It is my pleasure to present to you the 2019-20 Annual Report for

Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN. 

For the past 12 months we have continued to foster relationships

with key health service delivery partners focusing on providing

person-centred solutions to needs and gaps in primary health

care for our region. 

In February 2020, we officially launched our Joint Regional Mental Health, Alcohol and Drugs Plan 2019 – 2021 with Darling Downs Health (DDH) and West Moreton Health (WMH) which was a pivotal milestone for the region. The PHN, DDH and WMH committed to joint planning for integrated mental health, suicide prevention and alcohol and other drug services in recognition of the importance of working together to effect greater change for the most vulnerable in our communities. 

This year, we also launched the Plan for Older People’s Care

2019 – 2021 outlining key strategies to support older Australians

 in the region. The Plan was endorsed by the Project Governance Committee which includes representatives from the PHN, peak

bodies for older people, local hospital and health services and

academia. This strategy will continue to inform commissioning

activities for the PHN. 

At the beginning of 2020, the PHN launched our community engagement project ‘TALK ABOUT’. This project provides a platform

for the PHN to ask the community what they think works well, and

what could be done better, with health care in their community. Throughout each year, the project will see the PHN cover four (4)

topics for feedback. We have been really pleased to see the uptake

of this new initiative with our topics to date: Mums, bubs and kids,

and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health. 

Our PHN has also continued to invest in mental health services in the region, including the establishment of The Way Back Support Service

in Ipswich and Toowoomba. This new service provides care coordination for people in the weeks and months following a suicide attempt. Additional services have also been made available for

children and young people as we recognise the importance of

providing accessible services.

I want to acknowledge the significant work that has been completed across the health sector since January 2020 to respond to COVID-19.

As a GP myself, I have seen the heath and general community collectively come together to respond. While it has been a challenging time, it is comforting to see the combined efforts of government departments, health care workers and the community. It has also been pleasing to see the PHN be dynamic in its responses to such a fluid environment and I am proud of the agility the organisation has shown in these changing times.

I’d like to thank my fellow Board members for their contribution over

the past 12 months. I would also like to acknowledge the hard work

of our Executive Leadership Team and staff, and our health service

delivery partners who continue to work with us to improve access to primary health care across the region. 

This Annual Report is a summary of what has been achieved in 2019-20, we hope you enjoy reading the report and we look forward to continuing our important work to improve the health of our communities. 

Dr Tony Bayliss

Chair

Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN

2019-20 has certainly been an interesting year presenting many new challenges and opportunities for our PHN. 

Our focus has continued to be on funding services and programs that deliver better health outcomes for people in our region and supporting the dedicated health care professionals who work to keep our communities healthy. 

In January 2020, we heard for the first time about a respiratory disease which would have an impact across the globe. COVID-19 has certainly changed the way we operate not only within the health sector, but also how we interact as a society as social distancing measures become the new normal. 

In the months following the outbreak of COVID-19, our PHN worked closely with Darling Downs Health and West Moreton Health to ensure critical information was delivered to GPs and health professionals. Together, we were able to rapidly establish fever clinics and GP-led respiratory clinics to provide safe and accessible avenues for our community to get assessed and tested for COVID-19. 

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all health care professionals who have worked tirelessly to keep our communities safe from COVID-19 and acknowledge the impact that this dedication has had on your loved ones. 

While COVID-19 meant that a number of usual face-to-face events were postponed, we have also increased our ability to deliver education and training via virtual means, something we will continue into the future to ensure greater access to education for our rural health workforce. 

This year, we also watched on as parts of Australia were devastated by bushfires, including those that occurred in the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN region in late 2019. Our PHN was one of six (6) PHNs across the country to receive funding to support communities. This enabled us to fund face-to-face and telehealth counsellors across the region and establish a Bushfire Recovery Coordinator to coordinate support in local communities.

It was with great enthusiasm that the PHN launched our ‘Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)’ formalising Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in March 2020. Our RAP reinforces

our dedication to the reconciliation process and outlines key objectives that we are working on as an organisation.

I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their strategic direction over the past 12 months, and the Clinical Council and Community Advisory Committees for their support and insight. I would also like to thank the many health and medical professionals, service providers and our local hospital and health services who continue to work with our PHN.

I don’t believe anyone could have predicted the events of the second half of the 2019-20 year, however, we remain proud of our achievements in the past 12 months and we are optimistic about the future. I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2020-21 to improve primary health care in our region.

Merrilyn Strohfeldt
CEO
Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN