Last week we were proud to publish our 2025 Annual Report which not only showcases the meaningful work that we have done over the past year, but also celebrates and reflects on 10 Years of providing the Nepean Blue Mountains Primary Health Network (PHN).  

In 2015, Primary Health Networks (PHN) were established to strengthen and improve the healthcare system. We were set up as regional organisations with a strong local focus. In the context of the broader health system PHNs are still relatively new, yet we have proven our value to the broader health system through our capacity to develop, trial, evaluate and refine new innovations and our ability to be agile during times of crisis. As a result, in just a short period, the scope, breadth and complexity of PHNs have evolved, and our responsibilities and priorities have grown.

One of our key roles is to identify our community’s health needs and fund services to meet those needs, particularly in areas where local priorities may not be visible at the state or national level. Since becoming a PHN we have been able to bring at least 20 additional health services to the region. We now have four headspace Centres, two Medicare Mental Health Centres, one After Hours Clinic and three other after hours services, two Urgent Care services and drug and alcohol services in each local government area. We provide outreach services to schools and residential aged care homes and fund specialist clinics and telehealth services for priority populations such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those living with chronic conditions. We have implemented a domestic family and sexual violence program to support victim-survivors, social connection initiatives to address social isolation, care navigation services to help people find the care they need, and much, much more. You only need to take a look at our 2025 Annual Report to see the breadth of services we provide and fund. 

We believe that primary care plays a vital role in keeping people healthy and that a strong primary care system is crucial to a successful health system. A highlight for me, is seeing the continued growth in our relationships with primary healthcare over the last 10 years and supporting them to provide high-quality care to their patients. On average, our Primary Care Engagement team conduct 2,500 interactions with general practice each year, which means that we are uniquely placed to support the delivery of systematic change. As a result, our role in health system reform has significantly progressed, with PHNs acting as a bridge between national health policy and regional needs, bringing a local focus to national goals.

We are passionate about cultivating a ‘one health system’ mindset and locally our continued strong partnership with Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District, which includes strategic collaboration and joint governance, is seen as best practice amongst other PHNs in improving local integration.

Another area of growth that we are proud of, is our work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We formalised our commitment to reconciliation in 2018 with the launch of our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). We undertook a second Innovate RAP in 2021 and were delighted to launch our third RAP - a Stretch RAP - at our 10 Year Celebration event. Organisations who undertake a Stretch RAP need to have established strong approaches to advancing reconciliation internally and be willing to work with others in their sphere of influence externally to do the same. Only 150 organisations nationally currently have a Stretch RAP, and we are proud to be one of them. 

Over the past decade, we have worked tirelessly to strengthen local health capacity, integrate primary care services and contribute to system reform. This milestone was an opportunity to reflect on our achievements and the strong foundation we’ve built for the future.

We are proud of what we’ve accomplished together and are excited for what lies ahead. Thank you to everyone who has played a role in our journey. We look forward to continuing to work with you to improve health outcomes for our community.