20 May 2026
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In early May, EMPHN brought together general practitioners, aged care providers and key health system partners across the East, North and South Metro regions for a series of Face-to-Face Aged Care Collaborative Sessions.
Delivered as interactive co-design workshops, these sessions focused on strengthening partnerships, improving coordination of care, and shaping a future Aged Care Community of Practice (CoP) to support more connected, person-centred care for older people.
Strong engagement from general practice, RACH’s and the sector
The sessions saw strong participation and positive feedback, highlighting their relevance to clinical practice:
- 78% of participants said the sessions fully met expectations for being current, evidence-based and relevant
- 71% intend to make changes in their workplace as a result of the session
- 95% would recommend the sessions to a colleague
Attendees represented a broad mix of roles, including GPs, nurse practitioners, practice nurses, residential aged care leaders, geriatricians and system partners such as Residential InReach, Ambulance Victoria and the Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED).
This multidisciplinary mix supported meaningful discussion and shared understanding of how services can better work together.
Key insights from the sessions
Across all regions, several consistent priorities emerged, where collaboration can support more coordinated, person-centred care.
- Advance care planning and end-of-life care
- Improving communication between general practice and residential aged care homes (RACHs)
- Reducing avoidable hospital transfers and strengthening escalation pathways
- Increasing awareness and use of available services, including in-reach and virtual care models
Participants highlighted the value of being “in the same room” to better understand each other’s roles, services and challenges—an important step toward more coordinated care.
Turning insights into action
Importantly, the sessions were designed to support practical change.
More than 70% of participants identified actions they plan to take, including:
- Strengthening communication pathways with RACHs and other providers
- Sharing learnings within their practice teams
- Exploring supports such as Residential In-Reach and virtual care options
These actions reflect a strong opportunity to enhance coordination, improve patient outcomes and better navigate the broader aged care system.
What attendees are saying
Participants valued the practical insights and cross-sector collaboration:
“The session was well organised and facilitated. The representatives of the various organisations spoke well and with authority. As a GP involved in caring for residents in Aged Care Facilities this session opened my eyes to the amount of coordination required in caring for medically unwell residents. I was impressed with the obvious efforts to make the system as seamless as possible while acknowledging the limitations. It can be frustrating working as a GP within the system particularly with different software programs, online medication charts and fragmentary patient data all with changing password protection every three months. It is amazing the system works as well as it does. However, with the involvement of In-reach teams and assessments by paramedics I believe the care my aged care patients receive when I am unavailable is excellent. The session highlighted an important aspect of the excellence of the health care system in Victoria. I wouldn’t want to be cared for anywhere else!” – Dr Tim Gray, Kew General Practice
“Excellent getting us in the same room.” – Residential In-Reach
“Fantastic session with great speakers and really relevant topics.” – Ambulance Victoria
“Very helpful and informative. Thank you !” – Clinical nurse specialist Lifeview Residential Aged Care
What’s next: Aged Care Community of Practice
Building on this strong foundation, EMPHN is establishing regional, quarterly virtual Communities of Practice for aged care.
These sessions will:
- Three regional CoP – North, South, East
- One hour in duration
- Focus on priority topics identified by participants
- Support ongoing GP engagement in aged care
- Enable peer learning, shared problem-solving and resource sharing
- Maintain a strong focus on multidisciplinary collaboration
Get involved
If you’re interested in strengthening your connections with aged care services and staying up to date with practical supports for your patients, we encourage you to join the upcoming Communities of Practice.
Register your interest: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/S2VNBHT
Or contact the team: rachsupport@emphn.org.au
Stay tuned to upcoming Primary Care and RACH bulletins for further details.
View images from across the sessions below.
