Topic: Strengthening prevention & partnerships

Partnering to support and improve the health and wellbeing of the Wollondilly community, the Wollondilly Health Alliance has been re-launched with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The alliance is a formal partnership between Wollondilly Shire Council, South Western Sydney Local Health District and SWSPHN. It was initially formed in March 2014 to connect services and improve health outcomes for the community.

Following a review of the previous governance structure and focus areas, the refreshed Wollondilly Health Alliance aims to apply a fresh and coordinated approach to meeting the diverse health and wellbeing needs of people in the Wollondilly Shire.

The new priorities for the Wollondilly Health Alliance over the period of the MoU include:

• Carrying out a health needs assessment for the growing Wollondilly community to support planning and advocacy for future health services
• Strengthening access to, and availability of, an integrated network of health services across the Wollondilly Shire including telemedicine
• Continuing to embed the principles of health and wellbeing into the council’s daily operations through joint training initiatives
• Increasing awareness about the impacts disasters have on health and wellbeing, and how communities can better prepare themselves

Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said Wollondilly Shire would face significant challenges over the next few years due to its growing population.

“We will continue to strongly advocate for the health services we need for our current and future communities,” he said.

“I look forward to working collaboratively through the Wollondilly Health Alliance to improve health outcomes for all our community members.”

South Western Sydney Local Health District Chief Executive Sonia Marshall said the alliance would draw on each partner’s strengths. 

“By working together and sharing our expertise, skills and resources, the alliance has the potential to achieve greater outcomes collectively,” she said.

“We will deliver projects aimed at improving social connection and health access for the community, including trialing innovative approaches to shape the health care of the future.”

SWSPHN Chief Executive Officer, Dr Keith McDonald PhD, said the new MoU reflected the alliance’s evolution into a more results-oriented partnership.

“With the Wilton and Appin expansions, the population of Wollondilly is set to triple in the next 30 years,” he said.

“The alliance is focused on identifying what health services are needed to support this growing population, and ultimately, what we need to do to improve the health and wellbeing of Wollondilly residents.

“The alliance will be looking to better coordinate our preparedness for, and response to natural disasters, and to improve how virtual technologies are used to ensure local health services are working smarter, not harder.

“The new alliance structure allows us to build on the solid foundation of work undertaken during the past decade.”

CAPTION:

Back row (left to right):

Peter Buckley, Wollondilly Shire Council, Director Shire Services

Ben Neville, South Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Integration and Priority Populations Manager

Matt Gould, Wollondilly Mayor

Dr Keith McDonald, South Western Sydney Primary Health Network, Chief Executive Officer.

Front row (left to right):

Mandy Williams, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Director of Population Health

Sonia Marshall, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Chief Executive

Our Disaster Management team joined representatives from NSW Rural Fire Service, Fire & Rescue NSW, NSW SES, Wollondilly Shire Council, the Rapid Relief Team and the NSW Police Force on Saturday for the Wollondilly Emergency Services Expo at Picton.

Community members had some fun – experiencing the sensation of handling an active fire hose, climbing into a fire truck, and watching oil and fire demonstrations. These engaging experiences were designed to underscore the very serious message, the importance of preparing for a disaster.

Our team chatted with community members about the disaster preparedness flyer which focuses on highlighting the five simple steps to follow to ensure your health and wellbeing are be prioritised during disaster.

The flyer – which can be found here – seemed to resonate with the community, making them think about how they should start preparing to ensure they could still access their medications or their doctor during an emergency.

Our stall was also an opportunity to raise awareness about the role of SWSPHN and the programs and services we fund.

     

     

     

     

GambleAware Week, 16 to 22 October, is an annual initiative to increase awareness of gambling and gambling harm.

It’s an opportunity to increase our community’s understanding of risky gambling behaviour, encourage gamblers to recognise when their gambling may place them at risk of harm, and provide information on practical ways to keep their gambling under control.

This year’s theme What’s gambling costing you? is encouraging people to think about the costs of gambling not only on their finances but also the impacts on health, relationships or careers.

As we near GambleAware Week, this special feature looks at gambling in South Western Sydney and where our community can turn for support.

Gambling harm impacts not only individuals but communities around them.

SWSPHN’s 2022 Needs Assessment found there are high levels of gambling harm in South Western Sydney, particularly in the Fairfield Local Government Area (LGA)¹.

The NSW Gambling Survey² showed one in two adults in NSW gamble, with lotteries and instant scratch lottery tickets comprising 50 per cent of the total gambling methods.

However, 16 per cent of the total are gaming machines², and are considered to present the greatest risk of harm¹. 

It is estimated one per cent of adults in NSW fall within the severe end of problem gambling and are experiencing harm related to gambling such as financial harm, breakdown of relationships, psychological distress, impaired functioning at work and are more likely to commit criminal activities.

For each person experiencing gambling harm, five to 10 others are impacted³.

According to Liquor and Gaming NSW⁴ as of April 2023 there are a total of 3,788 gaming machines in clubs and hotels in Fairfield LGA.

Between June and November 2022, gambling profits for clubs only in the Fairfield LGA were more than $225 million.

These are the highest profits in NSW, followed by Bankstown LGA with more than $204 million, Cumberland LGA with over $132 Million and the Central Coast LGA with over $121 million.

It is noted both Bankstown and Cumberland LGAs border Fairfield LGA, with the combined gambling profits for clubs of more than $562 million.  

Although specific profits for gaming machines in hotels are not listed, it is noted three out of 10 of the top-ranking hotels for gaming machine profits for NSW are in Fairfield LGA⁴.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics⁵ in 2021, Fairfield LGA was one of the most disadvantaged Local Government Areas in Australia.

Is gambling affecting your life, get help by speaking with your GP or visit one of these sites for support:

• GambleAware, NSW
• Gambling Help Online
• SWSLHD Gambling Help Service
• Gamblers Anonymous

Sources:

1. 2022 South Western Sydney Primary Health Network Needs Assessment, SWSPHN 2022
2. NSW Gambling Survey 2019, Office of Responsible Gambling NSW, 2020
3. Enhancing gambling harm screening and referrals to gambling support services in general practice and community service settings in Fairfield LGA: A pilot study, Nguyen, McGhie et al 2020
4. Six-Monthly Gaming Machine Data – Liquor & Gaming NSW
5. Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), Australia, 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)