HEALTH SERVICES

We provide a range of services through federal and state government funding .

GATEWAY TO SUPPORT

Merri Health leads a partnership of seven health organisations to deliver Carer Gateway services in Victoria : Alfred Health , Grampians Health , Barwon Health , Bendigo Health Care Group , FamilyCare , and Uniting ( Victoria and Tasmania ) Ltd .

Funded by the Federal Government , Carer Gateway provides counselling , respite care , group support , coaching and more for unpaid carers .

In our second year steering the program , we deepened our partnerships , substantially increased marketing and carer engagement activities , grew our team and further invested in technology to reach more carers , provide additional referral pathways and improve our services and reporting .

What did we achieve ?

22,211 carers supported by Carer Gateway ,

36 % increase from previous year

15 % increase in new carers registering with the service

14,724 new clients registered

20,529 carer support planning sessions conducted

38,215 carer directed package services created

12,470 emergency respite services provided

launched state-wide “ Your Gateway to Support ” marketing campaign in partnership with The Creative Works and carers , resulting in :

– 12 % increase in carer registrations

– Finalist in the 2022 Australian Marketing Excellence Awards

25 % increase in emergency respite and

57 % increase in referrals from palliative care providers , following the introduction of a palliative care pre-approval process

launched an online e-referral portal for health professionals ,

4,195 referrals

developed a state-wide Community Service Directory with

2000 health providers listings

introduced a Carer Gateway Advisory Group and Young Carer Gateway Advisory Group ( YCGAC );

28 members contributed to

9 projects

two financial hardship webinars in partnership with five organisations

576 presentations to service providers and carer groups reached

4,000 people

Challenges

• COVID-19 and lockdowns impacted carers ’ ability to access services , in particular emergency respite . Working with the Department of Social Services and The COVID Flexibility Guidelines allowed us to respond to carers ’ needs in ways that would ordinarily be out of scope for the Carer Gateway program

What ’ s next ?

• rolling out the Enhanced Carer Support Pathway Project in partnership with the Department of Health and Department of Social Services to increase awareness of Carer Gateway services and referrals through My Aged Care

• codesigning state-wide Young Carer Guidelines with young carers and key peak bodies to guide consistent practice and program delivery in Victoria

• continuing to develop innovative strategies and partnerships to reach marginalised populations

• launching our first carer podcast and ongoing marketing to boost carer registrations

• implementing an automated Contract Management System to improve on-boarding sub-contractors

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