2022 has been a year unlike any other. We have commissioned more health care providers than ever before, supported 348 general practices in our region, brought together partners from across sectors and states to drive health care reform, and introduced innovative initiatives designed to bridge the gap between acute and primary care. All of this, and more, whilst continuing to navigate the ongoing ripple effect of COVID-19 on the health and wellbeing of our community.
These successes would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of Western Sydney health care professionals, partners and community members. I am proud to work in a dynamic region that consistently strives to deliver equitable health care to our diverse communities. You can read a summary of the extent of our impact in our 2021/22 Annual Review.
Some of the highlights from this year include the opening of the first Urgent Care Services in Western Sydney in partnership with the Western Sydney Local Health District. Under our joint initiative, the Western Sydney Care Collective (WSCC), we have also onboarded 23 Patient Centred Medical Homes to WSCC’s Cardiology in Community pathway. Our multi-agency Service Delivery Reform Coalition has also supported over 400 families under the Western Sydney Kids Early Years (KEYS) Network, which provides social and health support to families with children aged 0-5 years.
We have commissioned more care providers than ever before, investing $36.5 million into local commissioned care providers during FY21/22, of which $21.9 million helped boost access to mental health services in our community. Over 7,000 Western Sydney residents benefited from mental health care from one of our fantastic commissioned services this year.
Our history of successful initiatives in the digital health space resulted in WentWest being selected to conduct the international Patient-Reported Indicator Survey report on behalf of the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. We also recently announced the launch of our own neighbourhood health hub, Healthicare, which will utilise integrated advanced technologies to connect the community to a proactive health and wellbeing ecosystem. Healthicare will open in 2023 and aims to attract more primary health care professionals to the region and will work in partnership with other providers to deliver affordable, accessible, preventative, quality health care to our diverse communities.
Continuing to inspire change at a regional, national and international level, this year, we were proud to co-facilitate the Primary Health Care Leader’s Summit with the Consumer’s Health Forum of Australia and PHN Cooperative. This was a significant inflexion point in primary health care and brought together over 200 health colleagues, peak bodies and community members committed to setting a roadmap for health system reform.
As we reflect on the collective impact we have made over the past year, I would like to thank all of our partners, health professionals, providers and community members for their continued support this year. I have high hopes for 2023 and the steps we can take to build a healthier Western Sydney. I am confident that our region will continue to innovate, inspire and lead the way for health care reform.
Wishing you a restful holiday period with your friends, family and communities, and all the very best for 2023.
Ray Messom, WentWest CEO
Office Closure
Our office will be closed for the holiday period from Friday 23 December and will re-open on Monday 9 January 2023. During the closure, our Primary Mental Health Care team will continue with a skeleton staff. Priority will be given to suicide prevention referrals. The first Weekly Update communication after the holiday period will be on Thursday 19 January 2023.
This information is correct as of 15 December 2022.