Support through service for our Norfolk Island community

Earlier this month, Kathy Faulkner and Mary Robertson from our Priority Communities team visited Norfolk Island (NI) on an engagement trip to meet with new and existing NI stakeholders, and to attend the sixth annual Norfolk Island Health and Wellbeing Expo.

The Expo is planned and implemented by the Norfolk Island Health and Residential Aged Care Service (NIHRACS) Health and Wellbeing team, a PHN-funded program.

Brisbane North PHN have been working with the Norfolk Island community – our most remote point of service – since 2022, and these opportunities for stakeholder engagement on Island ensure that the programs we fund in partnership with providers like NIHRACS continue to provide value to residents.

Kathy and Mary were also pleased to share the now completed and endorsed Norfolk Island Health Needs Assessment (HNA) learnings with key stakeholders, which was well received.

Discussions held across the week reinforced the currency of issues identified in the HNA, including improving access to psychological services. The team met with the Manager and Medical Director of NIHRACS to explore how new funding obtained by the PHN could be used to maintain current level of access to the PHN-commissioned fly in, fly out (FIFO) psychologist.

The team is also making plans to align the PHN's HNA findings with the refreshed Health Promotion Plan for NI.

At the Expo, 250 community members and 21 local and visiting service providers and exhibiting organisations convened to showcase and explore the diverse range of health and wellbeing services being delivered to residents on the Island.

Pictured at the Expo is Maria Massey (Health and Wellbeing Admin Officer) presenting a Certificate of Attendance to Mary Robertson (Team Leader | Brisbane North PHN Priority Communities team), with Karen Innes-Walker (Dietitian), Eve Semple (Health and Wellbeing Program Officer) and Kathy Faulkner (Manager | Brisbane North PHN Priority Communities team).