I am delighted to present the 2020-21 South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (SEMPHN) Annual Report.

Our achievements over the past 12 months are testament to the agility and strength of those working on the frontline, especially our primary care workforce, who have continued to adopt innovative approaches to delivering care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen our health sector not only challenged but put under duress. It’s fair to say what we faced last year was only the start of another tough and interesting year.

I would like to acknowledge our general practices who have been at the forefront of adapting to change and having to transform the way they deliver primary health care. Our commitment to supporting general practices throughout the year remained high as we continued to distribute PPE, deliver regular communications and provide digital health solutions to ensure patients continued to access care safely.

As a health organisation, we’ve had to lead a rapid response to the growing needs of our community, understanding the areas most impacted and investing appropriately to ensure those most vulnerable could access care where and when they needed it.

A great example of this is the significantly increased demand for mental health support across the state. By working closely with our partners, we were able to identify the impacts COVID was having on our community, and as a result we invested over $6M over the last year to help improve and increase access to mental health services.

Last September, HeadtoHelp hubs were established as part of the $31.9 million federal government mental health package to support Victorians during the COVID-19 pandemic. These hubs have been vital to supporting our community and have also helped to reduce the burden on general practice and existing mental health services.

It was a privilege to launch SEMPHN’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan which sets out our direction for the next three years. On behalf of the Board, I want to thank our Executive Leadership Team and our staff for working to establish our plan as we continue to achieve our shared vision of improved outcomes for people in south east Melbourne.

Last year we farewelled one of our Board of Directors, Dr Hung The Nguyen following his resignation after serving a number of years as a Board member. Hung’s interest in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse health was extremely valuable in leading and guiding the organisation, particularly across Aboriginal health services. I’d like to thank Hung for his commitment and support to SEMPHN.

I’d also like to thank our CEO Elizabeth Deveny who tendered her resignation during the time of writing this report. I’d like to wish Elizabeth well with her future endeavours and publicly thank her for her time at the helm of our organisation.

The pandemic has been a roller-coaster ride for not only the PHNs but the broader sector and has seen the organisation continue to work tirelessly to help transform the way we deliver primary care in ways we never thought was possible.

On a final note, I would like to thank our Board, Executive Leadership Team and all the staff at SEMPHN for their tremendous work, going above and beyond to support each other and our stakeholders during this time.

Take care and stay safe

Sue Renkin
SEMPHN Chair