Commissioning Innovation Showcase - driving sustainable change in our health system

Brisbane North PHN recently participated in the PHN Commissioning Innovation Showcase 2022 (The Showcase), an annual event which was held in Merewether, New South Wales.

As commissioning underpins all our work as a PHN, taking part in The Showcase is an opportunity to collaborate with PHNs across Australia to share learnings, find out about national and international commissioning trends and adopt best practice in primary care commissioning.

The goal of The Showcase is to inspire, network and share experiences on the successes and challenges of working in a commissioning environment, to ultimately improve health outcomes for Australians.

Mary Robertson from Brisbane North PHN presented on the PHNs Integrated Mental Health Hubs, which deliver integrated clinical and non-clinical services for people in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region experiencing severe mental illness.

Participants at The Showcase were interested to learn the unique Integrated Hub model, as it combines individual funding streams to produce a ‘one-stop shop’.

Mary spoke about the co-design process, procurement, implementation and outcomes of the hubs, as well as the reporting challenges when using this approach.

Carla Taylor also presented a poster on Brisbane North PHNs Internal Performance Framework which has recently been developed and implemented.

Visitors heard from a range of influential speakers, like Professor Stephen Duckett, Health and Aged Care Program Director at Grattan Institute, who delivered the opening address. Tracey Johnson, CEO of Inala Primary Care spoke about digital innovation – including how to better integrate practice software to measure and monitor the impact of early life social determinants.