy (OT) team hosted 19 first year students from Deakin University at our Hoppers Crossing campus in May. The afternoon was filled with information, practical demonstrations and lively Q&As. The students had a great time learning about the great work we do as community health OTs at IPC Health.

Read more on our people, our culture (PDF)

Our
achievements

IPC Health staff member smiling

Awards

Our bicultural workforce team won the Inclusive Brimbank Award at the We Are Brimbank Awards in October 2022. There were eight nominees in this category and we had some tough competition.

IPC Health’s bicultural workers established trusting relationships and deepened connections with individuals, communities and organisations, with whom they share similar cultural experiences and understanding. From February 2021 to July 2022, the bicultural workers had close to 20,000 engagements in Brimbank.

They consulted with and shared COVID-safe information and education in relevant languages and culturally appropriate ways to ensure these groups and individuals could effectively respond to and manage the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery in the required capacity. This was achieved via Information and education sessions, both in person and online with multicultural and faith communities throughout Melbourne’s west. Where required, bicultural workers linked individuals to relevant services.

Danielle (Executive Lead C‐19 Network) and Sumeet (Deployment Coordinator IPC Health bicultural workforce) face the camera, holding the glass Inclusive Brimbank Award at the We Are Brimbank Awards ceremony.
Danielle (Executive Lead C-19 Network) and Sumeet (Deployment Coordinator IPC Health bicultural workforce) collecting the award on behalf of the team
Five bicultural workforce staff stand in front of an IPC Health van and giving a thumbs up or V-sign

Our binGO MOVE team was a finalist and highly commended in the Supporting Healthy Populations category in the 2022 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. The team also won the delegate voted People’s Choice Award for their outstanding presentation at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) Conference.

binGO MOVE is an innovative program aimed at increasing physical activity in older adults which, in turn, reduces the incidence and impact of chronic health conditions. The program, an active version of traditional bingo, is run by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals.

Approximately three-quarters of older adults do not reach the daily recommended levels of physical activity. In binGO MOVE, each time a number is called, it triggers an exercise, movement or dance, as designed by IPC Health’s team, which includes a cardiac rehabilitation nurse, exercise physiologist and physiotherapist. Participants spoke highly of the ‘fun’ nature of the activity as well as improvements in their movement and overall physical and mental health, with many recommending the program to their friends.

Two binGO MOVE staff face camera, raise an arm and are holding up the People's Choice Award and a Garmin card at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACCRA) Conference
older woman and older man in background moving arms during binGO MOVE session

In the 2022–2023 financial year, binGO MOVE had

59

referrals

19 external and 40 internal, resulting in almost filling out all groups, and ran a total of

92

sessions

three groups per week at our Hoppers Crossing campus and another group started at our Altona Meadows campus in April 2023.
‍

Their oldest client is

93

years old

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation program had

502

clients

with an uptake into various program streams of

65%

compared to a state average of 40%.
‍

Their average six-minute walking test improved by

84

metres

by the end of participation.

Two IPC Health Diabetes Wellbeing Hub clinicians wearing N95 masks sit at a table with a client. They are talking and sharing information about diabetes.

Diabetes Wellbeing Hub

Our new Diabetes Wellbeing Hub commenced on 14 April 2023 and uses our new multidisciplinary focus.

Team members include an endocrinologist (a central expert who can deliver a wide range of care), a wellbeing coordinator, a dietitian and a diabetes educator working alongside High Risk Foot Service podiatrists. They are all conveniently accessible in the one place. This streamlined arrangement guarantees that individuals can access the essential care they need without the frustrations associated with navigating multiple avenues.

Read more
Graph in two colours listing that 83 referrals for the Diabetes Wellbeing Hub have been received with 40% from external resources and 60% from internal GPs.

Client story

A Diabetes Wellbeing Hub client in their 50s with a history of diabetes, other medical conditions and smoking had appointments with the endocrinologist, dietitian, wellbeing coordinator and diabetes educator as well as being linked with Living Well and High Risk Foot Podiatry Services. Through joint consultations the dietitian and diabetes educator provided information on healthy eating, the importance of regular meals and timing of insulin injections, as well as the benefits of regular physical activity and sleep routine.

Support was provided to access free insulin pen needles through the National Diabetes Services Scheme.

