The Country SA PHN is the primary health network covering the country regions of South Australia.

Established by the Federal Government, PHNs are now operating Australia-wide. The key objectives of the PHNs are to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of medical services for patients, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes, and to improve the coordination of care to ensure patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time. PHNs will achieve this through;

• Population health planning (needs assessments/data analysis) including service gap identification
• Health care commissioning particularly for vulnerable populations
• Practice support services so that GPs are better placed to provide care to patients and avoid hospital
• Supporting general practices with safety and quality
• Assisting general practices with eHealth

Our six key priority areas are:

NATIONAL PRIORITIES

A core set of priorities has been set at a national level by the Government, priorities include:

• reduced avoidable hospitalisations and emergency department presentations;
• improved health outcomes for people with complex chronic conditions.

NATIONAL HEADLINE INDICATORS

These indicators reflect government priorities:

• potentially preventable hospitalisations;
• childhood immunisation rates;
• cancer screening rates (cervical, breast, bowel); and
• mental health treatment rates (including for children and adolescents).

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to bridge the gap of health inequity and access in rural South Australia by building a collaborative and responsive country SA health care system. We are committed to improving the patient ‘experience’ of the health system. We will;

• Act with integrity and transparency
• Make timely decisions of the highest ethical standard
• Be responsive to individual, community and provider needs within local communities
• Meet challenges with innovative and responsive solutions
• Foster, enable and facilitate partnerships that enrich and improve rural health services, activities and systems
• Be flexible, adaptable and responsive to continuous quality improvement and evaluation outcomes
• Remain connected to local communities in their respective settings
• Be held accountable by those we serve as a provider, enabler, facilitator, funder or contractor.
• Maintain a robust and transparent governance framework, meeting the standards of the Australian Corporations Act (2001), the ASC Principles of Effective Governance and other laws and practices as they apply.

OUR REGION

Country SA PHN covers all of South Australia, apart from the Adelaide metropolitan area. This means Country SA PHN covers 99.8% of the State geographically and approximately 30% of SA’s total population. The Country SA PHN boundaries align with the local health network, Country Health SA.

WHO WE ARE	GOOD GOVERNANCE

	STRATEGIC FLOWCHART