Year in Review 2025-26

One of Brisbane North PHN's key priorities is ensuring people can access the right care in the right place at the right time. In FY 2025-26, this commitment translated into meaningful impact, with expanded mental health services across a stepped-care continuum, innovative chronic disease programs, strengthened support for older people and targeted initiatives for our rural and remote communities. Together, these efforts improved access to care and supported people to remain healthy, independent and connected within their local communities.

Medicare Mental Health Centres continue to evolve and expand

Medicare Mental Health Centres (MMHCs) have become an integral part of Brisbane North PHN's stepped care mental health system, providing accessible, community-based support for people experiencing mental health challenges.

Through our network of four commissioned centres in Strathpine, Inner North, Caboolture and Redcliffe, which transitioned to MMHCs on 1 July 2025, 1,852 new participants chose to engage in ongoing care, receiving tailored support aligned to their individual goals. This figure excludes people accessing walk-in appointments or one-off episodes of care, highlighting the significant number of people who chose to continue their care journey through a MMHC. It also demonstrates the important role MMHCs play not only as an entry point to mental health support, but as a place where people can access ongoing care when they need more than a single intervention.

All centres have been actively involved in developing their local partnerships and services to align with specific regional needs and with the National MMHC guidance. Redcliffe is currently building to a full centre whilst Caboolture will be expanding next year to meet increasing community demand.

Brisbane North PHN is currently procuring a new full MMHC in Chermside, with services expected to commence in 2027. Once open, Chermside will become the fifth MMHC available in the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region, further strengthening timely, no-cost mental health care closer to home.

Team Care delivering vital, accessible services to community

Team Care Coordination continued to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people with complex and chronic health needs. Through coordinated, person-centred support, the service helped clients access the care, information and services needed to remain healthy, connected and living independently in the community.

In FY 2025–2026, Team Care supported 2,882 clients, 95.4 per cent of whom said they were more confident living at home after receiving Team Care services. Hospitals remained the main referral source (72 per cent), followed by GPs (15 per cent).

The most common presenting diagnoses were falls and frailty (721 clients), cardiovascular disease (384 clients), cancer (238 clients) and cognitive decline (206 clients), reflecting ongoing need among older people and those living with complex and chronic conditions.

To improve access and flexibility, Team Care delivered support through several modalities—telehealth (648 clients), phone-based services (557) and face-to-face care (605). The service also remained committed to culturally responsive care, with 18.6 per cent of clients identifying as culturally and linguistically diverse and 3.4 per cent identifying as First Nations peoples.

Clients shared positive feedback about the service, highlighting the difference it made in helping them and their families access care and remain independent at home:

• ‘I genuinely appreciated the well-spaced time intervals between each communication. The nurse listened so authentically and made suggestions for services and options to consider. All suggestions have allowed my 90-year-old father to continue living safely in his own home. I appreciate the life-line support from Team Care at a very difficult time. This service has made all the difference.’

• ‘The nurse who came to see me was very kind and understanding, she put me at ease.’

• ‘I use the Service Navigation team to ensure that I am utilising all available pathways when seeking supports for vulnerable constituents. The team are responsive and professional and provide information about relevant options for care. Our office appreciates the support of the PHN and the Service Navigators greatly.’

• ‘My first contact person was very kind, friendly and helpful. Really encouraging.

Care Finder program has most impactful year yet

Brisbane North PHN’s Care Finder program was established in 2023 to support older Australians with complex needs who are isolated, have limited support, or experience difficulty accessing aged care services. During the 2025–2026 financial year, amid aged care reforms and significant sector change, care finders have supported more than 700 new clients. This has been the most impactful year of the care finder program to date.

One key focus during this period was providing targeted support in Kilcoy, where limited services and geographic isolation create additional barriers. In Kilcoy, the care finder has strengthened local referral pathways by building trusted relationships with stakeholders and service providers. Regular co-location at a local general practice, along with attendance at community events and outreach sites, has helped raise awareness of the care finder program.

New diabetes program empowering people to manage their condition, some for the first time

Launched in mid-2025, the Multidisciplinary Team Diabetes Pilot Program is changing the lives of people with diabetes providing coordinated access to a team of allied health professionals including podiatrists, diabetes educators, dietitians and exercise physiologists.

Commissioned by Brisbane North PHN and delivered by Healthy Lifestyles Australia, the program works closely with participating GPs, who play a role in identifying and referring eligible patients and supporting their ongoing care throughout the program. Since commencement to the end of the financial year, the program has delivered more than 1,173 coordinated allied health services.

One of the biggest impacts of the program is the confidence clients gain to manage their own health, from monitoring their blood glucose levels to participating in physical activity. Read client stories and learn more about the program’s impact.

Partnering with Norfolk Island to facilitate informed local care

Brisbane North PHN began working with the Norfolk Island community in 2022 with the aim of improving local access to health services most needed by the community. In FY 2025-26, the PHN supported a mental health clinician to provide short-term services to eligible children, young people and their families as well as health and wellbeing support, including development, implementation and evaluation of a health promotion plan. The PHN is also pleased to have Norfolk Island representation on our Community Advisory Committee to ensure services are appropriate and meaningful for Norfolk Island.

In FY 2025-26, Brisbane North PHN worked alongside communities, providers and partners to improve access to care and support better health outcomes for people who experience the greatest barriers to health and wellbeing. Through culturally safe services, targeted programs and innovative models of care, the PHN helped ensure vulnerable and priority populations could access timely, appropriate and person-centred support when and where they needed it most.

Staying Deadly | headspace providing culturally safe care for young people

Brisbane North PHN commissioned the opening of Staying Deadly | headspace Deception Bay in March 2026—Australia’s first co-branded metropolitan headspace service designed specifically for First Nations young people.

Delivered in partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) and headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation, the service was established to help address significant mental health inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, who continue to experience disproportionately high rates of psychological distress and suicide.

By placing culture, identity and connection at the centre of care, the service improves access to support, strengthens early intervention opportunities and helps close gaps in mental health services for First Nations young people across the North Brisbane and Moreton Bay region.

Open Doors Youth Service providing life-changing support

Open Doors Youth Service (ODYS) continued to make a significant impact across our region, delivering life-changing support to transgender, gender-diverse and LGBTIQA+ young people. ODYS saw 244 young people in FY2025-26, with 2,116 occasions of service.

The Trans Women’s Wellbeing and Brisbane MIND programs consistently exceeded service targets, providing accessible, trauma-informed counselling, peer support, capacity building and social connection opportunities.

Participants in these services reported exceptionally high satisfaction and strong improvements in wellbeing, while First Nations engagement significantly exceeded expectations. These programs reduce isolation, build resilience and help prevent mental health crises, reducing pressure on acute services.

In June 2026, Brisbane North PHN further strengthened this support through funding of a new Psychosocial Support Program for young people identifying as gender diverse experiencing severe episodic mental illness, enhancing recovery pathways and long-term mental health outcomes—commencing in FY 2026–27.

Safe Spaces celebrate five years of supporting people in distress

Five years ago, Brisbane North PHN’s Safe Space Network was established to provide people experiencing emotional distress with an alternative to presenting to an emergency department (ED) when they did not require emergency clinical care. Five years on, the continued demand for the centres shows Safe Spaces remain an important service, providing care and compassion for vulnerable community members.

Evaluation of Safe Spaces demonstrates significant system value, including more than 1,600 ED presentations avoided and an estimated $16.3 million in ED and hospital-related costs avoided. This provides a strong case that community-based alternatives can improve outcomes while reducing avoidable pressure on acute services.

The end of FY 2025-2026 saw renewed funding for Safe Spaces announced and Brisbane North PHN remains committed to collaborating with our partners to secure a long-term funding arrangement.

Congratulations to our Safe Space Network, and to all of our partners involved, on this five-year milestone.

Universal Aftercare program helping people stay safe, recover and connect with ongoing community supports

Brisbane North PHN continued to support the delivery of Universal Aftercare—a non-clinical, person-centred suicide prevention program that provides rapid, practical and emotional support to people following a suicide attempt or suicidal crisis.

During 2025-26, 782 people across the PHN region received support from the program following 1,177 referrals, with 71 per cent of eligible referrals commencing the program.

The program's impact also extended beyond crisis support. Delivered by Richmond Fellowship Queensland in the Redcliffe and Caboolture region, and Communify in the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and The Prince Charles Hospital catchments, Universal Aftercare helped clients navigate complex challenges including housing instability, financial hardship, social isolation, trauma, family violence and physical health concerns.

Universal Aftercare delivered more than 8,100 hours of direct support across face-to-face, telephone and other flexible service modalities, ensuring people could access support in ways that suited their circumstances.

The program also marked an important milestone with the establishment of Queensland's first dedicated First Nations Universal Aftercare pathway, delivered by IUIH. The pathway was made possible through extensive collaboration and engagement between Brisbane North PHN and IUIH to co-design a culturally responsive model that reflects the needs and priorities of First Nations communities. Supporting 131 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants, the pathway achieved a 94 per cent commencement rate, compared with fewer than 10 First Nations people previously identified through the standard pathway. The results demonstrate the value of a culturally responsive approach designed specifically to meet the needs of First Nations communities.

Together, these outcomes demonstrate Universal Aftercare's significant contribution to recovery, wellbeing and continuity of care across the PHN region.

Our Regional Approach for Wellbeing creating more accessible mental health system

Launched with our implementation partner Metro North Health and sector leaders in July 2025, Our Regional Approach for Wellbeing represents the vision for collective action for mental health, alcohol and other drugs and suicide prevention for the region. Utilising human-centred design theory to guide quality improvement across four key focus areas, our first 12 months have achieved some early results, including:

• central intake eReferral: reinforcing a no-wrong-door approach to service navigation and referral, strengthening access to services for those in need
• lived experience co-design and led consultation processes, shaping new mental health place-based commissioning
• regional service review in Kilcoy
• initial scoping for a robust Stepped Care Review, including navigation pathways with Metro North Health.

Endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics delivering life-changing service

Brisbane North PHN’s two commissioned endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics continue to deliver strong outcomes for patients, helping them get back to living their lives more fully and in some cases, pain free.

Delivered by Neighbourhood Medical and Moreton Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (MATSICHS), the clinics saw 685 patients this financial year, totalling 1,630 since the program’s inception in 2023.

Watch the videos with Dr Sarah McDonnell from Neighbourhood Medical and Jo Setter from MATSICHS below to learn more about the clinics’ incredible outcomes for patients.

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics continue to expand and strengthen access to care

Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) have continued to strengthen access to urgent but non-life-threatening care services for communities across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay. With two additional clinics opening in late 2025 and early 2026, the region is now supported by five bulk-billed, walk-in Medicare UCCs located in Kelvin Grove, Kedron, Murrumba Downs, Deception Bay and Morayfield.  

Collectively, the Medicare UCCs see around 7,000 patients on average each month, providing an important alternative to emergency departments and helping ensure hospital resources are available for those who need emergency care. 

After Hours program improving access for First Nations peoples

Brisbane North PHN and Brisbane South PHN have continued partnering with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) to improve access to culturally safe primary care for First Nations communities across Greater Brisbane. Through extended in-clinic services and virtual care via Mob Link, the After Hours program is helping people access timely care outside standard business hours in ways that better meet community needs. 

In FY 2025-26, more than 7,000 additional primary care appointments were delivered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members at four clinic locations across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay, with an additional 1,300 virtual care appointments accessed directly through Mob Link.

This additional capacity has strengthened after hours access and supported more flexible, responsive pathways to primary care for First Nations people and families. 

