Background:

Demonstrate the process for embedding health promotion principles and practice into strategic and operational planning within primary health care setting. Key priorities for prevention include obesity prevention, capacity building and shifting practice ‘upstream’.

Methods:

Planning – evidence gathered through consultation with staff and external partners, research, local demographics and regional planning.
Needs Assessment –priorities identified at local level, which strongly align with national and state priorities of obesity prevention, tobacco control and alcohol consumption.
Management Commitment – Health Promotion included within Medicare Local Accreditation and represented at Senior Executive Level within organisation.
Stakeholder Engagement - Health Promotion Reference Group is comprised of internal and external stakeholders and meets to direct the implementation of strategic approach is taken to health promotion. 
Leadership - The overarching objective of TMML is to improve integration with health services in the PHC sector - placed to assist in coordinating linkages and fostering partnerships which build capacity within the region.

Results/Discussions:

Conventional PHC prevention has often focused on the tertiary and individual level. As part of the internal needs assessment for health promotion capacity, an assessment of existing TMML programs were measured against the health promotion continuum. This showed that the majority of programs were working ‘downstream’ – screening and immunisation, health information and health education and skill development. In addition, evaluation of staff level of understanding of health promotion principles showed the 1 in 4 staff had no understanding or poor understanding, and 46% rated understanding as ‘good’.    

Conclusions/implications:

Based on needs assessment within the organisation, strategies to increase health promotion knowledge and skills have been included within health promotion operational plan – including strategies such as training and skill development, mentoring, and implementing workplace health promotion program. This will enable TMML to provide leadership in best-practice health promotion and value-add to the PHC sector.