Next Practice Deakin is at the forefront of revolutionising general practice in Australia, setting a new standard for contemporary and progressive healthcare. Our innovative approach is quietly leading the way in enhancing patient care and clinical outcomes across the country.

Next Practice Deakin are leading the way with digital transformation in primary care, whether it’s to support care delivery or enhance effectiveness and efficiency of care processes.

Artificial intelligence

The increasing growth of artificial intelligence has seen Next Practice Deakin adopt and pilot technologies to enhance care.

Scribing

For example, after early successful pilots clinicians at Next Practice Deakin may use scribing software to support the recording of more comprehensive and effecting clinical records. These in turn translate into enhanced team based care and well as patient engagement.

Enhanced Telehealth

Since COVID-19 Telehealth has become widespread using either telephone or video consultations. Next Practice Deakin however has led the journey a step further with piloting and adopting Tele-examination. With advanced Telehealth equipment Next Practice Deakin clinicians can offer video consultations integrated with Tele-examination - so wounds, ears, throats can be examined, hearts and lungs listened to, all virtually. We believe we were one of the first practices in Australia to use such equipment and have spoken about our experience at conferences and delivered training in Queensland and South Australia on adopting such technologies in Residential Aged Care.

Diagnostics

We have been using technologies that support enhancing diagnostics. For example, using a digital stethoscope with AI that assist clinicians to increase the recognition of irregular heart rhythms and murmurs.

Primary care is changing as the demographics of society evolve. We are all living longer and with that there is an increasing prevalence of long term conditions, sometime multiple ones. Good care therefore requires not only a great clinician but also a team to support that care and coordinate that care. The team at Next Practice Deakin in addition to GPs includes patient advocate, enrolled nurses, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacist, social worker and allied health such as dietitian, exercise physiologist, diabetes educators and psychologists.

The design of the floor plan and space at Next Practice Deakin is inspired from visits and learnings across the globe of medical practices that provide team based care.

This is the team that provides ‘wrap around care’ supporting patients and carers.

Social worker in General Practice

The social worker in general practice is an innovative role and Next Practice Deakin is one of four practice’s in the ACT that were successful in a competitive grant process to pilot this role in General Practice.

Nurse Practitioners

The role of nurse practitioners has been growing in Australia, however, very few practices have integrated their roles and function within general practice. At Next Practice Deakin we’re pioneering an approach to embedding the nurse practitioner role into general practice. We are privileged to have a team of nurse practitioners with special interests in chronic disease management, diabetes, heart failure, aged care, palliative care and continence.

Integrated Practice Units

Integrated Practice Units are a way of overcoming care silos and instead working in multidisciplinary patient-oriented teams. Such teams are organised around the patient and providing the full cycle of care for their care needs, including patient education, engagement, and follow-up as well as supporting services. We are organically evolving into models of care operating as integrated practice units.

Next Practice Deakin embodies the principles of a learning organisation by continuously adapting and evolving based on new medical knowledge and feedback from patients and staff. This approach promotes ongoing professional development and encourages innovation in patient care practices. As a learning organisation, we not only improve our service delivery but also contribute to the broader field of healthcare by sharing their findings and best practices.

Education and training

Our culture of learning fosters an approach that welcomes professional development of team members, but also supports those in their early career with work experience and training of undergraduates and postgraduates. We regularly host students seeking work experience, medical students, nursing students, allied health and pharmacy students as well as GP Registrars and Nurse Practitioner students.

Innovating care delivery

As a learning organisation we’re innovating care delivery. We’ve received a grant from the ACT Health Department to provide services to housebound patients. We’re part of a pilot for reducing repeated attendances for our patients to ED. We were on elf the first practices in the country to deliver COVID-19 vaccination programme into aged care and we continue to offer this service to vulnerable populations. We’re leading the way with our Director and Principal providing the leadership for the new aged care incentive payment and writing the guidance for all practices in the country, PHNs, aged care homes and consumers.

Research

We partner with Universities to deliver research program in join grant applications. We, our members of Next Practice Deakin, are participating in a number of trails. For example, we’re part of a research project with the University of Canberra exploring the role of enhancing allied health services for people with dementia in residential aged care using an integrated, transdisciplinary model. We researched with ANU the role of Nurse Practitioner’s training medical students. Our Director and Principal is a Chief Investigator in a project with the University of Queensland on Transforming Primary Healthcare Service Delivery using A Digital-Human Approach.

In summary, at Next Practice Deakin, we are leading the transformation of general practice in Australia, driven by our commitment to digital transformation, cutting-edge artificial intelligence, advanced Telehealth services, and innovative diagnostic tools.

Our integrated practice units and role expansions, such as nurse practitioners and social workers within general practice, are shaping the future of patient-centred care. As a learning organisation, we continually evolve based on new medical insights and feedback, fostering a culture of ongoing professional development and innovation in healthcare.

If you are a doctor, nurse, or clinician passionate about driving forward the future of healthcare, we invite you to join us at Next Practice Deakin to be part of a team that not only delivers exceptional care but also leads in shaping the healthcare landscape.