We are proud to release our 2020/21 Report Card which reflects on our achievements in a time of continuous change. The past year has delivered significant challenges to our region as we recovered from bushfires and floods, while also locally impacted by the pandemic.

Our dedicated staff, local healthcare workers, service partners and communities continue to focus their efforts on making a difference to the health and wellbeing of the people who live and work across our region.

We are a large and diverse region, stretching across 11 local government areas and one territory. Over 25,000 Aboriginal people live in our region. People in our communities speak over 15 languages, and over 55,000 were born overseas. Older people account for more than one-fifth of the population, and in some areas, 1 in 3 people are over 65 years old.

Our partners are as diverse as our communities. We work together with government, education, research, general practice and other private healthcare providers, community-based NGOs, and Aboriginal Medical Services. Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) and Southern NSW Local Health District (SNSWLHD) are invaluable partners who collaborate closely with COORDINARE to achieve our shared vision of working with a one-system mindset.

We have played a key role in emergency preparedness, by commissioning and coordinating key health services, and delivering targeted communications and resources. We have had an increasing role in the COVID-19 vaccination program and in ensuring primary care providers are supported to immunise the community.

Our commissioned partners have expanded mental health support, drug and alcohol services, and support for older people and their carers, including end-of-life and palliative care services. Our work in digital health enabled a 250-fold increase in the use of telehealth services by providers and GPs. Our commitment to consumer engagement and co-design – listening to the experiences of local people, in particular those who are impacted by mental health issues – will shape how clinical services are designed and delivered across our region in the future. We are excited to embark on our new co-designed ‘social prescribing’ service, which will help GPs link to community care services.

It has been even more important to continue working to transform health care during the pandemic. Our ability to achieve positive outcomes for South Eastern NSW during this challenging time shows that we can be agile, while still focusing on our priorities. This report ends our previous strategic planning period, where we focused on building our governance, commissioning capability and new ways of working. We launched our new strategic plan, which identified priorities for action ensuring we focus on disaster preparedness and response, Aboriginal health, mental health and suicide prevention, digital health adoption, and social determinants of health.

We would like to acknowledge Richard Spencer, our outgoing Chair, and express our gratitude for his invaluable leadership and governing guidance over the last six years. Richard’s commitment to our vision and purpose has benefited our organisation, the PHN network more broadly and ultimately contributed to better health outcomes for our communities.

We look forward to the next chapter under the leadership of our new independent Chair, Julie White, and working with the Board, members of our governance groups and our staff and expect that together we can make a difference to the health and wellbeing of people who live in South Eastern NSW.

Download the full report here or view it below: