#CEOdesk

We invite you to stay up-to-date with the latest news and views from our CEO, Lizz Reay.
You can also follow her on Twitter: @NBMPHNceo

Nov 28 2024

Your GP can be a safe place to seek support for domestic, family or sexual violence

We are proud to support the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign, running from 25 November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to 10 December which is Human Rights Day. This global initiative aims to raise awareness of domestic, family, and sexual violence, as well as highlight available support services for those affected.
 
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Nov 25 2024

Right Care, First Time, Where You Live

On Friday 8 November, I attended the last workshop for Right Care, First Time, Where You Live.  We are proud to be part of this research program that is focussed on improving the mental health of young people across Australia.
 
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Nov 22 2024

Help for your mental health is just a click away

We’re excited to announce that our Mental Health Help website has recently been upgraded.
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Nov 20 2024

Our 2023-2024 Annual Report

I am pleased to share our 2023-24 Annual Report, which showcases the outstanding efforts of our team and the positive difference our organisation is making to the health and wellbeing of our community.
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Oct 08 2024

We are encouraging locals to have their say in our Community Health and Wellbeing Survey

We are asking the community for their feedback and insights on their individual health experiences across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Lithgow and Penrith local government areas.
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Oct 03 2024

Mental Health Month – Let’s Talk About It

October is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s theme ‘Let’s Talk About It’ encourages self-reflection and open conversations about our mental health and overall wellbeing.
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Oct 01 2024

Local domestic and family violence program expands to supporting victim survivors of sexual assault

On Thursday, 26 September, together with Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP, we launched the expansion of the Care and Connect domestic and family violence program to include sexual violence and child sexual abuse.
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Sep 26 2024

New Drug and Alcohol Support Service for Hawkesbury

This morning we had the privilege of visiting the new WHOS Hawkesbury, alongside Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman MP. 
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Sep 18 2024

Check in on Your Mental Wellbeing this ‘Get Ready’ Weekend

This ‘Get Ready’ weekend, we are encouraging the community to prepare their mental wellbeing, as well as their homes, for the upcoming bushfire season.
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Sep 17 2024

Health Professionals Gather for the 2024 Nepean Blue Mountains Clinical Paediatric Conference

Over 150 local GPs, GP registrars, practice nurses and allied health professionals gathered in Leura on Saturday 7 September, together with clinicians from the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, for the highly anticipated 2024 Nepean Blue Mountains Clinical Paediatric Conference.
 
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Sep 12 2024

RUOK? Today, tomorrow, any day

Today, our staff acknowledged RUOK? Day with an afternoon tea, creating a space for us to pause and connect over important conversations about our wellbeing.

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Aug 01 2024

Strategic Plan 2024-2029

After extensive consultation with staff, stakeholders and community representatives over past 12 months, we are pleased to launch our new 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.  
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Jul 17 2024

Urgent Care Service opens in North Richmond

This week we celebrate the opening of our NSW Health funded Urgent Care Service in North Richmond. This new Urgent Care Service will provide people in the Hawkesbury better access urgent but non life-threatening healthcare, when their normal GP is unavailable, and help to avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department.
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Apr 22 2024

Innovative Youth Mental Health Program Will Help Provide the Right Care, First Time, Where you Live

Many young people in our region are struggling with their mental health and can find it difficult to access, navigate and engage with the services and programs that are available. Demand for mental health services is high, with general practice data for our region indicating that 14% of patients between 4-17 years have a coded mental health disorder. Population health data also indicates that our region has higher mental illness and suicide rates compared to the NSW state average.
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Apr 15 2024

Supporting Our Community Through Traumatic Times

The events of this past weekend have affected us in an unprecedented way. We are conscious of the impact of what occurred in Bondi Junction, not only on those directly affected, but also on our community as a whole in NSW, as we grapple to understand the gravity of this event. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and our thoughts are with those impacted firsthand on the scene as they come to terms with the impact of the situation.
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Mar 12 2024

Live For Today, But Plan For Tomorrow

National Advance Care Planning Week is from Monday 18 March to Sunday 24 March and we are encouraging everyone, no matter your age or current state of health, to discuss your future healthcare plans with your loved ones and health providers.
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Mar 05 2024

headspace Hawkesbury Officially Opens

We were thrilled to officially open the new headspace Hawkesbury centre on Friday 1 March, together with the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Assistant Minister for Rural and Regional Health, and Susan Templeman MP, Member for Macquarie.
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Feb 20 2024

Community Celebrates Flood Recovery at Festival on the Fields

On Saturday 10 February 2024, over 400 Hawkesbury locals enjoyed the Festival on the Fields event at Cougar Park, home of the Colo Soccer Football Club. This free event provided a well-deserved opportunity for the local community to come together and focus on some of the positive steps taken towards recovery following the devastation of the floods.
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Dec 20 2023

Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season.

