PRIMARY Care Partnerships continue to face uncertainty after the government extended funding to the end of the financial year.
Funding was initially due to cease at the end of 2019, as per a four year funding agreement, but now PCPs have another six months while a review is undertaken looking into their role in the health industry.
Grampians Pyrenees PCP executive officer Suzannah Burton said the health organisation welcomed the review and looked forward to demonstrating the value of PCPs.
However she also said the organisation was already facing fall-out over the uncertainty.
"We welcome the fact that we've received another six months of funding and there will be a review that we can have input into, but it remains uncertain for us," she said.
"We've had one resignation in reaction to the uncertainty. There is still the very real possibility of five positions that could end in June."
The Grampians Pyrenees PCP employs five people and the Wimmera PCP employs seven people. There is a total of 28 PCPs across the state.
PCPs' future beyond 30 June 2020 remains uncertain and will be largely determined by the outcomes of the review.
The Victorian PCP has launched a state-wide campaign to secure the future of PCPs and Ms Burton said the Grampians Pyrenees has also been campaigning at a local level.
"We continue our ongoing work advocating on behalf of PCPs and GPPCP locally ,through social media and through our participation in the VicPCP advocacy campaign," she said.
Ms Burton recently met with representatives from other PCPs at Parliament House to attend a meeting with Shadow Health Minister Georgie Crozier. Also in attendance was Member for Lowan Emma Kealy and Member for Ripon Louise Staley.
"This meeting ... was called to discuss the importance of Primary Care Partnerships and the potential loss to communities should the program cease to be funded," Ms Burton said.
"Ms Staley has since been to visit our team at our office here in Ararat to hear more about our local work."
Ms Burton said the PCP played a key role in the health industry.
A key example of that is the Budja Budja Mobile Clinic recently launched in the region.
"We do a lot of collaborative work, but a lot of what we do is around seed funding around community initiatives," Ms Burton said.
"For example, we funded a feasibility study for Budja Budja Health Clinic, which is hugely successful.
"Without PCPs' work to gather those partners, link Budja Budja with dealing and provide seed funding for a project officer for that feasibility study that project wouldn't not have happened.
"We can be a really objective player in the health sector where can provide strategy planning and provide consultation. It removes the agenda and we can gather partners and be quite a neutral voice in the room to encourage those partnerships."
Wimmera PCP was not available for comment.
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