ACT Medicare Local will form the new ACT Primary Health Network from the middle of this year, with a focus on improving frontline services across Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The federal government announced on Monday that Medicare Local had won the tender to form the Canberra network from July 1.
A national program will see 31 Primary Health Networks rolled out across Australia.
ACT Medicare Local chairman Dr Martin Liedvogel said the organisation was delighted to win the tender.
"We've been around for 20 years and have had a long relationship in the Canberra region with ACT Health, general practice and the community," he said.
"We will continue to work with clinicians, consumers, community and ACT government to improve the co-ordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time."
As part of the new program the federal government has established six key priorities for targeted work in mental health, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, population health, the health workforce, eHealth and aged care.
Dr Liedvogel said ACT Medicare Local was well placed to build on work in these areas.
He said a community advisory council and clinical council would also inform the network's actions.
"Through in-depth analysis we know the health needs of Canberrans, particularly our most vulnerable, and will continue to identify and address service gaps," Dr Liedvogel said.
"We will develop new or improved models of care to improve co-ordination across the primary care sector and with hospitals, developing health pathways and inter-professional collaboration tailored to the needs of individual patients."
Dr Liedvogel said the new network would also upskill health professionals, promoting the value of general practice and developing leadership capability.
It would also focus on creating better value in the health system by reducing any unnecessary duplication; and negotiating public-private partnerships in service delivery, he said.
"We will be focused on health system improvement and commissioning or providing services to Canberra's most vulnerable, such as the aged and those with mental health conditions," Dr Liedvogel said.
