By Five Paediatric Initiative and RCH deliver ‘Great care, everywhere’ in winning combo for rural families

Over the past two years, By Five and the RCH have joined forces with the Wimmera workforce to deliver ‘great care, everywhere’ to children. Together, they’ve supported over 200 children and families to access timely paediatric care without having to travel outside the region, and the innovative, homegrown initiative is being hailed as a blueprint for rural and remote communities across Australia to emulate.

Utilising the remarkable expertise of the local workforce, and the relationships and trust they have with families, children are able to sit in familiar surroundings with their local maternal and child health (MCH) nurse, for example, and link in with the Paediatrician via telehealth. Families can work through concerns and develop a plan that everyone is across at the same time. As a part of this program, there have been training and development opportunities which have been highly valued. The program works with MCH, allied health, social care and education professionals and well as general practitioners.

These co-consultations have occurred with a diverse range of families including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, refugees, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and children experiencing out of home care, demonstrating the strength of the local link.

Whilst the local workforce, families and children have benefited enormously through the initiative, the RCH too have gained a strong understanding of the rural challenges, the strengths of the region, and have been markedly impressed by the skills and knowledge of the professionals on the ground.

RCH Consultant Paediatrician Dr Nadia Coscini says, “Knowing families and children to the extent that the locals do, provides an enormous benefit to the care of these children. The local professional understands much better the family in context and often what approach would be most appropriate for individuals, and can also support the ongoing course of care long after the appointment is over”.

The initiative began as it was highlighted that more than one in four Wimmera children were arriving at school classified as developmentally vulnerable, well above the state and national average, making it difficult for them to engage in learning and fulfil their potential. The efforts to shift the dial on these statistics, through breaking down barriers to timely access to quality care, and leveraging local resources, has been evaluated by the Centre for Community Child Health at the Murdoch Children’s Research Centre, and findings have reaffirmed that this work is making a difference.

By Five Paediatric Project Manager Cara Miller says, “Postcode should never be a determinant of health. RCH’s support of the Wimmera has been extremely well received by the region and reported by families to reduce travel time, costs, time away from work and school and overall family stress.

“Surveyed families indicated that they may have been unable to access a paediatrician without the initiative’s assistance or would have faced lengthy wait lists. Co-consultations are at no cost and have supported earlier intervention.

Cara also commented that, “None of this could have been achieved without the incredible goodwill, passion, and dedication of the local professionals on the ground. Their willingness to try something different for the betterment of children in their communities has been humbling. They have so much expertise and go above and beyond, and it’s really demonstrated to the RCH as well the importance of relational practice, or what we like to call good old fashioned country spirit, you can’t measure it.” 

This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 9 August 2023.