Capital Health Network

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect our local community in many ways, adding further complexity and demand on our health system. At no time has the need for our commissioned services, designed specifically to address local community health needs, been greater, particularly in the areas of mental health, Indigenous Health and alcohol and other drugs.

Capital Health Network (CHN) allocated over $15 million to commissioned service providers in 2020/21. In addition to core requirements, many service providers needed to pivot their operations to ensure that the additional support requirements that arose during COVID-19 were available.

Throughout this report you will read many moving personal stories of how primary health services have helped people when they needed it most. Many of these ‘good news’ stories illustrate our focus on our nine key priority areas of mental health, aged care, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, digital health, alcohol and other drugs, workforce, care across the continuum, vulnerable groups, and chronic disease management. My sincere thanks to all our commissioned services for rising to the challenge of the past 12 months, adapting services as needed, and continuing to support the health needs of our community in the ways they need it most.

The strength and success of an organisation is reliant on its people and we are blessed with a magnificent workforce. Led by Megan Cahill, CEO and the Executive group, the CHN team has done a terrific job navigating the challenges that COVID-19 continually presents. My thanks to every staff member for their dedication, agility and innovation over the last year to ensure continuity of services, expansion of essential requirements, and support to primary health care professionals and vulnerable members of our community.

I’d also like to thank my fellow Board Directors for their stewardship and ongoing support. In November 2020, we farewelled Dr Lyndal Thorburn (Chair) and Ros Jackson (Deputy Chair), and thank them for the commitment they demonstrated during their time on the Board. We welcomed Steve Baker and Mark Cormack to the Board, and their skills and expertise that have further strengthened our Board. We are ably guided by three Advisory Councils – the General Practice Advisory Council, Community Advisory Council and ACT Clinical Council, and I extend my thanks and gratitude to them for their time and the specialised expert advice that they provide.

We look forward to the year ahead, continuing our role of working in partnership with governments, stakeholders and local community to integrate health care, strengthen health equity and improve health outcomes for Canberra and our region.

I am proud to present to you our Annual Report for 2020/21.

Julie Blackburn

l-r: Dr Andrew Crossman, Hobart Place General Practice with CHN Director Professor Peter Radoll and CHN Chair Ms Julie Blackburn at the CHN Networking Event.

From the CEO

My heartfelt thanks goes out to every primary health care professional who has continued to support their patients throughout COVID-19. We have seen first-hand the challenging circumstances and conditions under which they are working.

To protect workers, we have delivered almost 210,000 items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to general practice, community pharmacy and allied health providers.

I am proud that general practice has made a huge contribution to both COVID-19 testing and vaccination. We continued to support the three GP Respiratory Clinics across the ACT which increased testing options. We coordinated 86 general practices to begin COVID-19 vaccinations using AstraZeneca vaccines and 26 practices for Pfizer vaccine roll-out. We also supported Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) to vaccinate their residents and staff through Aspen Medical’s vaccination clinics and GP-led COVID-19 vaccination outreach in the ACT.

In the lead up to the ACT Election, we joined with the Health Care Consumers’ Association of the ACT and the University of Canberra to hold an ACT Election Forum about community-based health care in the ACT. ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith, ACT Greens Leader and Minister for Mental Health Shane Rattenbury, and the Shadow Minister for Health Vicki Dunne presented their policies and ideas at the forum about four key areas in community-based health care: access, integration, prevention and mental health. Hosted by Genevieve Jacobs, the forum was well-attended by a range of representatives from across primary health care and peak bodies.

The past year has seen CHN continue to collaborate with consumers, primary health care professionals and stakeholders. I hope reading this Annual Report will give you a good sense of the passion and drive shown by CHN staff to improve the health outcomes of Canberrans.

Megan Cahill

l-r: Health Care Consumers’ Association of the ACT Executive Director, Darlene Cox; CHN CEO Megan Cahill; Shadow Minister for Health Vicki Dunne; Genevieve Jacobs; ACT Greens Leader and Minister for Mental Health Shane Rattenbury; ACT Minister for Health Rachel Stephen-Smith; and UC’s Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, Professor Michelle Lincoln.