According to the Australian Patients Association, 49% of people who went to the emergency department said they thought their care could have been provided by a GP or Urgent Care Clinic instead.1 Despite the high quality of care available to Australians, patient dissatisfaction is increasing. But, an ambitious new initiative, developed by Sydney North Health Network (SNHN), is reimagining healthcare across the northern Sydney region.
Launching on Tuesday 25th February, the Northern Sydney Wellbeing Collaborative (The Collaborative) is a progressive a long-term co-design project bringing together more than 200 contributors from local community, government, business, philanthropy, and university sectors, to work towards building a more connected, responsive, and person-centred primary care system.
Kevin Barrow, CEO of SNHN says "The Northern Sydney Wellbeing Collaborative is about building a model of healthcare that is tailored for local people and their families. This initiative concentrates on bringing care providers together with community members to create a system that is seamless, coordinated, and built around patient's needs, rather than bureaucracy."
Unlike traditional commissioning methods which include community consultation at the end of the decision-making process, the Northern Sydney Wellbeing Collaborative plans to flip the process on its head and include stakeholders right from the word 'go'.
Fay Jackson is the CEO of Vision in Mind (an organisation which delivers mental health, peer, recovery, resilience and suicide prevention support) and a Lived Experience Advocate. She believes it's time Australians had a healthier relationship with the health system.
"My health and wellbeing, and that of my children have been severely compromised because services work in silos; Neglecting to collaborate and making decisions without considering all aspects of our health has led to chronic illnesses and disability. The poor physical health we now endure was all avoidable."
Fay isn't alone. The statistics reveal a health system under considerable strain. In 2023-24, almost 40% of people who saw a health professional reported a less than positive experience.2 Lengthening wait times, hospital overcrowding, increasing out-of-pocket costs and fragmented care are just some of the growing list of grievances expressed by patients.
"People will go on suffering unnecessarily if services don't start working in partnership with each other and with the consumer as the lead decision maker. I think the Northern Sydney Wellbeing Collaborative can help lead the way in transforming services and deliver the outcomes desperately needed for our community." Says Fay.
To slow down and reverse the demand on hospital beds, emergency departments, residential aged care, and social services in the area, increased collaboration is essential. Wellbeing 'Hubs' will be established to achieve the bold ambitions of The Collaborative. Focusing on Ryde, Hornsby, and Northern Beaches, these Hubs will inform cross-sector collaboration on important health and social challenges in key areas.
"With the fourth highest number of residential aged care facilities in Australia, and a higher percentage of people with a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse background (29%, compared to 23% in NSW), northern Sydney has its own unique demographic and specific health needs. The Collaborative will partner with primary care including local GPs and mental health professionals, aged care, and social support services to develop hubs that meet local needs. Hubs will help reduce the need for patients to navigate multiple disconnected services on their own." Continues Kevin.
The Collaborative will now begin community-led forums and co-designing local wellbeing Hubs, with the goal to see services rolling out across Northern Sydney in July 2026.
If you are interested in finding out more about, or joining the Northern Sydney Wellbeing Collaborative, please visit: www.sydneynorthhealthnetwork.org.au/about-us/northern-sydney-wellbeing-collaborative/
1 Australian Patients Association, 2023, Patients Skipping Medical Care due to Costs as Satisfaction in the Health System Falls, www.patients.org.au/17005-2/
2 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2023-2024, Patient Experiences, Experience with health professionals, https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-services/patient-experiences/latest-release
About us:
ABOUT: Sydney North Health Network www.snhn.org.au
The Northern Sydney Primary Health Network, operated by the Sydney North Health Network – a not-for-profit organisation – is one of 31 Primary Health Networks (PHNs) established by the Australian Government to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services for the community. Our focus is on patients who are at risk of poor health outcomes. We work to improve the coordination of their care, so they receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
