Overview
The Primary Care Resilience Initiative was developed in response to challenges affecting access to primary health care services across several communities in the Murrumbidgee region. Through extensive community consultation, including surveys, interviews and co-design workshops, MPHN worked with local communities, healthcare providers and partner organisations to identify priority needs and develop locally tailored solutions.
The initiative is supported through the Australian Government's General Practice Incentive Fund (GPIF), which provides targeted funding to Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to support primary care services in "thin markets" where local health care systems have failed, are at risk of failure, or are experiencing ongoing instability. The fund enables PHNs to design and implement innovative, sustainable models of care that improve access to services and strengthen local health systems.
Funding secured through the GPIF will support the implementation of community-informed solutions in Batlow and Tumbarumba, with a focus on improving access to primary care, strengthening and growing the local health workforce, enhancing service coordination, and building more resilient and sustainable healthcare models for rural communities. The initiative also includes independent evaluation to assess outcomes, sustainability, and opportunities for broader application across similar communities.
Batlow
In Batlow, community consultation highlighted challenges relating to GP availability, workforce attraction and retention, health infrastructure limitations, and digital access barriers. The funded model includes:
Supplementing existing GP services through a Nurse Practitioner model.
Introducing service navigation support to help community members access appropriate care and telehealth services.
Expanding local infrastructure to support visiting and multidisciplinary health services.
Upgrading equipment within existing medical facilities.
Independent evaluation of the model's effectiveness and sustainability.
Tumbarumba
In Tumbarumba, community priorities focused on attracting and retaining GPs, improving awareness and coordination of available services, and supporting local workforce development. The funded model includes:
Strengthening the Roth's Corner Medical Centre as a Community Health Hub.
Enhancing clinical and digital infrastructure to support local, visiting and telehealth-enabled services.
Investing in local workforce development, including support for nurses to pursue Nurse Practitioner qualifications.
Implementing targeted GP recruitment and retention strategies, including accommodation and community integration initiatives.
Independent evaluation to assess outcomes and inform future application of the model.
As the initiative moves into implementation, MPHN remains committed to working closely with communities, healthcare providers and partners to ensure solutions are locally informed, sustainable and responsive to community needs.