Social prescribing helping people overcome unmet social needs

Social prescribing is an approach commissioned to combat loneliness and social isolation in our communities, helping people access non-medical support such as social groups, physical activities, volunteering opportunities or wellbeing programs. Brisbane North PHN funds Footprints Community to deliver a social prescribing program in our community to help people overcome unmet social needs that are impacting their health and wellbeing.

In FY 2025-26: 

• 148 clients received the service 
• the average number of contacts per client was 14.2
• 98 per cent of clients reported an excellent or very good experience of care 
• 68 per cent of clients demonstrated improved outcomes and wellbeing. 

Research shows that up to 20 per cent of people visit their GP for issues that are primarily social rather than medical, making social prescribing an effective method of helping people access the right kind of social care when they need it.

Brisbane North Aged Care Forum celebrating 10 years

2026 marked 10 years of Brisbane North PHN hosting the Brisbane North Aged Care Forum, with three forums being delivered in FY 2025-26, including two in-person events and the inaugural virtual forum.

The forums attracted 783 registrations and 474 attendees, with participant satisfaction rates nearing 100 per cent for each forum. Feedback highlighted the forums’ continued value in supporting professional development, networking and sector collaboration. Participants valued opportunities to connect with peers, hear new information and discuss emerging priorities. These results reinforce the forum’s role as a trusted and relevant resource for the local aged care workforce.

Supporting residential aged care homes through information, resources and collaboration

Throughout the year, Brisbane North PHN delivered a range of events to support professionals working in residential aged care homes (RACHs). These included RACH Masterclasses, Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) evenings, the RACH Collaborative and a Disaster and Emergency Planning Workshop, with more than 120 participants attending from across the sector. The events provided timely information, practical resources and opportunities to connect with peers and the broader health system. By supporting collaboration and knowledge sharing across the sector, Brisbane North PHN has strengthened relationships with RACHs and helped build capability to support the delivery of high-quality care for older people.

Advancing palliative care capability

As part of the Greater Choice for At Home Palliative Care Program, in December 2025, Brisbane North PHN published the Palliative Care Needs Assessment, following a six-month process of data collation and stakeholder consultation. The PHN also published a response to the assessment, outlining our approach to respond to the identified needs over the next three years.

Thus far in response, Brisbane North PHN has held 23 education events on palliative care to help upskill and support the workforce delivering palliative care, totalling 762 participants—97.9 per cent of which gave feedback that they would recommend the event to their colleagues. The PHN also hosted 10 meetings of the Brisbane North Palliative Care Collaborative, with an annual evaluation revealing an increase in members feeling both valued and supported by the group, as well as personally valuing the group. Collaborative participants shared:

• ‘I think the group is very inclusive and open – you feel like you could contact others for information, advice and brainstorming issues if required. The group is a very valuable and meaningful resource to have on hand.’

• ‘I am a very new member and am new to the Palliative Care sector. I have really enjoyed the diversity of the group, the openness/friendliness. I feel welcomed and when I have spoken (even briefly and being new) I felt listened to.’

Throughout FY 2025-26, Brisbane North PHN worked to expand opportunities for people in our community to share their experiences, perspectives and priorities, ensuring community voice remained at the heart of planning, commissioning and service design. This collaborative approach helped shape initiatives that are more responsive to local needs and delivered lasting impact for the communities we serve.

People Bank platform enabling more community voices

As part of the PHN’s commitment to being informed and led by community, People Bank was established to create more opportunities to hear from and respond to the diverse lived and living experiences of people accessing local health services. Launched in June 2026, 55 individuals registered in the first four weeks to participate in a range of engagement activities that help inform and shape PHN programs, services and initiatives. 

People Bank addresses a longstanding gap in participant recruitment by providing staff with a broader and more sustainable engagement pathway, reducing reliance on existing advisory and partner networks that are often over utilised. People Bank also strengthens relationships with community members by creating a more effective mechanism for community involvement, ensuring that PHN planning, decision-making and service design are genuinely informed and led by community voice.

Community Advisory Committee providing strong representation and invaluable input

Brisbane North PHN’s Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meets four times a year to bring community perspective to the PHN so that decisions, investments and innovations meet the needs of our diverse region. 

Over the last financial year, members contributed to several important projects, including: 

• participating in discussions to better understand community experiences of navigating the child health and disability system in the region
• providing feedback on PHN procurement processes supporting lived/living experience representatives on tender assessment panels
• improving how the PHN embeds lived/living experience voices across the commissioning cycle 
• providing input into the development of Metro North Health’s Consumer Feedback Framework. 

Additionally, several CAC members participated in ad hoc opportunities led by the PHN or partners, including consultations to embed a multidisciplinary model of care in GP practices, lived/living experience representation on tender assessment panels and committees and contributing to the Metro North Health Board Consumer and Community forum. 

Medicare Mental Health Centre Chermside: informed by community choice

Brisbane North PHN has placed community voices at the centre of planning for the new Medicare Mental Health Centre in Chermside. Through a series of online and face-to-face consultations with the PHN, 30 people with lived and living experience of mental health challenges, including service users, family members and carers, shared their insights on what local mental health support should look like.

Participants highlighted the need for stronger continuity of care, greater inclusion of carers, culturally safe and trauma-informed support and better coordination between services. This feedback is directly shaping the centre’s design and service model, helping ensure it responds to community priorities and local needs. By listening to people with firsthand experience, the Chermside Medicare Mental Health Centre is being developed as a service that reflects and is guided by the community it will support.

Learning from Elders through a First Nations engagement workshop

Brisbane North PHN strives to deliver culturally informed engagement and services within our community. Recognising that reconciliation is ongoing, as is our commitment to continuous learning about First Nations cultures, Brisbane Noth PHN hosted an engagement workshop for staff, facilitated by Kabi Kabi Elders Aunty Deb Jackson and Aunty Lynn Chapman.

The interactive workshop involved discussions around building and strengthening relationships with local First Nations peoples and communities in a commissioning environment. Read more about the workshop.

In FY 2025-26, Brisbane North PHN continued to strengthen the foundations of primary care across the region by connecting clinicians, supporting practice sustainability, building workforce capability and driving innovation. Working alongside general practice, allied health, aged care and health system partners, the PHN helped create a more integrated, resilient and connected primary care sector. These efforts supported clinicians to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care while helping ensure the primary care system is well positioned to meet the future needs of our growing and diverse community.

General Practice Liaison Officer (GPLO) Program fostering a more connected and engaged primary care community 

The General Practice Liaison Officer (GPLO) Program played a pivotal role in strengthening relationships between general practice, community services and Metro North Health, advancing integrated and networked care in the Brisbane North PHN region. By acting as a trusted link between sectors, the program supported clearer communication, improved referral pathways, and enabled greater access to services and more coordinated care for patients. During FY 2025-26, the team:  

• delivered 38 hours of education across six GPLO-led education events for 579 GPs and primary care clinicians; and 12 orientation sessions for resident medical officers and registrars
• participated in 96 committees and working groups representative of 63 local, 29 statewide and four national groups to provide advice and feedback on models of care, service provision, patient pathways and health service planning
• completed 20 general practice visits and responded to 283 enquiries with general practice and primary care stakeholders to support uptake of integrated systems
• published 147 unique articles. 

Through ongoing collaboration and partnership, the GPLO Program continued to make it easier for clinicians to navigate Metro North Health and connect patients with the right care at the right time.  

Continuous quality improvement initiatives saving lives

With funding from Queensland Health, in June 2026 Brisbane North PHN completed a continuous quality improvement (CQI) initiative with general practices in cervical, bowel and lung cancer screening across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay.

Sixty-eight practices completed the screening in FY 2025-2026, undertaking a range of improvement actions, including identifying patients who had missed screening opportunities, improving conversations about screening, strengthening recall and follow-up processes and embedding screening prompts into routine care.

