Easier access to care for secondary students

Doctors in Secondary Schools (DiSS) provides a general practitioner and practice nurse for 100 Victorian government secondary schools considered most in need. It complements existing student wellbeing programs aimed at preventative health and improved health literacy. 

The program is funded by the Victorian Department of Education and Training and implemented by Victoria’s six Primary Health Networks. 

DiSS provides accessible primary health care services to students in secondary schools. A medical practice is selected through an Expression of Interest process. Once selected, they nominate a general practitioner or eligible Registrar to deliver services at the school for four hours per week. A practice nurse supports the General Practitioner (GP) in the four hour session and also delivers nurse consultations to the students working closely with the school. This year, services within the SEMPHN region delivered 1181 GP consultations and 1175 practice nurse consultations. Sixty-one percent of the GP consultations were for mental health reasons and almost twenty-one percent were for physical health concerns. The remaining consultations covered sexual health, alcohol and other drugs, general assessments or were referred to emergency. Despite multiple lockdowns and students not physically at school for large parts of the year, DiSS continued to see many students via telehealth.

The objectives of the DiSS program are to: 

• make primary health care more accessible to students 
• provide assistance to young people to identify and address any health problems early 
• reduce the pressure on working parents and encourage young people to have a regular connection with general practice.