Who we are

Shaping the health system to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people, and a healthier Adelaide.

Our Approach

Adelaide PHN is the local Primary Health Network (PHN) for the Adelaide region.

Adelaide PHN is an independent, not-for-profit organisation funded by the Australian Government.

Adelaide PHN works with primary health care professionals and communities to understand our region's health and wellbeing needs. Through a comprehensive needs assessment we identify the key population health and service needs of people in our region. We use this information as the basis for our consultation with our Advisory Councils, Peak Bodies, health professionals and community to inform the commissioning of programs and services to deliver better health outcomes.

Adelaide PHN commissions services to meet population health needs and reduce barriers to access for communities with the highest needs by:

identifying and addressing health service gaps based on careful planning and analysis
commissioning safe, equitable health services in response to people’s needs
improving access to health services across our priority populations
partnering to deliver better health outcomes and experiences of care for all people.

What is a Primary Health Network (PHN)?

PHNs play a crucial role in supporting health reform by driving local innovation to meet specific local health needs and supporting consistent local delivery of national and co-commissioned programs.

Purpose and objective

In-line with the quintuple aim of successful health reform, Primary Health Networks (PHNs) deliver 3 core functions:

Coordinate and integrate local health care services in collaboration with Local Health Networks (LHN) to improve quality of care, people's experience and efficient use of resources.
Commission primary care and mental health services to address population health needs and gaps in service delivery and to improve access and equity.
Capacity-build and provide practice support to primary care and mental health providers to support quality care delivery.

PHNs primary objectives are to keep people well, particularly people with chronic health conditions and mental illness, and reduce avoidable hospital presentations in their regions. To accomplish this, PHNs deliver national programs using a 'place-based' approach – tailoring initiatives to meet their local population's health needs.

Quintuple aim of successful health reform

Improve people's experience of care
Improve the cost efficiency of the health system
Improve equity of access and outcomes
Improve the health of populations
Improve the work life of health care providers

To find our more about PHNs' core functions and activities

We partner to drive health innovation

Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan sets the foundation for us to address health inequities and inequalities by working with our partners to shape the health system to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people. Adelaide PHN recognises the contribution partnering makes to the achievement of our key strategies.

Partnering allows us to facilitate a sustainable primary health care system characterised by innovative care pathways by improving coordination, efficiency, and effectiveness of and between health and relevant community services. We work with a broad range of partners including non-government organisations, state government departments including SA Department of Health and Wellbeing and Local Health Networks, Universities, local councils, and peak bodies.

We co-create with our Advisory Councils and others to improve health equity and access through planning, designing and commissioning of inclusive, culturally sensitive, and structurally appropriate services across all levels of the health system.

We commission and co-create health services

Adelaide PHN works with general practices, allied and community health service providers, our Advisory Councils and community to identify health needs and service gaps. We then co-design, co-create and commission services and programs to address local needs using locally informed, place-based frameworks for delivering models of care. Our work helps people access safe, equitable and timely health care where it’s most needed.

Documents

Our strategy

Adelaide PHN's vision is ‘shaping the health system to deliver better outcomes for vulnerable people, and a healthier Adelaide’.

Our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan puts a renewed focus on health equity and access and supports place-based initiatives that inspire approaches to improving health outcomes for local populations.

Following an extensive engagement with community, health practitioners, Advisory Councils, Local Health Networks, Adelaide PHN staff and Board Directors, our strategy has provided a roadmap of activity during its tenure.

The plan describes key trends, challenges and opportunities identified by a cross section of stakeholders representing Adelaide PHN’s diverse catchment.

Strategic Plan Archive

Our Signature Behaviours

At Adelaide PHN we believe that true organisational success comes from creating the right conditions for our staff so they can succeed by focusing on what really matters.

Adelaide PHN’s Stepping 4ward is our culture change initiative – aiming to support all of us to work together in healthier and more effective ways in a spirit of mutual support and collective achievement. Essentially, our focus Stepping 4ward is three-fold. We want to transform our culture whilst at the same time improving performance across the whole of our organisation and making the Adelaide PHN a great place to work.

At the heart of Stepping 4ward are our four signature behaviours. Our aim is to have all our people positively demonstrating these behaviours and working collectively to achieve our shared performance goals and celebrating our successes. Our signature behaviours are:

Our Organisation

We employ over 90 talented and skilled professionals.

We are committed to creating and maintaining a flexible and inclusive work environment and are committed to providing opportunities for employees to learn and develop both personally and professionally. We are an organisation that values trust, empathy, courage, fairness, integrity and optimism, with colleagues who are friendly, supportive and eager to take on challenges as a team.

We are committed to creating a safe and inclusive culture for all our people, health providers, partners and community members.

The contribution and participation of people with diverse bodies, identities and experiences is crucial to the work we do and allows us to shape a health system that is fit for the future.

To support Board members, our people and council members in recognising and celebrating diversity, we have:

Developed a Reconciliation Action Plan
Established a Reconciliation Working Group, Rainbow Working Group and Multicultural Working Group who are responsible for cultural leadership and quality improvement across the organisation
Established an Aboriginal Community Advisory Council and a Community Advisory Council that is reflective of the community we serve who inform and shape our work and mature our inclusive practice.
Launched our Aboriginal Cultural Competency and Capability framework and the PHN Multicultural Health framework
Recognised by the Diversity Council of Australia as an Inclusive Employer for 2023/24 - testament to our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected.

Organisational Chart

Organisational Chart October 2025 (174 KB - pdf)