One participating practice stated, ‘Participating in these CQI actions reinforced the value of opportunistic conversations with our patients, and how these conversations can lead to better health outcomes.’

Another practice noted the importance of having a thorough cancer screening recall initiative in place: ‘Due to our thorough recall process, we had a client who was recalled and diagnosed and now has treatment options available to her.’

Implementing digital best practice for patient-centred care

Throughout the year, the digital health team supported general practices to adopt, optimise and sustain a broad range of digital health initiatives, strengthening connectivity across primary care and the wider health system. Support included Primary Sense implementation and optimisation, MyMedicare, Provider Connect Australia, My Health Record initiatives, Secure Transfer Service (STS), Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) Discharge Summaries, Health Provider Portal, GP Smart Referral, digital health training, and practice support during ownership transitions.

Working collaboratively with Metro North Health, the Australian Digital Health Agency, GPLOs and internal PHN teams, the team helped streamline referral pathways, strengthen digital capability and promote greater integration between primary and secondary care. This work enabled practices to confidently implement digital health solutions, improve interoperability and enhance the delivery of connected, patient-centred care across the region.

Leading national reform through the MyMedicare program

In FY 2025–26, Brisbane North PHN led the national coordination of MyMedicare reform implementation under the National MyMedicare Program in our region, which nationally returned $14.50–$24 for every $1 invested (1,450 per cent return on investment on resources and communications, 2,396 per cent on change leadership and coordination). 

Eighty-six co-designed resources and 37 national articles accelerated adoption of MyMedicare, GP Bulk Billing Incentives and aged care reforms. This led to 75 per cent of general practices being MyMedicare-registered, more than 96 per cent of aged care residents registered with General Practice Aged Care Incentive and a 4.6 per cent increase in national GP bulk billing.

The program enhanced PHN understanding of bulk billing changes, contributing to increased capacity and capability. In our region, we supported 86 practices with specific queries relating to MyMedicare, featured MyMedicare in 11 editions of our publication Practice Link and distributed 10 dedicated MyMedicare Bulletins. Bulk billing in our region increased by 3.74 per cent over the financial year.

New initiative helps practices strengthen their sustainability and maturity

In 2026, Brisbane North PHN launched its first practice sustainability initiative by introducing the Practice Catalyst self-assessment tool. This tool helped general practices across the region better understand their practices’ maturity and sustainability.

More than 90 practices completed the structured self-assessment by 30 June 2026 and received a personalised Practice Development Plan with tailored recommendations and practical resources. 

Assessment findings enabled Brisbane North PHN to undertake a sustainability needs analysis for the first time, stratifying practices according to their level of need and allocating targeted support packages, including business coaching, strategic planning, workforce development, digital tools and peer learning opportunities to ensure resources were distributed fairly, transparently and where they could have the greatest impact.

General practice support continues to deliver accessible, timely assistance

Throughout the year, the PHN’s Primary Care team delivered responsive, ongoing support to approximately 300 general practices across the region, managing 564 enquiries through the Practice Support email inbox and phone line. This high level of engagement reflects our commitment to providing accessible, timely assistance to practices when it was needed most.

Beyond supporting practices to navigate major system changes—including MyMedicare, bulk billing reforms and updates to the Medicare Benefits Schedule—our team served as a trusted source of expert advice across a broad range of practice management and clinical support areas. This included guidance on immunisation, accreditation, establishing and closing general practices, and the effective use of digital health systems, helping practices adapt to change and deliver high-quality patient care.

The Practice Support website continued to be a valuable resource for general practice teams, providing a central hub for clinical alerts, news, tools and practical resources. With thousands of views each month, the website has become a well-known source of timely information and support for practice managers and staff across the region, complemented by the well-received Practice Link and GP Link newsletters.

Educational visiting programs building capability

During FY2025-26, a Brisbane North PHN partnership with the Quality Use of Medicines Alliance delivered educational visiting programs on oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation, antidepressants in young people, and menopausal hormone therapy.   