It has been another busy year as we continued to learn what it means to return to 'a new normal' after the pandemic. In our region, many of our residents continue to feel the effects of the pandemic, and the multiple natural disasters we have experienced,on both their physical and mental health.
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Sep 20 2023

Taking University to the Streets of Katoomba

On Monday, we were proud to officially open The Street University Katoomba, together with Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman and Ted Noffs Foundation CEO, Matt Noffs. Elisa Manley, Executive Manager Strategy & Integration and several other staff, represented our organisation at this event.
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Sep 05 2023

Introducing Initial Assessment and Referral GP Training

We're excited to launch our Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) Training program to assist GPs in our region in learning more about IAR and how it can benefit clinicians and patients.
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Aug 14 2023

Medicare Urgent Care Clinic Opens in Our Medical Penrith

Today, we were pleased to officially open the newest Commonwealth-funded Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Penrith
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Jul 04 2023

headspace Hawkesbury plans well underway with a site now secured

In an exciting milestone, a suitable site has now officially been secured for headspace Hawkesbury which is due to open in December. 
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Jun 30 2023

Have Your Say in the GP Workforce Planning and Prioritisation Survey

Over time, we have seen a reduced number of registrar placements in our region. This has been due to less medical graduates entering Australian General Practice Training Programs (AGPTP). 
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May 15 2023

Be a Health Hero this Winter and Make Sure Your COVID-19 and Flu Vaccinations are Up-To-Date!

As winter approaches, we are urging the community to make sure their COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations are up-to-date.
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Apr 14 2023

Uniting to establish headspace Hawkesbury

Today were pleased to meet with Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, and Uniting General Manager - Clinical Services, Shona Dutton, at headspace Penrith to celebrate Uniting NSW.ACT in their successful tender to establish and operate the new headspace Hawkesbury.  
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Apr 06 2023

Tender Now Open - Intergenerational Programs

We are excited to be funding a new and innovative Intergenerational Program across the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Penrith and Lithgow areas. 
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Mar 23 2023

Embrace the Present but Plan for the Future

This National Advance Care Planning Week encourages us all, no matter our age or current state of health, to think about and discuss our future health care plans with our loved ones and health professionals.
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Mar 16 2023

Five Years and 500 HealthPathways

Our HealthPathways program, jointly delivered with the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District (NBMLHD), has now passed the significant milestone of 500 pathways.
 
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Dec 21 2022

Wishing you all a safe and happy festive season

It has been another busy year as we continued to learn how to navigate the ongoing pandemic and what it means to return to 'a new normal'. For many of us, we've been doing this while simultaneously recovering from multiple floods that ravaged parts of our region throughout 2022.
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Dec 02 2022

Tender Now Open - headspace Hawkesbury

We are excited to share that we are seeking a lead agency to work with us to establish and operate headspace Hawkesbury.
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Nov 21 2022

Safe Haven Opens in Penrith Head to Health

We were pleased to join Mr Stuart Ayres, NSW MP for Penrith, the Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District and Neami National for the launch of Safe Haven today, which is co-located within the Penrith Head to Health Centre.
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Oct 25 2022

Health Literacy Framework Launch

Yesterday, on Drop the Jargon Day, we were proud to launch our Health Literacy Framework, which has been developed in consultation with our Consumer Health Literacy Review Group.
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Jul 29 2022

Supports Available for Flood and Disaster Affected Communities

As we move towards recovery from the latest flood disaster, it's important to recognise the incredible resilience displayed by our community and unwavering dedication from our health professionals during this event and over the last few years.
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Jul 22 2022

