Glen Innes CARE Co-operative

Glen Innes CARE Co-operative

The Glen Innes CARE Co-operative Ltd has officially become the second project co-operative established under the Care Together program, continuing the momentum of empowering local communities to lead and deliver essential services.

The Glen Innes CARE Co-operative is one part of the Comprehensive Approach to Rural Engagement (CARE) model being piloted by the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN) in Glen Innes. The CARE model is designed to deliver locally tailored, place-based and patient-centred care.

The Glen Innes CARE Co-operative will be member-owned, not-for-profit and driven by the shared vision of local people, service providers and partner organisations to create sustainable, long-term solutions to rural health challenges. The co-op intends to grow membership, build local capacity and adapt services to meet the changing health needs of the region.

A Better Health for the Bush initiative

Regional and rural areas suffer from a lack of access to a broad range of services including primary care, aged care and disability services, with existing service provision siloed into their own sector types. Better Health for the Bush provides a unique opportunity for an integrated service offering across various care types and cohorts.

The Better Health for the Bush (BHFTB) Framework is an initiative of the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN), the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNE LHD) and The University of New England (UNE).

It contains two innovative models of care – the CARE Model and the Small Town Engagement Model (STEM).

Better Health for the Bush was born from a recognition that traditional business models are not working well enough in regional, rural and remote areas and many locations are operating in thin markets, with market failure a real possibility.

The concept of a networked model of community-led and owned primary care Health Hubs was initially workshopped in 2019, with considerable ongoing work undertaken to engage key stakeholders across the community, existing general practice, teaching facilities such as universities and state government.

Several years of consultation and working within the region has revealed a complex and multifaceted care sector. Better Health for the Bush is designed to be a conduit across the different service types.

The BHFTB partnership has established an innovative and multidisciplinary community-led primary care Health Hub in Glen Innes, serving approximately 9,000 people within the Glen Innes Severn Shire Council area of New South Wales.

The PHN worked with Glen Innes Severn Council, the community and Care Together to develop and establish the Glen Innes CARE Co-operative Ltd.

In the news

The launch of GP services and the co-operative model has generated strong media interest across the region:

• NBN News – Healthcare closer to home: More GP services for Glen Innes
• 7 News – Facebook Video Report
• New England Times – GP services coming to the Glen Innes Health Hub
• Glen Innes News – New GP services launch at Glen Innes Health Hub

Hear from Primary Health Network

Dr Alison Koschel, Executive Manager Populations, Access and Performance, Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (HNECC PHN), shared in 2023:

“One of the biggest things we’ve learned is the community needs to be engaged, the community needs to buy into this, and the community needs to own it.”

“We’ve had many reminders that the solution without engaging the community will give us the same as we’ve already got.”

“We can’t keep going with the same approach we’ve had with general practice. We know that it’s been getting worse over the last 40 years and if we continue to do the same, we’ll continue to get the same.”

“The change we want to see is to think differently and provide an innovative approach to address this crisis, to join up health and social care and put the community first.”