A total of 84 educational visits were delivered across 53 general practices and three residential aged care homes, engaging 529 health professionals including 341 GPs, 122 nurses, 48 pharmacists and 15 allied health professionals.

Shaping the future of the allied health sector in our region

Allied health professionals play a valuable role in primary care, keeping patients well and supported in the community. In FY 2025-26, allied health was a key priority for the PHN. To learn more about the sector and their support needs, the PHN facilitated a series of engagement activities including service mapping, a support needs survey, focus groups and interviews. To date, 215 allied health professionals from across the region have participated, informing the Allied Health Support Plan (2026-2028)—a roadmap of activities to be implemented by the PHN to address local need.

The Allied Health Steering Committee was also established in FY 2025-26, with representation across health disciplines and workplace settings including Metro North Health, community and private sectors. Further, the Allied Health Collaborative was re-invigorated to provide the sector with a voice in primary care and has over 1,100 allied health practices connected with the PHN and receiving regular updates via Allied Health Connect—a dedicated bi-monthly newsletter for allied health professionals which launched in April 2026.

HealthPathways a vital, well-adopted tool for clinicians

HealthPathways is an online clinical and referral resource that supports local clinicians to deliver consistent, evidence-based care and connect patients with the right services. During FY 2025-26, ongoing pathway development, content reviews and strong user engagement highlighted its value as a trusted tool across the Brisbane North PHN region.

In FY 2025-26: 

• 25 new clinical pathways were published 
• 143 clinical pathways were reviewed 
• 100 service and resource pages were reviewed 
• 148,000 pages were viewed by users 
• 950 users created an individual account since the shift to and launch of individual accounts in November 2025.

ACOP Measure sees successful adoption rates 12 months on

Brisbane North PHN has been supporting the implementation of the Aged Care Onsite Pharmacist Measure. Twelve months on, the adoption rate of the measure has been extremely successful in our region, with more than one third (36 per cent) of residential aged care homes (RACHs) already engaging an Aged Care Onsite Pharmacist (ACOP).

Initial feedback from RACHs has been universally positive, with one home citing the new roles as ‘an indispensable part of our team’, noting they could not imagine going back to the previous model of working now that the ACOP is in place.

Feedback regarding resident experiences has also been overwhelmingly positive, with staff noting how grateful residents are to be able to visit the pharmacist in their home and how much value has been added for families who can now regularly consult on their loved one's medication management with the ACOP.

Read more about the successful adoption of the ACOP measure in our region.

In FY 2025-26, Brisbane North PHN continued to strengthen the organisational foundations that support better health outcomes across our region. From investing in our people and workplace culture to strengthening clinical governance, fostering partnerships and embedding First Nations perspectives, these initiatives helped ensure the PHN remained well positioned to respond to local needs, support health system reform and maximise our impact for the communities we serve.

New office location strengthening connection and collaboration

In February 2026, Brisbane North PHN relocated from Lutwyche to Level 1, 14 Banfield Street, Chermside, to position the PHN closer to our stakeholders and partners, fostering greater opportunities for collaboration. Importantly, the new location also positions us in the heart of the communities we serve.

In April, the PHN held an intimate yet meaningful office opening ceremony, attended by partner organisations, community representatives, PHN Board of Directors and staff, and Senator for Queensland Corinne Mulholland. The PHN’s offices have since held many events, training opportunities, workshops and meetings with our partners.

The office move provided an opportunity to firmly embed First Nations culture into the space, with meeting rooms named in consultation with Turrbal Dippil in the local Turrbal language. Turrbal woman Refiti Tovi launched the new names and performed a blessing song in a meaningful ceremony. Throughout the office are First Nations works of art, including Brisbane North PHN’s Reconciliation Action Plan artwork Flowing Knowledge, Healing Country by Riki Salam greeting visitors as they enter.