The High Risk Foot podiatrist provided specialist management of the longstanding foot wound with wound debridement and tailored dressing regime. Our Living Well team worked with the client on reducing their smoking.

“All of you (Diabetes Wellbeing Hub service providers) cared about me, and I thought that if you care, then maybe I should care about my diabetes and I can do it.

This has made me feel like I can accomplish things. Who would have thought a few numbers (blood glucose levels) could make such a big difference to my mental health.”

Graphic of a smartphone showing the A.L.E.C. model ‐ Ask, Listen, Encourage, Check.
Backed by a reliable and tested mental health framework

Mental health app for tradies Chop Out Convos

We worked with Hope Assistance Local Tradies (HALT) – a suicide prevention charity that hosts events at trade and industrial workplaces to raise awareness and decrease stigma around mental health – and No Moss – tech design and engineering consultants – to develop the Chop Out Convos app.

This app, available on the Apple store since August 2023, was developed to help young male tradies gain the skills and confidence to reach out to each other and have conversations about mental health.

The app received initial funding from Movember and focused on young male tradies, as they are a group known to experience high rates of poor mental health and work often in workplaces where mental health isn’t openly discussed.

Chop Out Convos was developed with mental health professionals and tradies to make sure the app was safe, but also something people would want to use.

Read more
Graph in 3 colours listing that two-thirds of tradies stated that they would use an app like Chop Out Convos and 80% of tradies reported that they would recommend it to other workmates.

This has been an exciting opportunity for us to investigate innovative ways we can support people in our communities who are vulnerable to poor health outcomes. We look forward to the results of further testing with users following the release of the app, and hope to extend its reach to help more people in the future.

The app uses AI to allow users to engage in practice conversations, based around relevant real-life scenarios in order to help them gain the skills and confidence needed to engage in mental health conversations with workmates.

Our research revealed that about

80%

of tradies

felt there were elements about the tradie workplace culture that made it difficult for them to reach out and discuss mental health with workmates. Our research revealed that about

Community Health First

IPC Health is a member of Community Health First, a group of 24 independent community health services in Victoria that met with government decision-makers to promote community health services as a central component of the Victorian health system and improve their capacity to address system-wide needs.

We attended the official launch of Community Health First at the Victorian Parliament in February 2022. Community health consumers, lived experience support workers, community leaders, clinicians and support staff attended, along with Dr Norman Swan, the Hon. Sarah Mansfield (Greens MP for Western Victoria) and the Hon. Tim Richardson (Labor MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Health Infrastructure).

Read more
A blue stress ball in the shape of a heart with the IPC Health and Community Health First logos in white text is held up in focus.Client Sheryl stands smiling in front of plain wall.Vilma (Client Services team), Geri (Communications team), Helen (Head to Health team), Jayne Nelson (IPC Health CEO) and Daryl Whitfort (IPC Health Board Chair) stand smiling in front of a white IPC Health branded pull up banners.Four Client Services team members stand smiling together wear dark blue tshirts that say Putting you first.
[GS17]: Four members of the IPC Health Autism Clinic sit at a table with laptops, smiling and discussing information on a piece of paper.

Autism clinic

In an effort to address the pressing needs of families grappling with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), our autism clinic has emerged as a beacon of transformation.

Launched in May 2022 after nearly a decade of planning, the clinic has transformed into an assessment facility and has assessed 46 children to date, with future expansion plans into intervention services.

This expansion aims to bridge gaps for clients facing long waiting times and offers a supportive environment for navigating the complexities of ASD.

The clinic’s development was anchored in a partnership with AMAZE, an autism advocacy organisation. Family forums highlighted their pressing challenges, including high costs for private care, lengthy public system waiting times, and uncertain post-assessment paths. Guided by these concerns, the clinic’s co-design took form.

The clinic’s profound impact on families is undeniable, with parents expressing gratitude for its streamlined process, quick results, and newfound sense of direction.

“The process is so concise, and then you get the results so quickly... Where has this been?”

The autism clinic goes beyond assessments; it dispels fear and provides hope. Diagnosing ASD can overwhelm parents, but the clinic’s comprehensive approach aims to alleviate these anxieties. By catering to diverse client backgrounds, the team ensures families feel supported and understood at every touch point, fostering an environment where children with ASD can thrive.

Four members of the IPC Health Care Finder Service team stand together in an open plan office, smiling.

IPC Health Care Finder Service

Funded by North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, we deliver the IPC Health Care Finder Service throughout six local government areas – Wyndham, Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Melton, Maribyrnong and Moorabool.

The program consists of a team leader and nine care finders and is supported by two administration officers, allowing for timely service delivery and opportunities to share professional knowledge between a new team of health care and community service professionals.

The IPC Health Care Finder Service aims to connect vulnerable older adults, who experience challenges and barriers to engaging with services and have no one else who is willing or able to support them, with aged care and community support, including My Aged Care. The service uses assertive outreach to link older adults into programs that deliver support for daily living tasks such as domestic assistance, personal care and social support groups. A feature of the program is that it engages people at any stage of their aged care journey and can provide intensive support to contact My Aged Care, look at service providers and check in with the client once services have commenced.

After a design and pilot phase from January to April, the IPC Health Care Finder Service commenced full service delivery on 1 May 2023.

Care Finder has supported

153

clients from 1 April to 30 June 2023 and connected with

31

community, cultural, social and faith-based groups and neighbourhood houses.

This has allowed for strong partnerships and increased program knowledge in the wider community. The IPC Health Care Finder Service brochure has also been printed in seven languages other than English: Arabic, Burmese, Greek, Punjabi, Turkish, Vietnamese and Croatian.

The IPC Health Care Finder Service is quickly becoming a vital element of the service system at IPC Health as well as within the aged care system. Referrals for the service are being received from Western Health, local government, My Aged Care and other community health organisations.

Feedback from IPC Health Care Finder Service clients

“Care finder Celestine has been wonderfully supportive and has given me easy to understand ‘plain English’ information about the service system. She made me feel listened too and valued as a person. Celestine was also very gentle and saw me as human rather than a number in a complicated system.”
“Care finders have been a real saviour for me. Chantelle, senior care finder, is terrific!”

Brimbank Melton Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local

In the heart of Melton and Brimbank, a transformative project called The Local is reimagining the way service providers can work together to genuinely meet each family’s needs.

A partnership between IPC Health, Western Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital, the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local’s purpose is to enhance access to integrated and community-based services for children and their families. An early intervention service, it caters to families with children aged 0–11.

Read more
A young boy sits in a IPC Health reception with a very big smile.
A young mother smiles at her infant baby and holds her up while the baby smiles at the camera.

Dental Services

Waitlist Blitz

In collaboration with Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV), our Dental Service participated in the centralised waitlist program (Waitlist Blitz), contacting all clients on the general waitlist via an SMS message with a link to the Oral Health Questionnaire.

Clients who required care by IPC Health were booked the next available appointment and removed from the waitlist. Clients who could be seen by another provider (private dentist) were contacted and offered a voucher to receive care by a participating private provider of their choice. Clients no longer requiring care, or those who didn’t respond, were removed from the waitlist.

Any client who was removed from the waitlist and contacted us advising they were unaware of receiving or didn’t receive an SMS or any other correspondence, were reinstated on the waitlist.

June 2023 Adult General Dental Service waitlist
Number waiting Oldest date Wait target (months) Longest wait (months) Average waiting time (months)
Wyndham (Hoppers Crossing campus) 1,334 25/03/2022 23 15.77 6.57
Hobsons Bay (Altona Meadows campus) 195 24/06/2022 23 12.78 6.44
Brimbank (St Albans campus) 1,819 28/03/2022 23 15.90 7.24
Total number of clients waiting 3,348
Table listing waitlist numbers and waiting times for General Dental Service at Hoppers Crossing campus, Altona Meadows campus and St Albans campus in June 2023 (total numbers of clients waiting 3,348).
December 2021 Adult General Dental Service waitlist
Number waiting Oldest date Wait target (months) Longest wait (months) Average waiting time (months)
Wyndham (Hoppers Crossing campus) 4,849 16/11/2016 23 52.47 28.15
Hobsons Bay (Altona Meadows campus) 645 27/06/2017 23 52.46 28.15
Brimbank (St Albans campus) 5,863 01/02/2017 23 57.27 31.79
Total number of clients waiting 11,357
Table listing waitlist numbers and waiting times for General Dental Service at Hoppers Crossing campus, Altona Meadows campus and St Albans campus in December 2021 (total numbers of clients waiting 11,357).

