24 June 2025
SWSPHN’s 2025 Health Needs Assessment asks three key questions: What do we have? What else do we need? How do we get it?
It’s a snapshot of the region’s health services against the background of its community needs – and the basis for all strategic planning.
All PHNs are required by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) to submit a Health Needs Assessment report for their region every November. The collective reports are then used by DHDA to prioritise funding and ensure they are aligned to population needs. It also serves to ensure all PHNs are working to achieve the goals they have set.
It’s necessary because PHNs have two primary goals: improving the efficiency and effectiveness of health services for people, particularly those at risk of poor health outcomes; and improving the coordination of health services to increase access and ensure quality support.
At SWSPHN we need to have a good understanding of our region’s geography, its people and their health issues as well as the health services they use, the availability of services and the gaps between what they have and what they need today, and in the future.
Each year the Health Needs Assessment delivers this information collated into one document.
In doing so, the assessment provides the foundation on which to build strategic planning for the organisation by SWSPHN’s executive and management teams, as well as the first place for our teams to look when planning for projects and services. It’s also a useful resource for smaller organisations who may want to begin a health service or submit a commissioning response for funding.
All activities included in SWSPHN’s Annual Activity Work Plan must reference a demonstrated need in the Health Needs Assessment document.
How is it created?
The Health Needs Assessment is a continuous process divided into a three-year cycle. This year – 2025 – is the second year of the current cycle. It involves updates from new data releases and the addition of changes and emerging issues.
Production of the report is a large project which draws on the skills and knowledge of staff from across SWSPHN. The data team then creates and updates the array of visualisations which appear throughout the report. Managers and their delegates provide updates which summarise opportunities as well as the work which is already under way.
Where does the information come from?
To write the needs assessment report, SWSPHN draws on both quantitative (numbers) data and qualitative (what people say) data from a range of sources.
The qualitative data is drawn primarily from our local health forums and deep-dive consultations with community and service providers. We present to our Community Advisory Committee each year for feedback before the report is submitted to DHDA.
Quantitative data sources include the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the NSW Ministry of Health Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence and other published data sources and literature reports.
We look at data covering each of seven local government areas which make up our region, and the South Western Sydney region, and compare them to state and national data to establish patterns and trends within our population, its health issues and health services usage.
Once all this is done, the issues are prioritised and opportunities for improvement are identified and reported.
Snapshot of the 2025-2028 Health Needs Assessment report
Primary Care Workforce
Reduced business viability, difficulties in recruiting and retaining GPs and practice nurses, GP retirements and practice closures are key issues in South Western Sydney (SWS). The reduced affordability, availability and accessibility of healthcare reported by community members across the region is the natural flow on from workforce issues, coupled with population growth and failures in other health sectors such as specialist services.
First Nations people’s health
While our First Nations communities still experience poorer health outcomes than others in South Western Sydney in many areas, they are leading the way in childhood immunisation and reducing smoking rates in pregnancy.
CALD and Refugee Communities
Our region experiences poorer outcomes and significant health access and equity issues for culturally diverse and refugee communities. In 2021, 42.4 per cent of residents in the region were born overseas, compared with 34.6 per cent for NSW. Key contributors include low health literacy, poor English proficiency and lack of use of interpreters, lack of culturally safe services, cultural norms and perceptions of the health system, low participation in cancer screening and issues with refugee health assessments and ongoing care.
Older people’s health
The proportion of the region’s population over 65 years is growing. Health issues, especially falls, frailty, dementia and associated behavioural symptoms, elder abuse and complex multimorbidity increase health service usage and reduce independence placing increasing demand on health, aged care and carer services.
Overweight and obesity
Our region has higher than state rates of both overweight and obesity in both adults and children from age five years. Hospitalisations related to overweight and obesity are higher in SWS than in NSW generally. This is also associated with a range of chronic diseases which have high rates such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Want to learn more? Read the latest Health Needs Assessment Report.
