This past year can be summed up in two words – collective impact. This has been achieved through integration, collaboration and innovation internally within WA Primary Health Alliance and through working alongside our commissioned service providers and primary health care professionals.
We continued to prioritise our efforts and investment towards achieving health equity, while ensuring best value for money through commissioning integrated primary health care services that build capacity, capability and sustainability, and measurably improve health outcomes.
With a strong focus on digital transformation, we continue to lead digital health initiatives Primary Health Insights and Primary Sense. With the growing importance of using data to drive decision making, this will support Primary Health Networks in achieving their objectives.
Our commitment to cultural competency, inclusion and diversity never wavers and underpins our values and how we support our staff to feel safe and respected. It also guides how we commission primary health care services, and how we advocate to improve equity and access.
There have been many achievements this year and highlights along the way. Here are just a few:
- We supported the establishment of six Medicare Urgent Care Clinics across WA, a huge undertaking within short timeframes that was achieved in partnership with practices, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, WA Department of Health, Health Service Providers.
- In collaboration with the WA Department of Health, we successfully placed 16 nurse practitioners in general practices as part of the Nurse Practitioner and Team-Based Primary Care Pilot. This initiative, along with non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice, is strengthening multidisciplinary team-based care and the delivery of high-quality continuity of care for patients.
- We worked closely with communities, GPs and organisations to tailor activities suited to the needs of their local communities and collaborated with the WA Mental Health Commission suicide prevention coordinators to expand suicide prevention training activities for each region.
- As the provider of the GP workforce planning and prioritisation activity in WA, we developed independent analysis and advice for the Australian Government on GP training placements to meet current and future GP workforce needs, a significant piece of work.
Central to the role of Primary Health Networks is monitoring and evaluating our commissioned services to ensure they are efficient and effective, and to share learnings with local stakeholders, other PHNs and the state and federal governments. It is through sharing these valuable insights that we can drive improvement and see real progress.
You can also read about our progress towards our health priorities in our Activity Snapshot 2023-24 and Cultural Competency, Equity and Inclusion Snapshot 2023-24.
Our strength is in our stakeholder networks across the state, and how we can innovate and work together to improve health equity for our under-served communities and it promises to be another exciting and impactful year ahead.