Capital Health Network

The role of Primary Health Networks in emergencies and disasters 

Primary Health Networks (PHNs) play a key role in supporting the primary health care system before, during and after emergencies and disasters. National guidance recognises that regional contexts differ, and PHNs tailor their approaches accordingly. PHNs operate at varying levels of maturity in relation to emergency preparedness, coordination and recovery, reflecting differences in regional risk profiles, population needs, historical disaster exposure and local system arrangements.

Capital Health Network’s (CHN) role focuses on engaging and collaborating with primary care providers to strengthen the primary care sector’s capacity to respond to emergencies. Through the established Primary Care Emergency Response Committee (PCERC), CHN supports coordination and communication across primary care, health services and emergency management partners, helping to enhance preparedness, resilience and continuity of care during emergencies.

CHN also maintains and regularly updates emergency and disaster management information on ACT & SNSW HealthPathways, communicates relevant information through direct clinician alerts and our newsletters, and holds emergency preparedness educational events and webinars, ensuring general practices have access to timely, locally relevant guidance when responding to emergency events.

In the recent review of the ACT Health Emergency Sub-Plan, CHN was formally recognised as a primary stakeholder in health emergencies. CHN have senior level representatives sitting in the Health Emergency Management Committee and the Health Emergency Community of Practice. Under the ACT Health Emergency Sub-Plan, CHN’s role is outlined as follows:

• Monitor capacity within and impact on primary care workforce and communicate capacity issues to ACT Health and the DHDA.
• Coordinate and support communications out to primary care sector— including but not limited to through HealthPathways, webinars and information sessions, direct email, newsletters, website
• Coordinate the Primary Care Emergency Response Committee
• Where requested/necessary deliver equipment to primary care
• Where funding is available, rapidly commission services as necessary (e.g. vaccination, mental health, etc)

To know more about how PHNs contribute to emergency preparedness, response and recovery activities, please visit this link.

ACT Primary Care Emergency Response Committee

The ACT Primary Care Emergency Response Committee (ACT PCERC) was formed in late 2019 in the context of ACT/SNSW bushfire emergency, met during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to meet.

Primary care clinicians are deeply embedded in their communities and are an important workforce to effectively respond to the community’s immediate, short- and long-term health needs in the event of a local disaster. Due to general practice, pharmacy and allied health being private businesses and the difficulty in coordination and communication across this broad and varied sector, additional pathways are required to improve linkage between all elements of the health system involved in emergency response to optimise the response, resilience and function of the whole health care system.

a) Purpose

The purpose of the ACT PCERC is to: 

• be involved in prevention, preparedness, response and recovery to emergencies and disasters. 
• facilitate good communication between the primary care sector, public health and clinical emergency response efforts. 
• promote the effective utilisation of primary care clinicians in local emergency responses.   

b) Current membership

c) Contact details 

To contact the Secretariat of the ACT Primary Care Emergency Response Committee, please email: reception@chnact.org.au