We acknowledge the Kaurna peoples who are the traditional Custodians of the Adelaide plains. We pay tribute to their physical and spiritual connection to land, waters and community, enduring now as it has been throughout time. We pay respect to them, their culture and to Elders past and present. We would also like to acknowledge and pay our respects to those Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from other Nations who live, work, travel and contribute on Kaurna Country.
Artwork by Jordan Lovegrove
About the Strategic Highlights
The launch of the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan by Adelaide PHN signified a pivotal step towards enhancing health outcomes in the region, particularly for vulnerable populations. By accentuating Equity and Access, our plan aims to shape the health system to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people, and a healthier Adelaide
Key components of the Strategic Plan include:
1.Partnerships: Adelaide PHN recognises that collaborative efforts are essential for meaningful change. By partnering with various stakeholders, including healthcare providers, community organisations, and local government, Adelaide PHN aims to create a more cohesive health system that prioritises the needs of those populations experiencing health inequity/ies.
2.Integrated Care Pathways: The focus on co-creating integrated care pathways underscores the importance of seamless transitions between different levels of care This holistic approach ensures that community members receive comprehensive support, facilitating better health outcomes through coordinated services.
3.Co-design and Commissioning: Engaging with the community in the design and commissioning of health services is central to our Strategic Plan By involving those who are directly impacted by health services such as people with lived and living experience, families, and community members Adelaide PHN aims to ensure that the services developed are relevant, effective, and truly meet the needs of the population. This collaborative approach allows for the inclusion of diverse perspectives and experiences, which can lead to more innovative solutions and improved health outcomes
The first year of our strategic plan was an enabling year, developing our understanding of the changes we needed to make to bring our vision to reality
In this, our second year, we made significant strides in embedding our commitment to partnering by formalising our alliances with various organisations, including the Southern, Central, and Northern Local Health Networks across Adelaide, Watto Purrunna Aboriginal Primary Health Service, Tauondi Aboriginal Corporation, and the Australian Digital Health Agency
2023-2026 Strategic plan at a glance
Our partnerships
Together with Flinders University and Health Translation South Australia we were pivotal in boosting Adelaide PHN’s research capacity, providing valuable opportunities for staff development and knowledge sharing.
In our commitment to co-design methodologies, we recruited Advisory Council members with lived experience to ensure that our initiatives are closely aligned with the needs of the communities we serve.
This focus includes critical areas such as Refugee Health, Early Ageing, and the implementation of Telehealth services in Residential Aged Care Homes Furthermore, we continue to support General Practices in executing Early Interventions Initiatives, such as Social Prescribing, to foster community health and well-being.
2025 this year
Over the last 12 months our work has been guided by the four focus areas of our Strategic Plan:
Focus areas and Key Strategies
Build local service capacity, capability, and resilience through place-based partnerships with relevant stakeholders Collaborate nationally to strengthen primary health care and the PHN program
Co-creating solutions
Encourage new thinking and more local approaches to care
Data insights and stories
Track and share our impact
Increasingly demonstrate the inclusion of vulnerable people in our governance, engagement, and co-design processes Increase access, whilst improving the experience of vulnerable people in primary health care services by developing local pathways that lead to improved primary care engagement and ensure people receive the right care in the right place Commissioned activities are monitored, evaluated, and reported on through a health equity lens.
Address service gaps by working with our partners, people with lived experience and our advisory councils to plan, co-design and commission services that address the needs of the local community
Measure provider performance against the quintuple aim.
Through our alliances, use practice and provider data to improve people’s access and experience of the health system through improved secure data sharing to better understand and address local health needs.
Collaborate with researchers, universities and other partners to improve understanding of local population health data which informs the design, delivery and evaluation of primary health care services
Focus Area
Health Equity 2024-25 Highlights of our work in Health Equity
Case Study
Adelaide PHN regularly facilitates Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity and Respect Training for General Practices, Allied Health Professionals and Community Service Providers.
Participants also explore the principles of cultural safety, going beyond cultural awareness to create environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel secure and respected. They also highlight how these factors have contributed to health disparities, stressing the need for healthcare providers to be proactive in addressing these challenges.
These sessions support Adelaide PHN’s commitment to improving health outcomes by fostering cultural sensitivity and ensuring that primary healthcare services are inclusive and respectful for all community members.
Adelaide PHN funded 120 places for mainstream General Practices and Allied Health Professionals during 2024-25 to attend Aboriginal Cultural Sensitivity and Respect Training.
These sessions provide powerful insights into the Aboriginal experience of colonisation, sustained government policies and racism, emphasising how past and present events continue to negatively impact the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal communities. The training encourages healthcare professionals to examine the health status of Aboriginal communities through a culturally sensitive lens, adopting patient-centred and trauma informed approaches that respect and respond appropriately to the identities and experiences of Aboriginal consumers.
Attendee Testimonials
“The afternoon session presentation of the historical timeline was particularly helpful in assisting me to develop a trauma informed model of care for Aboriginal patients” Practice Manager
Adelaide PHN established 7 new partnering arrangements aimed at enhancing the quality of care, improving patient experience, and promoting the efficient use of resources, prime among these being formal arrangements with the three Local Health Networks in Adelaide.
collaborative partnership between the Department of Health and Wellbeing, Country SA PHN and Adelaide PHN. HealthPathways SA have recently worked in collaboration with the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence program led by Adelaide PHN in partnership with Country SA PHN to update and develop new pathways for primary care.
The initial suite of pathways went live in 2023 and included core clinical pathways and resources aimed at:
Domestic and Family Violence: Guiding GPs in identifying and responding to intimate partner violence and abuse.
Child Abuse and Neglect: Offering resources for recognising and managing cases.
Strangulation and Other Forms of Asphyxiation: Recognising this as a highrisk indicator for severe violence
Sexual Assault: Providing guidelines for acute and ongoing care of sexual assault survivors, including forensic considerations and access to support services
Assault and Abuse-Related Referral Pathways: A collection of referral pathways and local support service information for various forms of assault, abuse, and family violence scenarios.
This year, building upon the successes of previous initiatives, a series of additional pathways were launched to further enhance and support care provision for this group
In collaboration with Dept of Health, Disability and Ageing, Department of Health and Wellbeing, and Country SA PHN, Adelaide PHN successfully hosted the SA Health and Aged Care Interface Symposium This virtual event attracted over 200 local health and aged care professionals, who gained valuable insights from experts on enhancing supported decision-making practices for older individuals.
Our partnership with The Northern Community Health & Research Foundation is working with local communities to develop sustainable and effective ways to deliver Social Prescribing supporting the notion of ageing ‘in place’.
To increase access to services we have partnered with Central Adelaide Local Health Network to establish an after-hours Refugee Health Service, with Northern Adelaide Local Health Network to deliver Watto Purrunna Aboriginal Primary Health Service and Aboriginal After Hours Project at Wonggangga Turtpandi and with Southern Adelaide Local Health Network to establish a Wrap Around Care Project.
These newly introduced pathways include: Trauma-Informed Care: This pathway guides healthcare providers in understanding the effects of trauma on patients and offers strategies for delivering care that is sensitive to those impacts. Clinician Health – Self-Care: Recognising the emotional and mental impact dealing with family violence can have on healthcare professionals, this pathway emphasizes the importance of self-care and provides resources to support clinician well-being Clinician Health - Caring for Colleagues: This pathway encourages practices to foster a supportive environment among healthcare teams, promoting peer support and mental health awareness.
These pathways have been recognised within the international HealthPathways Community as a groundbreaking example of innovation, serving as a model for improving the health system's response to family violence on a broader scale.
The pathways provide an evidence-based foundation for training content and clinical practice protocols, ensuring that the knowledge imparted in workshops and webinars is consistently utilized by general practitioners in their daily practice.
The early integration of these pathways has also informed the design of “Local Link” roles, which serve to facilitate easier navigation for individuals impacted by domestic and family violence Additionally, this integration has helped to delineate clearer referral networks, ultimately enhancing the overall support framework for affected individuals. Page 7
healthcare als Port esign ap toward a mary ng artners. eliver vices within s to priate y of ces
Focus Area
Data and Insights
2024-25
our
Highlights of
work in Data and Insights
To support General Practices to better plan and coordinate patient care Adelaide PHN rolled out Primary Sense a population
als
Sense has become an e tool for how we manage are and track our performance. e to use, and the insights it have helped us stay on top of g from chronic disease ment to identifying patients who e tailored care. What’s been a e-changer for us is how it our accreditation KPIs and PIP ements. We can easily track rt on key metrics, making the tion process so much . It’s been a huge help for our m.” Practice Nurse
Primary Sense provides patient health data to general practitioners and nurses during consultation, assisting in timely intervention. With real time care prompts, decisions can be taken based on patients’ complexity and hospital risk scores. Current reports include but are not limited to Child Immunisations, Diabetes Mellitus, National Lung Cancer Screening and Frailty Care Management.
Sense supports quality patient roviding us with real-time nd actionable data. The s ability to identify at-risk and highlight trends is valuable ving outcomes. The ed access to patient on and predictive analytics e.” Practice Manager
Our Partners
A snapshot of the organisations we have partnered with during 2024-2025
