Chair of the Board Report

I am pleased to introduce to you, on behalf of the Board and the staff, the annual report of Country SA PHN for 2023-2024.

This provides an opportunity to reflect on the many achievements of the PHN over the previous year and to think innovatively about how we may improve into the future.

Primary Health Networks are independent organisations which play a vital role in improving health services in primary care, with a particular focus on those people at risk of poor health outcomes. Primary Health Networks are also vital in assisting in the delivery of healthcare reform and are guided by the national priorities set by the Australian Government. Fundamental in our method is to adapt and customise our services to meet the expectations and the needs of the people in country South Australia.

This year has seen the Board undertake a review of our Strategic Plan with a number of changes to our objectives and priorities. This is a plan for how we work together with our stakeholders to achieve the best outcomes possible. We are pleased with the results of this review and commend to you our plan which is outlined on page 22.

We are committed to our objectives of;

• Increasing health equity amongst our communities

• Increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of primary health care services

• Working with communities to enable access to the right care in the right place at the right time.

Our strategic 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

• Practice responsible and effective corporate and clinical governance.

The Board sincerely appreciates the inspirational work of our CEO Mr Mark Hartigan, the Executive and all of our staff team. Our people are highly valued and knowledgeable and we thank them for their fantastic work and commitment to the health of the rural people of our state. We would like to thank our Community Advisory Committees who provide our organisation with valuable insights into health issues in country South Australia.

The PHN has also continued to work with all our other stakeholders to aim for the sustainable delivery of high quality services. The successful establishment of the Mount Gambier Urgent Care Centre in the past year has been a great example of this kind of collaborative work.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr Peter Rischbieth who will retire from the Board at the Annual General Meeting this year. Dr Rischbieth has been an invaluable member of our Board over many years and has provided a wealth of insights into the health system and our work. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours. Dr Rischbieth has been involved in the political and health landscape in South Australia for many decades and was an inaugural member of our Board. He will be missed.

I would like to also acknowledge and thank Ms Devinia “Beanz” Binell who left our Board during the year to take up a work opportunity in Western Australia. Beanz has been a talented member of our Board and provided unique insights into some of our challenges. We wish her all the best in her new role and she will also leave a large gap to fill.

I hope that you enjoy reading our annual report and I commend it to you.

Dr Simon Lockwood Chair of the Board