As a country South Australian general practitioner, I appreciate how busy many of our lives are. Chatting with my Roxby Downs community it appears many of us are finding it difficult to believe we are nearing the middle of yet another year.
In this increasingly fast paced and complex environment the Country SA PHN Board has taken a deliberate and strategic move to step outside our day-to-day activity and focus on the framework that underpins the diverse range of activities we commission, fund, support and collaborate with others to bring to fruition – our Strategic Plan.
Reframing the Country SA PHN Strategic Plan to ensure its relevance and effectiveness has been completed in tandem with Country SA PHN’s mission to improve health inequity in country South Australia.
To do this we focus on our seven priority areas: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people health, Aged Care, Alcohol and other Drugs, Digital Health, Health Workforce, Mental Health, and Population health.
While focusing on our priority areas our broader objectives are to: Increase health equity among our communities, increase the efficiency and effectiveness of primary health care services and work with communities to enable access to the right care, in the right place at the right time.
Country SA PHN’s priorities are to commission effective and efficient services that deliver health equity, facilitate local capacity for the delivery of responsive, sustainable services, improve people’s experience of primary health care and practice effective corporate and clinical governance.
These priorities are underpinned by our strong foundation of our values – the cornerstone of not just what we do, but how we do it.
Beneath the Strategic Plan sit many plans to more specifically guide us to achieve our objectives and focus on our mission.
The new Health Access and Equity Framework details Country SA PHN’s contribution to balancing health equity in country South Australia. It was developed by a dedicated Country SA PHN team with valuable input from our colleagues and stakeholders. At the core of this Framework is a commitment to ensuring every country South Australian can access safe, culturally appropriate, high-quality healthcare.
Our Framework is grounded in a deep understanding of the factors that contribute to health disparities, including social determinants of health, implicit bias, and systemic inequality. We recognise that addressing these complex issues requires a multi-faceted approach that involves collaboration across sectors and communities, and commitment over the long-term. Our vision for health access and equity: “Country South Australians, regardless of where they live, their cultural background, income level, occupation or education, have equal access to high-quality healthcare and the opportunity to achieve optimal health outcomes.”
At Country SA PHN, we believe we play a vital role in creating a better world. As an organisation that respects innovation, integrity, and sustainability, we are committed to operating in a way that not only delivers on our objectives, but also positively influences the environment within which we work.
In April 2023, the Board signalled interest in Country SA PHN’s environmentally conscious ways of working. Since this time, a team has been working to develop a formalised approach that articulates Country SA PHN’s commitment to people, the planet, and a prosperous future.
The Plan is consistent with approaches observed both nationally and internationally and aligns with the United Nations Sustainability Goals and key focus areas, representing Country SA PHN’s greatest potential to influence change. Underpinning the Plan is an Action Plan that details the early activities that will help us achieve the desired outcomes. These actions will contribute to a reduced environmental footprint, while providing a platform for future goals.
As we work towards implementation of the activities, we call on all staff to lean in and identify areas where they may be able to provide support.
In our commitment to exemplary corporate governance, Country SA PHN recognises its vital role in our company’s success and sustainability. As part of this, we are meticulously reviewing and updating our documentation to ensure it remains appropriate, relevant, and contemporary, reflecting the highest standards of integrity and accountability. Currently we are undertaking a particular focus on our policies and procedures.
This is a significant body of work that will take time, but we are committed to making continuous progress with this process and the other frameworks that sit beneath the Strategic Plan. This work enables us to embody our mission, our vision, achieve our objectives to assist us to achieve better health and wellbeing for all country South Australians.
Published on: June 5, 2024
Last updated on: June 11, 2024