CONFERENCES
IPAC has been running successful conferences around New Zealand since 2004. We have hosted in Rotorua (2004), Christchurch (2005), Auckland (2006) and most recently Wellington (2008). We are now pleased to be jointly co-hosting the inaugural "World Health Care Networks" conference (July 2010) - please see details below.
If you want to locate speaker notes or view photos from a previous conference then you will find them here along with other useful information.
Upcoming Conference
Inaugural “World Health Care Networks Conference”
“Driving Health Systems through
Primary Care”
Sky City, Auckland NZ – July 22-24, 2010
[Early bird registrations will open early 2010. Please keep checking this site, or email Dominique Sutherland to register your interest now.]
Background:
IPAC (the IPA Council of New Zealand) and the AGPN (Australian General Practice Networks) are pleased to be jointly co-hosting the inaugural “World Health Care Networks” conference, focusing on “Driving Health Systems through Primary Care” to be held at Sky City, Auckland NZ, from July 22-24 2010.
This is an exciting development reflective of trends which are occurring in many westernised countries at present, and echoes the thinking behind the 2008 WHO report – “Primary Health Care – Now More than Ever.” Given the global nature of economic and workforce constraints, ageing and growing populations, and the challenges and opportunities presented by new medical and information technologies, primary or community based health service delivery is now under the spotlight not just as a sustainable way forward, but one which can produce better health outcomes.
We believe it is timely to bring this discussion into an international forum for those interested in networks, driven by health professionals themselves. Policy makers, funders, strategists, networks, practices, and those involved in other models of care, are encouraged to attend and participate. It is an opportunity to share experiences and ideas, to achieve sustainable health care systems that will improve the health of our populations in the decades ahead. There are many similar challenges and shared opportunities across and between countries which provide for rich conference discussion and debate.
IPAC and AGPN are both national organisations founded on general practice networks in Australia and New Zealand. Although the two countries have different political systems, the move towards a stronger focus on delivering more health services within community based settings through co-ordinated health care networks, is common to both, and there are many striking similarities between our respective paths.
The foundation document of the New Zealand National led government, elected in Nov 2008, is called “Better, Sooner, More Convenient” and describes policy settings which support an expanded range of health services being provided outside hospitals, and delivered through community based networks and multidisciplinary consortia. This builds on existing network structures who have a variety of origins - the general practice driven IPA (Independent Practitioner Association) “organized general practice” supported network structures across NZ, who formed IPAC in 1999, the community governed Primary Health Organisations (PHOs) formed as part of the 1999-2008 Labour led New Zealand health reforms, and Treaty of Waitangi based community health care networks.
New and diverse health care networks are currently arising from these various foundations, with a strong focus on clinical leadership, and multidisciplinary approaches to team work within general practice and other community settings. Community support and involvement in these networks is now an integral part of the landscape, as is evolving information technology. New Zealand general practice has been an early and comprehensive adopter of IT, but our tools now need to be upgraded to be much more patient centred, allowing for connectivity and appropriate sharing of information across the system, in the interests of safe, comprehensive and effective patient care.
IPAC is fortunate to be able to build on its 10 year history of strong “Organised General Practice” network membership, and is now engaged in building good national relationships with other health disciplines, including pharmacy, physiotherapy, and midwifery, in order to support the development of multidisciplinary working relationships across the country.
Whether you are involved in policy formation, strategy development, funding or provision of health services particularly within primary care settings, we extend a warm welcome to you to join us in Auckland for this conference, and to meeting you there in July 2010.
Dr Bev OKeefe
Executive Chair
November 2009.
Previous Conferences
Click on the links below to view the IPAC's previous conference websites: