Our Alliances

In 2022-23, there was a noticeable increase in collaborative efforts between health care services, with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose for collaboration after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In cases where traditional health care funding models and incentives are no longer fit for purpose, establishing an alliance with supportive governance structures can help address new challenges in the digital age, unsustainable growth in health budget demand, population-based service re-design, and inclusive care planning across various settings, such as health, education, and social care.

During 2022-23, WQPHN continued to maintain its existing partnerships while also exploring new and innovative ideas for collaboration. Through our consistent involvement in alliances across Western Queensland, we have been able to overcome the challenge of sharing key learnings and advocating for consolidation of potential duplication or crossover wherever possible. This approach aligns with our commitment to providing efficient and cost-effective health care services to individuals and communities across Western Queensland.

Nukal Murra Alliance

The Nukal Murra Alliance (NMA) is dedicated to enhancing the health, social and emotional wellbeing, and mental health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and in 2022-23 completed the Western Queensland First Nations Health Workforce Development Strategy. The NMA partners continued to hold regular meetings to monitor the progress of the NMA structure, review new health policies and funding models, and identify strategic-level opportunities for improvement.‍

The Nukal Murra Health Support Service (NMHSS) is an alliance of six bodies:

Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN);
Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC);
Charleville and Western Areas Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health (CWAATSICH);
Cunnamulla Aboriginal Corporation for Health (CACH);
Goondir Health Services (Goondir) and
Gidgee Healing Aboriginal Medical Services (Gidgee).

Nukal means ‘plenty or many’ in the language of the Lower Gulf, and Murra means ‘hand or hands’ in the language of Central West and South West.

‍South West Queensland Primary Health Care Alliance

The South West Queensland Primary Health Care Alliance (SWQPHC Alliance) was formed in 2022 as a recommended outcome of the South West Health Forum held in March 2021.

The governance committee of the SWQPHC Alliance comprises several member organisations, including CACH, CheckUP, CWAATSICH, Goondir Health Services, Health Workforce Queensland, South West Hospital and Health Service (SWHHS), RFDS (Queensland Section), South West Queensland Private & HHS General Practice, and WQPHN.

Together, we have developed a Workforce Implementation Plan Strategy with key objectives to reverse the decline in the permanent general practice workforce, enable digital interoperability for data sharing to support the workforce, identify access and gaps in the delivery of primary care services, and develop contemporary models for rural primary care in South West Queensland.

Working groups were also established for priority areas in Thargomindah, Quilpie, Cunnamulla, and Charleville, with common themes identified for action.