The NSW Regional Health Strategic Plan for the years 2022-2032 is specifically tailored to address the needs of regional, rural, and remote communities. It will serve as the guiding document for NSW Health’s strategic initiatives for the next decade, outlining a roadmap for the future provision of healthcare services that recognises and celebrates the diverse and unique characteristics of regional communities.
The vision of the plan is to establish a sustainable, equitable, and integrated health system that delivers outcomes that are most meaningful to patients and the community in regional, rural, and remote areas of NSW. The plan emphasises six strategic priorities:
- Strengthen the regional workforce
- Facilitate better access to safe, high-quality, and timely health services
- Promote health and well-being through prevention and education
- Keep communities informed, foster engagement, and actively seek feedback
- Enhance the integration of primary, community, and hospital care
- Harness and evaluate innovation to support a sustainable health system
This plan closely aligns with “Future Health: Guiding the Next Decade of Care in NSW 2022-2032,” which provides the overarching strategic framework and priorities for the entire healthcare system in the coming decade. Ongoing collaboration and alignment between the Regional Health Strategic Plan and Future Health are expected to yield shared outcomes that enhance regional health services and overall health outcomes for residents in regional, rural, and remote NSW.
To fortify community engagement and uphold co-design principles in healthcare development for regional NSW, a Regional Health Ministerial Advisory Panel was announced in October 2023. The panel members include:
- Chair Rochard Colbran PhD
- Mrs Anna Barwick
- Ms Karen Booth
- Cr Rick Firman OAM
- Mrs Louise Fox
- Ms Laura Hand-Ross
- Professor Jennifer May AM
- Mrs Christine Corby AM
- Ms Kelly Foran
- Ms Shana Quayle