Government Announces Distribution Priority Area (DPA) Update

We welcome the announcement made by the Hon Mark Butler, Minister for Health and Aged Care, and Susan Templeman, Federal Member for Macquarie, that the Government has updated the Distribution Priority Area (DPA) classification system to recognise 700 areas with either full or partial DPA classification.
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Jul 06 2022

Get Up! Stand Up! and Show Up! this NAIDOC Week

This year NAIDOC celebrations are being held from 3-7 July. The theme is Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up! which encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and non-Indigenous Australians to work together to keep getting up, standing up, and showing up for systemic change and reconciliation.
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Jun 30 2022

NAIDOC Cup Returns with a lively event after COVID-19

Last Tuesday a number of our staff had the opportunity to once again volunteer at our region’s 12th annual NAIDOC Cup event, held at Hunters Field in Emu Plains.
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Jun 03 2022

Community Wellbeing and Resilience Grants

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Community Wellbeing and Resilience Grants. The grants have been funded through the Federal and NSW Government in response to the 2022 floods to support the mental health of those affected.
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Jun 01 2022

Access to Vaccination for Vulnerable Groups - Grants for Health Professionals

We are excited to announce the launch of our Supporting Access to Vaccination for Vulnerable Groups Grants program. These grants are open to general practices, as well as allied health and pharmacy, to fund activities which improve COVID-19 vaccination rates for vulnerable and non-Medicare eligible patients.
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May 11 2022

Grants to Support Vaccine Providers During Disasters

We are pleased to launch our Disaster Response Grants for Vaccine Providers which are open to general practices and pharmacies in the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury, Penrith and Lithgow local government areas that provide COVID-19 vaccinations.
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Apr 13 2022

Minister for Health and Aged Care and MP for Lindsay visit Penrith Head to Health Centre

We were pleased to greet the Minister for Health and Aged Care, Greg Hunt, and MP for Lindsay, Melissa McIntosh at the Penrith Head to Health Centre today to highlight the important work the centre is doing for the community.
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Apr 08 2022

Be a Health Hero and Protect Yourself this Winter

This winter we are urging you to get vaccinated against the flu and to ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up-to-date, by getting your booster or winter dose before it’s too late.
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Mar 17 2022

headspace for Hawkesbury

We welcome the announcement made today by The Hon Greg Hunt MP - Minister for Health and Aged Care, Senator the Hon Marise Payne - Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women, and Sarah Richards - Liberal Candidate for Macquarie, that the Hawkesbury will receive a full-service headspace.
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Feb 16 2022

Wellbeing and Self-Care for Primary Healthcare Staff

Throughout the past two years I have been in awe of the dedication, resilience and flexibility of our primary care sector.
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Dec 14 2021

Welcoming changes to Our Board and announcing the 2021 Annual Report

Welcoming changes to Our Board, including the retirement of Tony Rombola, and announcing the 2021 Annual Report.
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Dec 13 2021

Penrith Head to Health Centre Now Open

Today we were excited that Hon David Coleman, Federal Member for Banks, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, and Melissa McIntosh, Federal Member for Lindsay, officially opened the Penrith Head to Health Centre.
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Sep 12 2021

Pop Up Mental Health Support for our Region

Last month, the Federal Government announced funding to rapidly establish 10 Head to Health Pop Up mental health services in areas of NSW currently facing extended COVID-19 restrictions. Primary Health Networks in NSW were tasked with establishing these services in just four weeks.
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Nov 03 2020

I Choose Fesh Air nominated for a WSABE Award

We are excited to have been nominated as finalists in the Western Sydney Awards for Business Excellence in the Arts and Culture category for our Breath of Fresh Air initiative.
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Oct 02 2020

Mental Health Matters

Mental ill health, just like physical ill health, can effect anyone at any time. It doesn’t discriminate. Even though conversations about mental health and wellbeing are now more mainstream, there are still those with mental ill health who continue to suffer alone. 
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Sep 14 2020

Helping to Empower Our Communities

Our Well-Being Grants program officially launched in January 2019 and funded community-led initiatives that supported the mental health, well-being and resilience of farming communities affected by drought. These grants were funded through the Federal Government's 'Empowering Our Communities' (EOC) initiative.
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Sep 10 2020

Are you okay?

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day and in Australia this co-exists with R U OK? Day, a national movement to start conversations that could save lives.
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Jul 17 2020

Experiencing Coronavirus Symptoms? Get Tested!

