Priority Four - Practice responsible and effective corporate and clinical governance

Strategies

• Develop a suite of performance measures that demonstrates achievement of the strategic plan

• Set and maintain appropriate expectations and standards of corporate and clinical governance and oversight

• Advocate for good governance to relevant stakeholders where appropriate

Responsible and effective corporate and clinical governance is a central pillar of Country SA PHN’s ability to reach towards our goals and vision of increased health equity for all country South Australians.

Good governance ensures that Country SA PHN can perform efficiently, effectively, and with integrity while also adapting to changing environments to ensure sustainability and innovation.

During 2023-24 Country SA PHN refreshed much of our corporate documentation including developing our Health Access and Equity Framework and our Environmental Sustainability Plan.

At the core of this Framework is a commitment to ensuring every individual, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to access safe, culturally appropriate high-quality health care in country South Australia.

Health Access and Equity Framework 2023-2026

Increasing health equity among our communities is one of Country SA PHN’s key Strategic Plan objectives and is therefore central to our activities. Our vision is for country South Australians to have equal access to high-quality healthcare and the opportunity to achieve optimal health outcomes.

The development of the Health Access and Equity Framework was grounded in a deep understanding of the factors that contribute to health disparities including social determinants of health, implicit bias, and systemic inequality. We recognize that addressing these complex issues requires a multi-faceted approach that involves long term commitment to collaboration across sectors and communities. The Framework was developed following valuable input from Country SA PHN staff and other key stakeholders including client groups and commissioned service providers.

Our Health Access and Equity Framework’s guiding principles are:

• Recognising the impact of the social determinants of health

• Promoting access to quality healthcare

• Reducing systemic prejudice and discrimination

• Strengthening rural voices

• Fostering collaboration and partnerships

• Measuring and monitoring progress

Development of the Framework:

• Early 2023: Board endorsed the development of a health opportunity/equity focused framework.

• September 2023: Board endorsed draft Country SA PHN Access and Equity Framework.

• September to October 2023: Draft Framework consultation process completed with external and internal stakeholders with feedback incorporated. Consultation feedback was overwhelmingly positive toward the initiative and its objective.

Several factors can influence health inequities experienced by people in regional South Australia including geography, housing, food security, and socioeconomic status.

The Socio-Economic Index for Areas for relative socio-economic disadvantage describes a person’s relative social and economic position based on a combination of factors related to: educational attainment; income or level of occupation; housing; and family structure. Lower socio-economic status is a known contributor to increased complexity, and poorer health access and outcomes.

On average persons in the Country SA PHN region are more socio-economically disadvantaged than South Australians and Australians as a whole.

To focus Country SA PHN’s efforts toward addressing factors contributing to health inequities, the Health Access and Equity Framework includes the following priority areas for action:

• Show leadership and commitment to equity as strategic priority Future steps include finalising and publishing a Framework Action Plan

• Address systemic barriers Supporting action on local determinants of health will be a key step

• Embed health equity into the work we do Supporting general practices and commissioned service providers to implement health equity competencies will be a key step forward

• Engage with communities Future steps include strengthening diverse representation within organisational governance, leadership, working groups and advisory groups

• Use data and evidence to support action Improving data collection systems and reporting requirements will facilitate better collection of equityfocused data

Underpinning the ESP 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.

Dr Simon Lockwood Board Chair

Next steps

The Country SA PHN Health Access and Equity Framework is a roadmap for continuing to strengthen our processes to ensure we can move efficiently toward better health equity through the creation of a stronger, more accessible and equitable health system.

Acknowledging that health inequities are a complex, multifaceted issue Country SA PHN will continue to engage with our key stakeholders to ensure that appropriate and effective strategies are employed toward our health equity goal and to ensure that our work in this area remains responsive to the needs of the communities we serve.

The next steps for Country SA PHN include developing an ‘Action Plan’ that will detail roles, responsibilities and desired outcomes, followed by implementation and evaluation procedures. We look forward to putting these measures in place, so that we can optimize our organizational governance toward progressing our Strategic Plan objective to bridge the health equity gap for all country South Australians.

Country SA PHN Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP) 2023-2030

A key aspect of good organizational governance is setting and maintaining appropriate standards of corporate processes, procedures and accountability. While all organisations have a responsibility to improve their environmental sustainability, health-focused organisations such as Country SA PHN have interests that particularly align with climate action.

The Country SA PHN Environmental Sustainability Plan has been developed in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These goals were agreed by world leaders in 2015 and include taking urgent action against climate change. Aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, our Environmental Sustainability Plan aims to contribute to a cleaner, greener future - reducing our ecological footprint.

Country SA PHN is committed to integrating sustainable and ethical considerations across all aspects of our organization. By doing so, we can identify new opportunities for innovation, efficiency and growth, while addressing global challenges and contributing to meaningful solutions for a better future.

Development of Environmental Sustainability Plan:

• September 2023: Country SA PHN Board supported the proposed approach

• November 2023: Country SA PHN staff consulted and provided feedback

• February 2024: Final version submitted to the Board for noting

• March 2024: Activity on identified actions commenced

Activities that highlight Country SA PHN’s actions aligned with this plan:

• Development of an overarching communications plan, including plans for key messaging and awareness raising among Country SA PHN staff

• Utilisation of regular policy review cycles as an opportunity to include environmental considerations.

“Country SA PHN is dedicated to implementing the Environmental Sustainability Plan organisation-wide, to help contribute to a better world. We take this initiative seriously and look forward to continuing this important work long into the future.” said Dr Simon Lockwood, Chair of the Board.

• Leadership and Innovation Inspiring positive change

• Business Operations Integrating conscious practices

• Travel and Transport Reducing carbon emissions

• Energy and Water Utilising resources efficiently

• Waste and Recyling Minimising landfill