National recognition for workplace excellence

As FY 2025-26 drew to a close, Brisbane North PHN was named an Excellence Nominee in the Australian HR Awards, the premier independent program recognising Australia's leading HR professionals, teams and employers.

The nomination in the Employer of Choice (Public Sector and Not-for-Profit) category recognised Brisbane North PHN's commitment to fostering a positive workplace culture, supporting employee wellbeing and continuously improving the employee experience. The recognition reflects the strong organisational foundations that enable staff to deliver meaningful outcomes for our community.

This recognition of a strong workplace culture was echoed by PHN staff, 88 per cent of which in this financial year’s annual staff engagement survey rated the PHN as a ‘truly great place to work’.

First Nations student placement providing opportunity, building cultural capability

As part of Brisbane North PHN’s partnership with the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH), the Team Care team welcomed students from Pathways Our Way Academy (POWA) for work placement opportunities this financial year.

This partnership is focused on creating meaningful opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Through the placement program, two students—Olivia and Piper—gained valuable workplace experience, providing them with hands-on exposure to allied health careers and a greater understanding of the healthcare sector.

On the placement, Piper said: ‘It was a great placement, and I felt so welcome and so grateful to be able to learn with all of the amazing people at the PHN. Thankyou.’

Olivia said: ‘The home visits were my valuable aspects at this placement, being out of the office and doing hands-on things.’

At the same time, the students brought valuable lived experience, cultural knowledge and fresh perspectives that enriched the Team Care team. Their contribution has helped strengthen the team’s cultural capability while fostering trust and connection within the community.

Building a stronger commissioning system for the future

In FY 2025-26, Brisbane North PHN continued to strengthen its commissioning capability to ensure investments are informed by evidence, shaped by community needs and focused on achieving measurable outcomes.

Over the year, the PHN enhanced approaches to needs assessment, community engagement, outcomes measurement, evaluation and value-for-money assessment, strengthening the PHN’s ability to identify priority needs, assess service impact and direct resources where they can achieve the greatest benefit.

Community members consistently told the PHN they wanted more direct opportunities to help shape local services and investments. In response, Brisbane North PHN strengthened its in-house co-design capability and embedded the use ofthe Lived and Living Experience Toolkit across commissioning activities. This provided a consistent framework for engaging consumers, carers and lived and living experience representatives throughout the commissioning cycle, ensuring their insights directly informed planning, service design and investment decisions.

While many organisations rely on external providers to undertake co-design activities, Brisbane North PHN increasingly delivered this work in-house, enabling more frequent, meaningful and ongoing engagement with the communities we serve.

Combined with increased use of population health data, service performance information and community insights, these improvements are laying the foundations for more place-based, outcomes-focused commissioning and helping maximise the impact of every dollar invested in local health services.

Celebrating 10 years of PHNs

This year marked 10 years of Primary Health Networks. Brisbane North PHN was the first PHN to be established and today, we are one of 31 PHNs across Australia.

Watch the video below to hear more about our shared impact.

Informing PHN priorities through clinical expertise

Brisbane North PHN’s Clinical Council continued to provide strategic clinical expertise to inform planning, decision-making and communication activities throughout FY 2025-26.

Multidisciplinary members of the Council contributed to a range of priority projects, including exploring clinical experiences of navigating the child health and disability system, informing the development of a new component of the Early Intervention Program for older people, identifying barriers and enablers to allied health engagement and providing feedback to support the rollout of HealthLink SmartForms for mental health referrals.

Council members also contributed their expertise through participation on tender assessment panels, including those established to support the commissioning of two new Medicare Urgent Care Clinics.

The Clinicians’ Advisory Group has GP membership and provides advice on programs and projects undertaken by the PHN and to our strategic partners. They also act as the clinical governance reference group for PHN delivered services. Members contributed to a range of priority projects, including Quality Use of Medicines Alliance topics, multicultural emergency department avoidance project, Team Care model of care, Practice Sustainability in Primary Care, Mental Health Care Partners Program, quality improvement initiatives in general practice, and QUT’s new Medical Program.