CEO and Chair Message

Welcome to the Northern Queensland Primary Health Network (NQPHN) Annual Report for 2023-24. 

This annual report is a tribute to the outstanding efforts of our staff, commissioned service providers, healthcare workers, and partners as we continue to work towards our vision of helping all northern Queenslanders live happier, healthier, longer lives. 

Looking back on the last financial year, we're pleased to highlight the positive outcomes and contributions we've achieved through our strong partnerships with primary healthcare providers across North Queensland, including those working within general practices, pharmacies, allied health practices, residential aged care homes (RACHs), Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHOs), and Aboriginal Medical Services (AMSs). 

We are proud of the relationships and engagement protocols we have with our Member organisations and the contribution they make to help us develop an integrated and coordinated primary healthcare system that delivers the best care possible to achieve measurable health improvements for the people of North Queensland. 

NQPHN staff also have worked tirelessly to build and maintain our collaborative relationships with the four Hospital and Health Services in our catchment (Torres and Cape, Cairns and Hinterland, Townsville, and Mackay), and through these relationships we have worked on many significant initiatives.  

During the 2023-24 financial year, NQPHN conducted a range of codesign and community consultation activities within Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs and Suicide Prevention, including the new Stepped Care model of mental health care, Universal Aftercare programs for Townsville and Mackay, and the Cairns Medicare Mental Health Centre. 

Our region’s two new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) in Cairns and Townsville opened in December 2023, with the Cairns South Medicare UCC opening during Cyclone Jasper. As of 30 June 2024, both clinics had reached more than 6,000 visits each since opening. The success of these additional health services for the region is built on the strong relationships and connections between the Medicare UCCs, HHSs, Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS), and the general practitioners (GPs) already providing quality care in the region. 

On the workforce development front, NQPHN funded the recruitment and placement of 27 clinicians in North Queensland, including 18 GPs, four physiotherapists, one occupational therapist, one podiatrist, one registered nurse, one social worker, and one speech pathologist. 

Further financial support was made available to health professionals under the Maternal and Child Health Workforce Uplift program for professional development directly related to primary care child and maternal health capability. 

Collaborating with the ACCHOs, NQPHN announced the providers of the First 1,000 Days program; an initiative that focuses on maternal and child health social and emotional wellbeing, aiming to ensure a healthy start in life for all children in the region. 

Another accomplishment was the implementation of professional development program specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workers and health practitioners within the NQPHN region 

In a significant piece of work, NQPHN again worked closely with our HHS partners to progress the Joint Regional Needs Assessment. A comprehensive stakeholder engagement phase is now nearing completion and will inform the validation and triangulation of data phase in the first quarter of the 2024-25 financial year. 

We also deployed 33 telehealth carts in RACHs, which allow residents to have virtual consultations with medical specialists, GPs, and other clinicians, while also staying connected to their loved ones. Training for RACH staff on how to use the telehealth facilities and assisting residents in accessing virtual consultation services began as the carts became fully operational.   

NQPHN is proud to showcase more of the outcomes we achieved in the 2023-24 financial year on the pages ahead.