Emergency care

‘Sit and wait’ is a term used for clients who are experiencing acute oral pain and present to public dental agencies without an appointment. Many public agencies are not equipped to meet this demand and emergency clients are asked to wait in the waiting room throughout the day to see if someone cancels their appointment at the last minute or fails to attend. That vacant appointment is then used to see the emergency (sit and wait) client.

Our Dental Service has a high incidence of clients presenting to the various sites for urgent care without an appointment. Clients would often become frustrated (even aggressive) because we were unable to meet their request to be seen by a dentist on the spot.

A pilot was commenced at our Hoppers Crossing campus whereby one dentist would only see sit and wait clients. This dentist’s appointments were filled each week and client frustration and aggression reduced as a result – they were able to receive care to treat their acute condition and be booked a next available appointment for ongoing care if required.

This pilot was so successful that it remains in place today and has also been introduced at our St Albans campus, using a casual dentist.

Client story

A person in their 20s presented at the IPC Health Hoppers Crossing dental clinic. Dental team leader Liza likes to go out and speak to those who attend as a sit and wait client to triage, to ensure the Dental team can save clients time and allocate the care to the best possible clinician on duty.

The client was experiencing homelessness and had been dealing with drug addiction, poor mental health care and inappropriate halfway homes for those experiencing drug addiction. The client decided it was best for his recovery to sleep on the street. Unfortunately, during this time he was assaulted by strangers and his denture was broken. He turned to IPC Health Dental for help to construct a new one.

This man was trying so very hard to keep himself on track. He was looking for work and a stable home but without teeth he knew he was disadvantaged from the start, which affected his mental health even more when all he wanted was a job, income, home and to keep himself in recovery.

Liza placed the client with IPC Health’s Prosthetic Service straight away and they constructed a new full-full denture in a month. Two weeks later he returned for a check-up visit to make sure his denture was fitting well and whether any adjustments were needed. During this visit he sought out Liza to inform her that he had secured a full-time job in country Victoria.

He said if he hadn’t taken that very first trip to IPC Health that day, his life wouldn’t be heading in this new direction. He wouldn’t have been confident to apply for that job, but now that he feels ‘normal’ he can continue getting better while embracing new opportunities.

Wyndham Vale student-led dental clinic

The student-led clinic at Wyndham Vale continues to be a success in 2023. The clinic commenced in July 2022 with four chairs and is now at capacity with eight operational chairs by DDS4 (dentist) and BOH3 (oral health therapist).

In the 2022–2023 financial year, the clinic has treated a combination of adult and children providing care/treatment to over

3,500

individuals

Our student placement program has also led to the successful recruitment of a part-time graduate oral health therapist, commencing in 2023. Through a targeted recruitment drive, IPC Health Dental Service held a 2024 graduate information evening in August 2023, which attracted significant interest.

IPC Health continues to work closely with the University of Melbourne to ensure that we provide a broad range of experience within our vast demographic, demonstrating the scope of practice required in delivering public oral health care.

The students’ responses were extremely positive with several students repeating a rotation placement at IPC Health at their own volition. In turn, clients’ feedback has highlighted their exceptional care, empathy and compassion, including the time taken to deliver care/treatment.

Client story

One of our clients who was terrified of going to the dentist, hadn’t attended any oral care appointment throughout most of her life. The devastating result was a poor oral outcome with most of her natural teeth affected and requiring active treatment or extraction. The students and mentor spent several appointments coaching this client and providing the support and time to undertake the care in slow and small stages.

While the client did require several extractions, many teeth were saved and restored. She was also booked in for prosthetics. She reported that her overall health, mental wellbeing and confidence had improved significantly as a result.

Four students and an IPC Health supervising staff member stand together smiling around a green dental chair. They are wearing blue disposable gowns.
Read more on our achievements (PDF)

Quality
Account

client smiling

Consumer, carer and community participation

Client and staff member stand together smiling

Improving client experience

1300 472 432 (1300 IPC HEALTH)

In 2023, our objective was to modernise our outdated telephone set-up and establish a singular point of contact for IPC Health. The transformation was sparked by a need to thoroughly understand our call dynamics. We introduced the 1300 number – 1300 472 432 – a dedicated line serving the community by handling calls from all locations, ensuring consistent service delivery.

Read more

Using data, we discovered a monthly influx of around

12,000

calls

and pinpointed peak call times and call types.

Community representative Loftus sits smiling in an IPC Health reception area.

