Sector connects at inaugural Allied Health Collaborative Evening

In celebration of International Allied Health Professionals Day, Brisbane North PHN hosted the inaugural Allied Health Collaborative Evening on 14 October 2026 at our Chermside office.

Co-facilitated by the PHN’s Primary Care Quality Improvement and Reform team, the evening focused on Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), providing practical, step-by-step guidance and case studies on what CQI is, its long-term impact on practice sustainability and the importance of data-driven CQI.

Twenty allied health professionals from across our region attended the event, including audiologists, psychologists, physiotherapists, social workers, dietitians, exercise physiologists, exercise scientists, pharmacists, occupational therapists and speech pathologists. Attendees welcomed the opportunity to network with their allied health colleagues from Metro North Health and community and private practice.

Healthy Lifestyles Australia Managing Director and Allied Health Steering Committee member, Brady Schulz, emphasised the value of CQI as a strategic business investment. He discussed the importance of engaging practice and clinical staff with CQI and shared examples of initiatives that have supported business growth.

'One of the key messages from our experience is that CQI doesn’t need to be complicated,’ Brady said.

‘Use the data you already have, involve your whole practice team and make small, measurable improvements, which can lead to meaningful change.'

Feedback from participants from the evening highlighted the value of coming together.

One participant said, ‘the engagement between different allied health organisations was fantastic and I valued the opportunity to share my experience as a community pharmacist.

‘Implementing small CQI steps will help us achieve our accreditation next year. We can achieve much more collaboratively than we can alone.’

Brisbane North PHN Allied Health Support Lead, Kristal Grainger said the event was developed in response to feedback from the local allied health sector seeking opportunities to connect with colleagues and the PHN, as well as expand their professional networks.

'The PHN recognises the valuable role allied health plays in the health of our communities and will continue to work closely with the sector and advocate for allied health-inclusive primary care, within our scope of influence,’ she said.

To support the event and provide participants with practical guidance on implementing CQI in practice, the PHN developed a CQI Checklist, which is available for download from the allied health web page.