Capital Health Network

This report demonstrates how Capital Health Network (CHN), as the ACT’s Primary Health Network (PHN), worked with others to integrate health care, improve health equity and achieve better health outcomes for Canberrans in 2019/20.

By understanding what the community needs, CHN plans and funds services to deliver outcomes that the community values and which have a positive effect on community health and wellbeing. In 2019/20, CHN commissioned community-based organisations to deliver services valued at over $12.8 million to improve health outcomes for Canberrans. In this report you will see how, through funding and collaboration, we have continued to focus on our nine key priority areas of workforce, care across the continuum, vulnerable groups, mental health, aged care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, digital health, alcohol and other drugs, and chronic disease management.

The Board of CHN takes the lead in development of CHN’s strategy, which enables community needs to be met, and tracking of its successful delivery. At the same time the Board ensures we address and manage risks and remain compliant with all relevant laws and commitments to our major funders. During the year the Board re-focused on the importance of our members and stakeholders to our organisation and commenced a review of the roles of its three Advisory Councils – the General Practice Advisory Committee, Community Advisory Council and ACT Clinical Council. These Councils consist of experts in their field who provide advice and recommendations to the Board on priority issues. These reviews will be completed in coming months and will re-confirm the roles of Advisory Councils as advisers to the Board and to CHN more broadly.

In January 2020, we farewelled Adj Prof Gaylene Coulton as CHN’s CEO after 4.5 years leading the organisation.  Gaylene demonstrated an enduring commitment to positioning CHN as integral to the health system infrastructure in the ACT and her legacy includes positioning CHN as a leader within the Australian Primary Health Network sector in the areas of mental health, innovative multidisciplinary models of care and commissioning for outcomes within a social determinants of health context.  She left CHN with a strong and sustainable foundation upon which the organisation can further build moving forward.

CHN Board and staff then warmly welcomed Ms Megan Cahill as the CHN CEO on 2 March. Megan has ably led CHN through some unexpected challenges, primarily the COVID-19 pandemic. Her swift action enabled the organisation to quickly adopt new work practices to maintain the safety of its own staff and continue to support primary health care professionals and our community.

To help primary care to face the challenges presented by COVID-19, CHN:

• delivered over 117,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to primary healthcare providers across the Territory;
• facilitated establishment of three GP Respiratory Clinics;
• provided support for primary care business continuity; and
• provided its education program by webinar rather than face-to-face.

I am new in the Chair role, having been elected to the position by the Board directors in November 2019.

My appointment follows that of Professor Gabrielle Cooper OAM, who served as Chair for three years (2017-2019 incl) and on the Board of CHN for 9 years . I’d like to acknowledge Prof. Cooper’s dedication and commitment to the organisation over that time.

The Board underwent considerable changes during the year, with three other directors retiring at the end of their maximum Board terms or due to changed priorities. First of these was Dr Martin Liedvogel, who stood down after serving his maximum term as a General Practice Director at the end of 2019. Mr Matthew Hughes and Dr Jeffrey Harmer left the Board in January 2020. I would like to acknowledge their outstanding leadership, dedication and service to the Board.

In their place the Board welcomed Dr Niral Shah and Ms Julie Blackburn as new Board members in November. Both are primary health care clinicians and have already contributed substantially to the Board’s deliberations. Our newest Board member, Prof. Peter Radoll, joined us in January. Prof. Radoll is a descendent of the Anaiwan people of NSW and also brings substantial skills in IT to our discussions. I thank all the current Directors on the CHN Board for their knowledge, expertise and leadership during the year. They work extremely hard for the organisation and bring a diverse range of skills.

Finally, I’d like to thank the CHN staff for their commitment and innovation. We really are very fortunate to have a team who consistently uses its broad range of skills with energy each and every day.

Dr Lyndal Thorburn

From the CEO

When I joined CHN in early March of this year, I couldn’t have anticipated the changes that COVID-19 would bring locally, nationally and internationally. It has been a difficult year for so many.

However, I’ve been so impressed by the way our local primary health care professionals and commissioned service providers quickly adapted their service delivery significantly to ensure that patients and clients continued to receive health care and support. They continued to provide valuable services at such a critical time while keeping our community safe.

I’ve also been humbled by the way that the CHN staff have been so flexible and adaptable during this unusual time. With the expert guidance of our Board Directors, I’m proud of what our team has achieved and invite you to read how we’re collaborating with consumers, GPs, nurses, allied health professionals, pharmacists and sector stakeholders to improve health outcomes for Canberrans.

Megan Cahill