• Promotion and dissemination of up-to-date information and resources
• Arabic reminder recall card distributed to practices in the Canterbury area.
  
• Poster to represent the NSW Health vaccination schedule - aimed at Aboriginal children. GPNSW will use poster for both Aboriginal and mainstream populations
• Support for implementation of vaccine management (i.e. cold chain) procedures
• Audit of practices to establish a picture of the domestic / vaccine specific fridges.  Some practices have upgraded to vaccine specific models.
• Development and implementation of strategies to encourage information sharing across the Network.
• CSGPN is part of the GPNSW Low coverage group and SSWAHS PHU immunisation network. Through these networks we share resources and strategies for improving immunisation coverage
• Education workshops developed and presented. 
• Liaison with relevant stakeholders including GP NSW, NSW Health, NCIRS, SSWAHS PHU and SSWAHS Hepatitis program, Metro Migrant Resource Centre, Aboriginal Health, Arabic Women's groups in Canterbury and Lakemba, and Local public schools and playgroups.

Explanation of results:

The implementation of the above strategies has seen a better understanding of immunisation in the community and within general practice. When the time is taken to help practice staff establish competency in managing the immunisation recall remind process significant measurable improvements in immunisation coverage are generally made.

Improvements made in one practice can significantly help improve coverage rates in other practices where patients are shared.

Improving the knowledge for the community empowers people to play a proactive, responsible role in community immunisation.

Through additional funding from GP NSW and GSK we have been able to employ additional immunisation support staff to help practices with data cleaning. We have targeted all practices on the GPII report. The additional support has been highly valued by staff and the practices involved.

Part of this initiative has been to ensure practices;

Receive the GPII20A report

Have training and support in data cleaning

Have access to resources to support reminder recalls

Where possible upgrading the practice to send encounters via electronic means

CSGPN has strategically targeted all practices to upgrade their systems to send data electronically. Our goal is to have 90% of practices using these systems. Over the part 12 months we have seen a considerable increase either through our direct drive or through their initiative.

Explanation of results:

A barrier to the above improvements is that ACIR do not provide data for Divisions that identify practices using electronic data systems. If it would be possible to include this information with in the GPII 20A report it would be extremely valuable for CSGPN to be able to offer additional support.

In the past twelve month CSGPN has specifically targeted both Aboriginal and Arabic communities in our area. CSGPN’s immunisation program together with Closing the Gap team and GP NSW developed and produced a NSW childhood immunisation schedule poster. The original target audience is for Aboriginal children, however, the poster has been so well received that GP NSW have now adopted this resource across NSW.

The poster compliments and supports the uptake of both Indigenous Health Assessments and the 4 year old healthy kids check for the non Indigenous population.

It uses, healthy positive, images of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander children to demonstrate age appropriate immunisations, using Indigenous art work commissioned by GPNSW in colors of both Indigenous flags.  It has been reviewed by Aboriginal community, health professionals and other stakeholder with resounding support.

Through a Canterbury Council community grant, CSGPN also developed an immunisation reminder/ recall post card in Arabic for practices to send to Arabic speaking patients. This resource has also been extremely well received by our Arabic speaking GPs and practice staff.

Explanation of results:

At this stage there has been no formal evaluation of the impact of the above projects