Building capacity to support people with intellectual disability: Join practices already making a difference
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has funded Mater Research to partner with general practices in the Brisbane South PHN area as part of the Bridge to Better Health project.
The project aims to build the capacity of practice nurses to implement annual health assessments for people with intellectual disability in primary healthcare settings.
Several practices are already participating in this transformative project—now is your chance to join them.
Why capacity building matters
People with intellectual disability in Australia face significant health disparities. Their mortality rate can be up to 26 years earlier than the general population, often due to preventable illness.
Despite the availability of Medicare-funded annual health assessments, data indicates that time constraints in general practice can mean:
health assessments are often underutilised
patients with intellectual disability can miss out on receiving an annual health check.
The Bridge to Better Health project aims to change these statistics by empowering practice nurses to take a more active role in the care of patients with intellectual disability.
What’s involved?
Participating practices will gain access to:
a specialist intellectual disability nurse who can offer tailored advice and support
online training and educational resources to build skills and confidence in providing health assessments
ongoing support to embed annual health assessments into your practice workflow.
Practice nurses will be trained to complete more of the annual health assessment, easing pressure on GPs while enhancing care for your patients with intellectual disability.
Benefits to your practice
A number of general practices have already joined the project and are seeing firsthand the positive impact this initiative has. From improved team collaboration to more meaningful patient interactions, the benefits go beyond clinical outcomes.
By joining this project, your practice will:
improve the early detection of unmet health needs and preventable conditions in patients with intellectual disability
provide more specialised and person-centred care
enhance practice efficiency by embedding health assessments into your practice workflow
contribute to research that informs national health policy and practice.
Importantly, your involvement supports the broader movement towards inclusive healthcare that ensures all peoples can access safe, equitable and timely health care where it’s most needed.
Ready to get involved? Join other general practices already making a difference
If your general practice employs a practice nurse and is located in the Brisbane South PHN region, we invite you to be part of this important initiative.
To learn more or register your interest, please contact the Bridge to Better Health Research Team via 07 3163 2412 or b2bhealth@uq.edu.au.