Sydney ICTN Local Projects Fund Final Report
Clinical placements.
Project title:
Introduction of interprofessional multi site student run assessment
clinic for medical, nursing and allied health students on clinical
placements
Lead Organisation:
Partner Organisations:
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Western NSW Local Health District
The University of Sydney
Project Lead: Jane McQueen
jane.mcqueen@sydney.edu.au
Contact person:
Project Officer: Mic Clarke
michael.clarke@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au
Date:
Recomedations from
scope
31st May 2013
1. That the outcomes of this report are presented for formal
sign off by NBMLHD management and that the
interprofessional student run assessment clinics are
implemented at Nepean Hospital as a cost neutral pilot in
August 2014
2. That Orange Health Service applies to HETI for six months
funding for a Project Officer to plan and implement an
interprofessional student training ward as a pilot program
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1. List the activities you have undertaken in the course of this project to date:
Activity
Outcomes
The University of Sydney
Meeting with partnership team including

Agreement for final year medical students to
Dr Louise Cole, Subdean of Education,
attend HETI Get Ready Training prior to SIM
Nepean Clinical School, Sarah Whereat
training interprofesional clinics rotation
and Narelle Brown, Medical Educators,

Agreement was reached to be involved in the
development of facilitator training

Agreement to train NBMLHD Nursing and
Allied Health educators as interprofessional
facilitators

Agreement to provide SIM training for
students prior to interprofessional clinic
rotation.
Nepean Clinical School to discuss their
Agreement to act as facilitators in the
potential role as SIM trainers and
proposed clinics and assist in engaging
interprofessional facilitators in the
patients as teachers for the benefit of students
proposed clinics
Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health
District

Understanding of project aims

Student placement numbers from 2013 used
Secured collaborative partnerships
Meeting with clinical leads and
as baseline to predict 2014 pilot

Agreement to source appropriate clinics

Agreements to utilise existing clinics for IP
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educators, Nursing, Social Work,
pilot program for final year students
Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy,
Nutrition and Dietetics and Speech

Therapy
Tentative agreement for Allied Health and
Nursing students to be involved as part of
2014 interprofessional clinic pilot once formal
approval has been received from relevant
education providers
Consultation with relevant Nepean Hospital staff
regarding current outpatient clinics to be used as
interprofessional training clinics

Geriatric Memory Clinic

Falls and Fractures

Multidisciplinary Orthopaedic Clinic

Agreement reached to further investigate
Western NSW Local Health District
Meeting in Orange with Local Allied
Health Manager and Allied Health Clinical
Leads to discuss project implementation
potential of project implementation

issues at Orange Health Service
Agreed provision of data / student placement
numbers by date discipline and university
Negotiations with Medical staff at
Dubbo's Rural School of Health Western

Insufficient student numbers at Dubbo to
make the project viable
NSW LHD
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Meeting in Orange with Dr Gabriel

Agreement to include interprofessional
Shannon, Subdean of Education, School
education in existing inpatient training ward,
of Rural Health, University of Sydney.
Orange Base Hospital
Bloomfield Campus
Liaison with Clinconnect seeking
Student numbers, dates and duration of clinical
retrospective data trends for clinical
placements in 2013 for medical, nursing and allied
placements across both LHD’s
health students sourced and collated
Researching existing interprofessional

References attached.
education initiatives

While this is not an annotated bibliography

Development of a literature
interrogation of Australian and International
review to guide the project,
interprofessional literature has informed this
enhance implementation
project
strategies and for inclusion in the
final project report

Consultation by phone with Margo Brewer,
Director of Interprofessional Practice, Faculty
of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth,
Western Australia.
Attending HETI Get Ready training to
Provision of resources to enable running the Get
evaluate its relevance as precursory
Ready program for final year students prior to their
training module for final year medical,
involvement in the student run inter professional
nursing and allied health students prior to assessment clinics. It is envisioned final year students
placement rotation in an
will attend this training
interprofessional clinic
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2.Describe the potential for growth in clinical placement / supervision capacity as a result of this
project.

