mmg.com.au

The Loddon Mallee Murray Medicare Local will release its strategic plan within about two months.

If follows after LMMML board members and executive directors from across the region attended a two-day planning session in Echuca last week.

LMMML chief executive Matt Jones said an external company ran the session, which included stakeholder presentations and information from needs’ assessments from across the region.

The needs’ assessments heard from district health care providers in 12 forums across the region in the past few weeks.

Mr Jones said the planning session identified the organisation’s 10-year goals and one to two-year objectives.

The session facilitators will now help compile the information so a strategic plan can be put forward.

The organisation’s goals were divided into five areas; improving the patient experience, offering support and assistance to clinicians, population health planning, implementation of primary health care initiatives and effective management and good governance of the organisation itself.

‘‘There’s a lot that we need to digest and consider,’’ Mr Jones said.

‘‘All of that came together really well, it was a very productive and very successful event.’’

Medicare Locals, part of the Federal Government’s national health care reforms, co-ordinate primary health care delivery and identify district health care needs in designated regional areas.

They have replaced and expanded on the work of the Divisions of General Practice.

The LMMML covers an area of 50,000 square kilometres — from Castlemaine, to Rushworth, to Swan Hill, Deniliquin and Birchip.