Building the capacity of consumers, carers and community members to participate fully and effectively in their health care

Community representatives

Health services benefit from partnering with consumers; they bring a fresh and independent community perspective to our organisation. National Safety and Quality Health Service Standard 2 – Partnering with Consumers aims for health services to partner with consumers in planning, design delivery, measurement and evaluation of systems and services to provide mutually beneficial outcomes.

Read more
“I have been involved with IPC Health for approximately 10 years. For me a positive experience as a client is that the staff are welcoming, polite, efficient and always ready to assist. It is a privilege and honour for me to be associated with the staff at IPC Health. My contribution as a ‘consumer rep’ is a link between IPC Health and the consumer.”
Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness Community Advisory Group

As part of the Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness Response (HaRH) program, we developed a Community Advisory Group (CAG) in June 2022. The group was convened to provide the invaluable voice of the community and lived experience insight to the co-design, ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement of the program. Our seven group members all reside in high-risk accommodation, including rooming housing, public housing, caravan parks and one member experiences homelessness and is rough sleeping.

Read more
Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness Community Advisory Group volunteers Sam and Corrie stand together smiling while cooking a barbecue. They are both wearing the IPC Health volunteer blue vest.
HaRH Community Advisory Group volunteers Sam and Corrie at an outreach barbecue at the Tin Shed in St Albans.
Read more on consumer, carer and community participation (PDF)
Graphic of a smartphone showing the SafeZone app landing page with black, green, blue and read squares for different functions.

Quality and safety

Consumer and staff experience: Use of staff survey results to improve safety and quality of programs and services

SafeZone

We worked with Australian company CriticalArc and Chubb Fire & Security Australasia to set up a new duress and emergency monitoring system called SafeZone which includes the SafeZone app and Bluetooth buttons (V.Alrt) that staff can use.

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Quality improvement: Actions on improving people’s access to health care and outcome

A central theme for all diversity and inclusion initiatives is to ensure that all people can access the same opportunities and experiences. All people are to be respected, valued and included.

We are finalising an overarching masterplan to review our built environments, drawing on the client being at the centre of the plan by delivering the right service at the right time in the right place. It will include welcoming and safe environments with increased access to services, and better co-located support services and businesses onsite (such as pharmacy and/or imaging). We want to provide accessible, diverse and culturally appropriate services and facilities to give our clients the best experience. This masterplan will be made public in the coming months and will be used internally to direct our capital works in the medium to longer term.

During the year we have also commenced an upgrade to our St Albans campus, aiming to improve the safety and amenity for clients, staff and health care workers.

We are reconfiguring and refurbishing the existing waiting room and bathroom space within the building:

  • Combining two existing separate reception and waiting areas into one, creating a streamlined service point and substantially increased waiting space
  • Improving public bathroom amenities to provide appropriate facilities, including an all-genders bathroom for client use and creating a new parenting room to improve amenity
  • Relocating Needle and Syringe Program to a dedicated space separate from main reception/ waiting area.

The project will enable the following benefits:

  • Easier navigation for clients, reducing stress and increasing speed of service
  • Clients feel more welcome and safer
  • Reduced number of Code Black (personal threat) emergencies and instances of frustration and agitation created by the client cohort accessing the Needle and Syringe Program if service is separately located away from main reception/waiting area
  • Improved sightlines and egress pathways created between various service areas
  • Improved safety for all building users with key infrastructure made compliant and safety risk mitigated via removal of switchboard from internal public space.

We are also:

  • Upgrading the disabled accessible bathroom at our Hoppers Crossing campus
  • Starting to upgrade all door handles to make them more accessible to clients and staff, and to include security access readers.

‍

Read more on quality and safety (PDF)

Comprehensive care – continuity

Three members of the Service Model Transformation team stand together smiling.

How we respond to the needs of consumers, their families and the community across the continuum of care

Service Model Transformation

As part of IPC Health’s 2025 Strategy, we are moving to a new service model. The new model will focus on connecting clients with a multidisciplinary health and wellbeing team that will partner with them to understand their needs and design and deliver services and supports that are important to them.

The project’s journey started in December 2022, guided by our goals for valuable interactions throughout the organisation that directly and indirectly affect the user experience. We are refreshing our approach to what drives a useful, desirable and accessible client and community wellbeing experience by focusing on the client voice and simplifying processes for better client outcomes.

The Service Model Transformation project prioritises various cohorts, including children and families, young people, the elderly, diverse communities and vulnerable populations. The project’s systematic approach is grounded in community needs, aiming to establish pathways that provide holistic support and seamless experiences.

This approach is piloted in new services such as Head to Health and the Brimbank Melton Children’s Health and Wellbeing Local. We are looking to scale up this model across our core service functions.

With active encouragement of blue-sky thinking, we recognise that sustained excellence requires proactive and positive change and this project underscores the significant impact of collaboration, innovation, and an unwavering drive for progress and service integration at IPC Health.

Actions taken to improve the service experience for a particular community health priority population

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
Deadly Kitchen 10-year anniversary

The Deadly Kitchen initiative started back in 2013 when IPC Health’s Care Coordinator Alex and her then colleague saw the need for Aboriginal Elders to come together to yarn and have a healthy meal. Many Elders were new to the area and felt lonely and isolated. The Deadly Kitchen is held every fortnight at Iramoo Community Centre with support from IPC Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health team.

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Around 30 people from the IPC Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health team (including staff and clients) celebrate in front of a banner that says happy anniversary and two gold balloons in the shape of the number ten.
A room full of families from the Karen community pick
Refugee health
Family Fun Day for Karen community

The Karen community, originating from Myanmar and often having lived for extensive periods of time in refugee camps in Thailand, have sought refuge in countries such as Australia due to political unrest and conflicts in their home country. Primarily comprised of refugees in Australia, the Karen community encounters obstacles when accessing essential services. Language barriers and a lack of cultural understanding among service providers can impede effective communication and support. Additionally, the trauma experienced by individuals within the Karen community may further affect their ability to access services.

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The Family Fun Day attracted over

120

attendees

Members of the Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness team are smiling together in an open place office. Three people are sitting on chairs in the front row and four people are standing behind them.
Homeless and Risk of Homelessness health

Our Homeless and at Risk of Homelessness Response (HaRH) program supports people who are experiencing, or are at risk of, homelessness in the Brimbank and Melton Local Government Areas. This includes residents in rooming houses, public housing, community housing and caravan parks.

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The HaRH team successfully engaged with

2,567 people

registering

340 clients

between July 2022 through to June 2023

including: 10 people who identify as Aboriginal; 120 from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds; 59 rough sleepers; 85 rooming houses, 93 high-risk private rentals, 52 public housing, eight caravan parks and 23 community housing residents.

In collaboration with Tenants Victoria, we have door-knocked

139 rooming house properties

and engaged with

123 tenants

of whom

85 are clients

of our the HaRH program.

We have held outreach engagement and support activities at Rockbank Caravan Park, the Tin Shed in St Albans, Melton South Community Centre and Salvation Army, Harvester Road, accumulating a total of 49 outreaches.

We also conduct outreach to public housing units and have door-knocked

369 dwellings

and engaged with

199 residents

Additionally, in collaboration with cohealth, we also undertake assertive outreach to rough sleepers on a fortnightly basis.

Feedback from HaRH client

One of our clients in our HaRH program is living in a Brimbank rooming house and has significant and complex health, addiction and legal issues. He sent the following message to an HaRH staff member:

“I have been released from my detox centre today and I am so grateful for your support and the support of your colleagues, whether from IPC Health or other department health institutions. I was admitted the day after you made that special gesture to help me with my myki card contribution and funny enough, there were inspectors at the train terminals when I arrived and all I was thinking about was your incredible effort to try and get that credit on my myki card for that day. That in itself made me believe that good people still exist in this world.
“However, I entered the facility that morning and a new world was just about to evolve around my life and it occurred to me that I was grateful to have met you first when I moved to the western suburbs and you opened the doors for me to excel in my better health so much that you made that effort to help. That moment of truth made all the difference how my world was going to change for good. I know I am very privileged that I have enormous support around me now and am very mindful and aware of the respect you and your colleagues have given me and that is my enthusiasm to move forward. The facility that I entered was world class and I have been given a chance to beat this disease of alcoholism by going through the teachings of the entire program.
“I will stop my experience now in words but I will no doubt be in contact with you and other facilitators to try and make this an ambition to improve on others and myself because I believe now there is a way out if you are mindful, kind to others, listening, respectful, but make sure that you take care of yourself before others so you are in a better position to help others.”
Read more on comprehensive care (PDF)