While it is envisaged that this project has potential for diversity in clinical placements, it is
recognised that a high level of synergy between health workforce planning and health
education systems is required to facilitate the sustainability of IPE (Dunstan 2012)

Supervision capacity will be enhanced as discipline specific educators would undertake
interprofessional facilitator training to be part of supervision rosters in the clinics
3. Was the project delivered on time and within budget?

Project proposal timeline was 1 January - 31 May 2013. This was a total of twenty two
weeks which was seven weeks short of our proposal timeframe which has therefore
impacted on the project

Employment of project officer 18 Feb - 31 May 2013 - total of 15 weeks

There remains a significant underspend of approximately $52,000
4. Did you achieve all the objectives outlined in the proposal? If not, why?
Objectives achieved

Provision of detailed feasibility report will include recommendations to seek funding for
the implementation of the pilot in 2014

Employment of project officer

Clinic locations sourced and tentatively secured

Provision of 2013 student placement data set by date, discipline and university across NBM
and WNSW LHD’s. Data to be used as a baseline for implementation of project pilot in 2014
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
The profile of interprofessional education has been raised as a result of the project.
Participants in our meetings in both LHD’s have been provided with peer reviewed IPE
literature and have acknowledged the potential to improve workforce practices, patient
safety and improved health outcomes
Nepean Blue Mountains LHD outcomes

Collaborative partnerships with Nepean Clinical School, The University of Sydney, clinicians
and educators in NBMLHD

Review of current student placement numbers and of current outpatient clinics have been
approached to run the proposed 2014 pilot of the interprofessional assessment clinics

Three outpatient clinics approached. It is planned to make formal agreement from senior
clinicians about utilising these clinics once signoff for the pilot has been received from
management

Clinics contacted are run by Geriatric Medicine who operate a successful interprofessional
outpatient model of care. This includes a Memory Clinic and a Falls and Fractures Clinic.
These clinics would be appropriate as pilot sites

A Multidisciplinary Orthopaedic Clinic is a successful outpatient service that reviews all
patients wait listed for hip and knee surgery. The clinic is run by Medical Nursing,
Physiotherapy, Social Work, Occupational Therapy and Dietetics and offers an ideal
structure for a student run interprofessional assessment clinic

The interprofessional student run assessment clinic 2014 pilot, if approved is proposed to
be run as a cost neutral program given the availability of locations at Nepean Hospital and
clinical leads and educators prepared to undertake interprofessional training
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Western NSW LHD outcomes

Establishment of collaborative partnerships with Orange Health Service and School of
Rural Health, The University of Sydney Orange

Tentative agreement to utilise the existing student training ward running which currently
operates on an interprofessional basis

The Rural School of Health, The University of Sydney, Orange have provided letters of
support to progress the pilot program
Challenges of the project.

Project implementation in WNSW LHD will only be possible if funding is available to
support the employment of an IP Project officer to drive implementation.
See project plan proposal

Healthcare systems have low perceived reliability and healthcare providers are under
increasing pressure to improve reliability; root causes include poor governance, insufficient
skills, inadequate tools manifesting as failures to set objectives of care, poor teamwork and
coordination including poor communication and fragmentation of care (2012 Team Health
Consultation)
Constraints

Western NSW LHD Allied Health, Nursing and Medical calendar at the School of Rural
Health, The University of Sydney, Dubbo reflected insufficient numbers of students across
the disciplines to consider piloting an interprofessional clinic at Dubbo

This resulted in a shift of focus from Dubbo to Orange Base Hospital and School of Rural
Health, The University of Sydney, Orange Health Service
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
Feedback from WNSW LHD questioned current workforce capacity to be engaged in IP
facilitator training and to supervise IP student clinics.

An interprofessional student training ward would require an interprofessional trained
facilitator to supervise a group of students, with discipline specific supervisors being
available as part of usual clinical supervisory arrangements. Current staffing shortages
would preclude this in WNSW LHD

Faculty of Medicine, The Sydney University’s downgrading final year print (pre-intern) term
from eight weeks to four weeks, hence creating a significant lack of curricula space to
consider embedding interprofessional initiatives

Lack of interprofessional educators will require release from duties to undertake IP
facilitator training

There is commitment to the interprofessional clinics in the LHD's however with funding and
time frame limitations clinics will not rollout without formal LHD sign off, local IP
champions and implementation structures in place
5 Please provide an Income and Expenditure Statement for the project
See attached document
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Proposed project management and implementation plan
Project role
Person responsible
Project Scope
Project Management Team
Project Lead
Project Officer
Responsibilities
 Scope the feasibility of a
multisite student run
interprofessional assessment
clinic in NBM and WNSW
LHD’s
 Support collaborative
partnerships with
stakeholders
 Provision of a report including
a proposed implementation
plan
 Provide strategic advice and
direction to stakeholders
Project partners
Nepean Clinical School, the
University of Sydney
Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
School of Rural Health, The
University of Sydney, Orange
Orange Health Service
Education Providers
 Consideration of, and
agreement with, proposed
project implementation (to
be piloted in 2014)
Steering Committees
To be determined
 Have oversight of the project
pilot
 Report pilot outcomes to
WICTN
 Proposed timeframe August to
October 2014 after formal
approval has been received
Clinical Advisory Reference
Groups
Representatives from senior
clinicians and clinical
educators representing
project partners
 To develop models of care
appropriate for
interprofessional student run
assessment clinics
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Risk Management
Steering Committees and
Clinical Advisory Reference
Groups
 Develop clinical guidelines for
the clinics
 Seek formal commitment from
education providers re
student involvement in the
clinics
 Seek agreement from
education providers
regarding student learning
outcomes for clinic rotations
 Develop discipline specific
matrix ratios for student
rotations in the clinics
 To oversee financial viability.
 Monitor Student Learning
Agreements with relevant
education providers; project
governance and supervision,
including compliance with
timeframes
 Identification of potential
threats to project completion
 Source and develop curriculum
applying best practice
principles and core IP
competencies
Research and Evaluation
Steering Committees and
Clinical Advisory Reference
Groups
 Evaluate pilot program using
pre and post measures such
as ICAT 2012
Interprofessional Capability
Assessment Tool and ISVS
2008 Interprofessional
Socialisation and Valuing
Scale
 Evaluate the pilot with regards
to potential replication of the
model
 Evaluate pilot participants
understanding of IPP six
months post workforce entry
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Sustainability
Steering Committee and
Clinical Advisory Reference
Group
 Maintain ongoing partnerships
between health disciplines
and with education providers
 Collate and analyse evaluation
data to support sustainable
implementation of the
project
Project auspice
Western ICTN
Orange Health Service
 Development of a project
proposal specific to local
needs
 Funds requested to be
determined once Orange
Health Service has agreed to
formal sign off of the project
proposal
Rural School of Health, The
University of Sydney, Orange
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Student Placement Calendars
Western NSW LHD Interprofessional Calendar.
Dubbo Hospital 2013 Final year students
AprilMay
Medicine
Nursing
Social Work
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Dietetics
Speech
JuneJuly
10
12
AugSept
10
OctNov
10
15-36
10
nil
nil
2 2
2
nil
2
Nepean Blue Mountains LHD
Nepean Hospital 2013 Final year students
AprilMay
Medicine
Nursing
Social Work
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Dietetics
Speech
JuneJuly
40
12
5
AugSept
40
20
5
2
OctNov
40
20
8
5
6
2
1
40
20
8
5
4
1
Western NSW LHD
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Orange Health Service 2013 Final year students
AprilMay
Medicine
Nursing
Social Work
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Dietetics
Speech
JuneJuly
10
46
AugSept
10
46
2
6
6
2
OctNov
10
46
2
6
2 2
2
1
10
46
6
2
LHD final year student numbers by Education Providers.
Nepean Blue Mountains 2013
Nepean Hospital
Medicine
Nursing (cycle 2)
Social Work
Physiotherapy
Speech
Occupational
Therapy
Dietetics
UNSW CSU
SYD
UWS MQ
ACU
40
0
0
0
0
92
102
26
4
3
2
4
5
4
9
0
10
12
2
LHD final year student numbers by Education Providers.
Western NSW 2013 full EP data unavailable
Orange Health
Service
Medicine
Nursing
Social Work
Physiotherapy
Speech
Occupational Therapy
Dietetics
SYD
UNSW CSU
10
0
0
551
6
31
4
7
12
UWS
MQ
0
0
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Bibliography
Barrows, HS (1993) An overview of the uses of standardised patients for teaching and
evaluating clinical skills. AAMC Acad Med 68(6):443-451; discussion 451-443
Brewer, M. & Jones, S. (2013). An interprofessional practice capability framework focusing
on safe, high quality client centred health service. Journal of Allied Health. (in press).
Brewer, M. (2011) Interprofessional Training Wards: Reviewing Linkoping University
(Sweden) St Georges University (London) in the development of an Interprofessional Training
Ward in Perth, Western Australia. Curtin University
Brewer, M. Franklin, D. (2010) Report. Royal Perth Hospital. Student Training Ward. Curtin
University.
Curriculum Renewal for Interprofessional Education in Health (2013) Interprofessional
Education: A National Audit Report to Health Workforce Australia. Centre for Research in
Learning and Change. UTS. Sydney.
Clinical Education and Training Institute 2011, Team Health: Future Directions. Clinical
Education and Training Institute, Gladesville. Sydney
Clinical Education and Training Queensland. (2011) The Capricornia Project: Developing and
implementing an interprofessional student-assisted allied health clinic. Queensland Health.
Brisbane.
Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice. Report of an Expert Panel
(May 2011) American Association of Colleges of Nursing. American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. American Dental
Education Society. Association of American Medical Colleges. Association of Schools of
Public Health.
Dunstan, R., Lee, A., Matthews, J., Nisbet, G., Pockett, R., Thistlethwaite, J., & White, J.
(2009) Interprofessional Health Education in Australia: The Way Forward. Centre for
Research in Learning and Change, University of Technology. Sydney.
Dunstan, R (2012) The interprofessional in Australian health professional education: current
activity and recommendations for action. Curriculum Renewal for Interprofessional
Education in Health. Centre for Learning in Research and Change. UTS. Sydney.
Health Canada. (2010) Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative. A National
Interprofessional Competency Framework Feb 2010 <http:/www.cihc.ca/>
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Frenk, J Chen, L, et al. (2010) The Lancet Commission. Health Professionals for a new
century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an independent world.
<http:/www.thelancett.com>
Jacob, E. Barnett, B. Missen, K Merylin, C Walker, L. (2012) Australian Clinician’s views on
Interprofessional education for Students in the Rural Clinical Setting. Journal of Research in
Interprofessional Practice and Education. Vol 2, No2.
Keane, Birden, Swain, Barraclough, (Feb 2012) Interprofessional Learning in a Rural Context
University Centre for Rural health. North Coast. CETI
McNair, R (2005) Breaking Down the Silos: Interprofessional education and interprofessionalism for an effective rural health care workforce. Rural health Conference Notes.
Stone, N. (2007) The Ripening: advancing rural interprofessional education in Australia. From
9th National Rural Health Conference Papers. Albury NSW.
World Health Organisation. (2010) Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education and
Collaborative Practice. Health Professions Network Nursing and Midwifery Office within the
Department of Human Resources for Health.
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SOCIAL WORK
NEPEAN BLUE MOUNTAINS LOCAL HEALTH DISTRICT
PO BOX 63
Penrith. NSW. 2751.
31st May 2013.
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.
Re: Inter Professional Student run Assessment Clinic at Nepean Hospital.
The Multidisciplinary Orthopaedic Waitlist Clinic (MDOC) at Nepean Hospital provides a
service that helps patients to manage better both physically and psychologically whilst they
are waiting for elective hip and knee joint replacement surgery. The wait for these patients
is on average 12 months. The clinic is multidisciplinary, incorporating a range of disciplines
including nursing, physiotherapy, social work, dietetics, and occupational therapy.
I fully support the implementation of an inter-professional student run assessment clinic, for
nursing and allied health students on clinical placement, within the Multidisciplinary
Orthopaedic Waitlist Clinic at Nepean Hospital. This student run clinic has the potential to
foster inter-professional learning and positively impact workforce implications for the LHD.
Yours Sincerely
Pauline Barber
Acting Social Work Department Head, Nepean Hospital
Tel. 02 4734 2072.
pauline.barber@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au
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