Chair’s report

The past year has been an important one for MPHN – one of change, but also an opportunity to reflect on where we are heading and the role we need to play in the future of healthcare across the Murrumbidgee. 

Our population is ageing, demand is growing and primary care continues to evolve, with national reform and the review of the PHN program asking us to think carefully about what comes next for PHNs. We cannot simply keep doing what we do today and expect it to meet the needs of 2036 or 2046. We must anticipate what our communities will need and help shape a health system that is ready to respond. 

MPHN has an important role in that future: keeping our ears to the ground, understanding what our communities and providers need and finding place-based solutions that work for the Murrumbidgee. 

Stepping into the role of Chair, following almost six years of leadership from Jodi Culbert, has been both a privilege and a significant responsibility. I acknowledge Jodi’s contribution and the strong foundations established during her tenure.  

One of my priorities as Chair has been to ensure the leadership transition occurred smoothly. I was very pleased to welcome Narelle Mills as CEO. Narelle knows this organisation, our region and our people, and her transition into the role has provided important continuity while bringing renewed energy to our future direction.  

I am also particularly proud of the strengthening partnership between MPHN and Murrumbidgee Local Health District. Our joint strategic planning demonstrated what is possible when organisations look beyond their own boundaries and focus on the needs of the whole health system. Neither organisation can meet these challenges on its own. By combining our reach, knowledge and resources, we can achieve more for our communities.  

That spirit of partnership runs throughout this report – in our work with general practice and allied health, commissioned providers, community organisations, First Nations and LGBTQIA+ communities and the many people who contribute their experience and expertise to help us make better decisions. 

Being Chair brings a certain weight of responsibility. Decisions made around a Board table ultimately affect our staff, our providers and people throughout the Murrumbidgee. I draw motivation from the “heaviness” of that because it is a reminder of why this work matters – a sense of purpose I also see in my fellow Board members, Narelle and the broader MPHN team. 

Whatever changes lie ahead, our people, our places and equitable access must remain at the centre of our decisions. We may do better today, but our ambition must always be to do better tomorrow – for our people, in our region. 

Associate Professor Alam Yoosuff 
Chair  
Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network