Katherine Rutkowski

Northern Queensland Primary Health Network

Northern Queensland PHN (NQPHN) is an independent not for profit organisation, funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. Across northern Queensland, from St Lawrence in the south coast, up to the Torres Strait in the north, and west to Croydon and Kowanyama, NQPHN coordinates and commissions primary and preventive healthcare – that is, the healthcare that takes place outside of a hospital, such as GPs, allied health, chronic disease management, aged care, mental health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Primary health care is recognised as the most effective way to keep communities and individuals healthy and well. NQPHN identifies where there are areas of need, such as lack of health care services, difficulty in accessing these services, or regions with particularly high health needs, and works closely with GPs, allied health care providers, hospitals and the broader community to ensure that patients can receive the right care in the right place at the right time. While NQPHN focuses on the health needs specific to the Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, Cape York Peninsula and Torres Strait regions, the Federal Government has set six key priority areas that will underpin all our planning and activities: o mental health o Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health o population health o health workforce o eHealth o aged care. Northern Queensland Primary Health Network - helping northern Queenslanders live happier, healthier, longer lives. Learn more about NQPHN at www.nqphn.com.au