In the lead up to Allied Health Professions Day on 14 October, SWSPHN would like to thank all allied health practitioners who support our communities every day.
By 2041, South Western Sydney is expected to have a population of almost 1.6 million people, bringing with it a unique set of healthcare challenges.
Our region has an ageing population, while also experiencing increasing numbers of children and young families.
Addressing both healthy ageing and early childhood intervention within an increasingly complex healthcare system means no single primary care profession can meet the healthcare needs of our community alone.
Allied health professionals are a vital part of the primary care workforce, delivering high-quality, person-centred care while working alongside GPs, nurses and other health professionals to improve health outcomes across our region.
Multidisciplinary team-based care is a foundational pillar of a healthier community.
The breakdown below represents the AHPRA-regulated allied health workforce in our region. It does not include allied health professions which are not regulated by AHPRA.
Our Primary Care Workforce team is extremely fortunate to be able to engage with allied health practitioners across South Western Sydney.
Our team members are experienced allied health practitioners – Brendan is a pharmacist and Nisha is an occupational therapist. We bring a clinical perspective to our work and are always looking for practical ways to strengthen and support the allied health workforce.
One initiative we are particularly proud of is The Common Ground multidisciplinary CPD series.
Interestingly, before working together, Brendan had little understanding of the role occupational therapists play in primary care, while Nisha had only limited insight into the breadth of pharmacists’ roles beyond medication dispensing. Through working together, we quickly recognised if we had gaps in our understanding of each other’s professions, we likely had similar gaps in our knowledge of the wider allied health workforce.
As we engaged with the health workforce across the region, it became clear many clinicians wanted a better understanding of the different roles each profession plays and how they can work together to provide more coordinated, person-centred care.
This led to the creation of the Common Ground multidisciplinary CPD series, which showcases how GPs, nurses and allied health practitioners collaborate in the management of common chronic conditions affecting our communities.
To date, we have successfully delivered five Common Ground CPD events across South Western Sydney, with more than 50 allied health practitioners, 40 nurses and 76 GPs participating.
We remain committed to finding innovative ways to support allied health and strengthen multidisciplinary models of care across our region.
We would also like to hear from you.
Whether you’re interested in presenting at a future Common Ground event, being featured in our Common Ground newsletter, or sharing a successful multidisciplinary model of care from your practice, we welcome your ideas and experiences.
Please contact SWSPHN’s the Allied Health team at alliedhealth@swsphn.com.au or call 4632 3000.
As we celebrate Allied Health Professions Day, we again extend our sincere thanks to every allied health practitioner serving South Western Sydney.
-SWSPHN Primary Care Workforce team