Sydney Local Health District’s Integrated Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Introduction: Sydney Local Health District (SLHD) is a local health district in the state of New South Wales in Australia responsible for providing health services to the centre and inner west of the Sydney metropolitan area. SLHD adopted, during the COVID-19 pandemic, an integrated virtual and community care approach to manage quarantine and protect the health and wellbeing of the population. Description:The case study describes the roles of the different agencies and teams in the first six months of the pandemic across four key functions of 1) rapid screening and testing; 2) reaching the community; 3) effective quarantine and ongoing care; and 4) infrastructure, pathology and staff education. Discussion:The "whole of system" approach proved to be an effective method of delivering care that reduced community anxiety, improved and created relationships between existing and new internal and external stakeholders, and changed the community and health sector's perspective on the importance of virtual care. Conclusion:This case study describes the importance of well-integrated, decentralised and funded public health system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of COVID-19 on cancer care pathways in a comprehensive cancer center in northern Italy

“…The impact of this strategy, and of those implemented in individual global realities, on the health care systems has yet to be clearly discovered and deserves close monitoring by health authorities over time. However, almost 3 years after the beginning of the pandemic, it is possible to acknowledge that the management of the pandemic stimulated health systems to redesign health care toward an overall more integrated care approach (12,13). In our institution, the integrated care approach had already been implemented before and regardless of the pandemic throughout the development of care pathways (CPs) in accordance with the European Pathway Association (EPA) methodology.…”

Pivot to prevent bowel cancer: Reflections on adapting an Aboriginal bowel cancer screening awareness program to a digital call to action—A commentary

“…A public health emergency was announced on 16 March 2020 2 . In Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), NSW, staff were redeployed over a 2‐year period to assist with the COVID‐19 response for the local community 3 …”

“…2 In Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), NSW, staff were redeployed over a 2-year period to assist with the COVID-19 response for the local community. 3 Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the Health Promotion Unit (HPU) was awarded a Cancer Institute NSW grant to increase participation rates in the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) among Aboriginal communities in SLHD. The grant was intended to be used for developing face-to-face workshops, but due to the altered working conditions and public health restrictions, the HPU was forced to pivot from the originally intended plans to an online format.…”