We are urging anyone who visited the Crossroads Hotel or Planet Fitness in Casula, the Picton Hotel in Picton, or any other identified locations during the designated dates, to get tested for COVID-19 in line with NSW Government recommendations. We particularly encourage people in the upper Blue Mountains, who are experiencing even mild COVID-like symptoms to come forward for testing following four confirmed cases associated with the Crossroads Cluster. 

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Apr 21 2020

The region’s first GP-led COVID-19 Respiratory Clinic opens in Penrith

The region’s first GP-led COVID-19 Respiratory Clinic opens in Penrith today. This Clinic will assess, test and diagnose people with mild to moderate respiratory symptoms including fever, sore throat, cough, tiredness and shortness of breath. 
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Apr 17 2020

Be Kind and Look After Yourself

It’s been an unbelievable time for our region. From drought and raging bushfires, to floods and now a world-wide pandemic.
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Mar 31 2020

A Message from the CEO about COVID-19

On behalf on Wentworth Healthcare, I would like to acknowledge the challenging times we are all facing as a result of the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic. This is an unprecedented time, on top of an already difficult few months for many in our community dealing with the recent Bushfires.
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Mar 05 2020

Introducing our Statement of Business Ethics

We are proud to introduce our Statement of Business Ethics that formally sets out our expectations, and our responsibilities, in the relationships we form with the many organisations we interact with.
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Feb 20 2020

It takes a village to grow old and stay healthy

This week we celebrate the NSW Seniors Festival and the unique contribution older people make to our community. It is also a chance to highlight that for many older Australians social isolation and loneliness is a significant issue.
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Dec 10 2019

Reflecting on 2019

It has been another busy and exciting year for us as we support quality primary care, commission valuable services and facilitate more integrated care in our region.

This year has been a rewarding year for all at Wentworth Healthcare, we were pleased to commission a variety of new services to address unmet community needs.

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Dec 05 2019

New Aboriginal Mental Health & Addiction Support Workers

Our organisation has always had a strong commitment to supporting the local Aboriginal community, which is encapsulated in our Reconciliation Action Plan that we launched earlier this year.

The voice of this community is an important one, and helps us to shape how our services are designed so they culturally appropriate.

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Nov 15 2019

Busy Month for our Well-Being Grants Team

Our Well-Being Grants to Support Farming Communities team were very busy with various activities throughout Mental Health Month.

They attended multiple community events to talk about the mental health services and programs available in our region, and to promote help-seeking behaviours and reduce stigma. Our team encouraged the community to look at mental health the same way that they do their physical health. While most people know eating well, exercising and resting is good for your physical health, they often don't consider the benefits these can also have on their mental health.
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Jul 03 2019

Dr Tony Rombola takes over as Board Chair

I am pleased to welcome Dr Tony Rombola as the new Chair of the Wentworth Healthcare Board.

In November our previous Chair, Dr Andrew Knight, will have served his maximum term as a Director and will be leaving our Board after a seven year tenure. This change of responsibility prior to Andrew's departure will allow Tony to have a smooth transition and a comprehensive handover. I would like to thank Andrew for his vision and leadership as Chair and for his support for me as CEO.

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Jun 06 2019

Introducing our Reconciliation Action Plan

Last week, in recognition of Reconciliation week, we were proud to officially launch our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This RAP formalises our vision to improve the health of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people and embed their community needs into our everyday business and culture.

“Reconciliation” is not just a word - it is a process that requires a change of culture and positive action. It is an ongoing journey. Whether we’re engaging in challenging conversations or unlearning and relearning what we know, this journey requires all of us to walk together with courage.

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Apr 18 2019

New Youth Mental Health Support for Katoomba

On Tuesday, the Hon Marise Payne, Senator for Western Sydney, and Sarah Richards, Liberal candidate for the seat of Macquarie, announced that the Morrison Government will fund a new headspace service in Katoomba.

Together with the community, we have been advocating for additional youth mental health services in our region for some time and we are thrilled that Katoomba will receive a headspace service in mid-2020 to help address youth anxiety and depression.

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Lizz Reay is the CEO of Wentworth Healthcare, provider of the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network. Previously Deputy CEO of Nepean Blue Mountains Medicare Local & Nepean Division of General Practice, she has an extensive background in public health.

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