Adelaide PHN Board Announcement - Celebrating Our Exiting Chair and Welcoming Our New Chair
Tuesday, September 01 2020
Adelaide PHN would like to inform all stakeholders, members, partners, commissioned service providers and the broader Adelaide PHN community of the resignation of our Board Chair, Dr Nick Vlachoulis on the 31 August 2020.
It is indeed the end of a chapter in primary health care, with Dr Vlachoulis commencing as the inaugural Chair of the Adelaide PHN from 1 July 2015. Nick brought with him a wealth of previous experience, having been the Chair of the Northern Adelaide Medicare Local (NAML) from 2012-2015 and the Chair of the Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice (ANDGP) from 2011, previously as a Board Director from 2008. A significant dedication of over 12 years serving his community on the Board of our primary health care organisations as they have evolved. Concurrently, Nick has continued (and will continue!) his own general practice in Salisbury – well respected by his patients and the community.
Nick’s passion and commitment to primary health care and the community has driven and inspired each of his fellow Board Directors and all the stakeholders, members and partners of these evolving primary health care organisations over the years. His dedication to improving the health outcomes, for not only his patients, but for the broader Adelaide community is truly inspirational. With Nick’s leadership, Adelaide PHN is now in its sixth year of operations and has established itself as a strong steward, facilitator and commissioner of high quality, effective and efficient primary health care in the Adelaide region. Nick ensured that the world of general practice was brought to our strategic discussions, but never at the expense of the broader primary health care network of providers in our region. His leadership style was indeed inclusive, collaborative and democratic.
We would like to sincerely thank Nick for all his hard work, dedication and passion, and wish him well in his future endeavours. We are certain that we will continue to see Nick contributing to general practice and the health of our community for many years to come! Nick officially steps down from the Adelaide PHN Board as of the 31 October 2020.
Accordingly, the Adelaide PHN Board duly elected a new Board Chair,
Mr Tom Symonds, who has been on the Adelaide PHN Board since 2016. Tom joined the Adelaide PHN Board as a Member Elected Director and was re-elected to that position in 2019. Tom was previously an establishing member of the Adelaide PHN Central Community Advisory Council.
Tom has worked in health services management in the UK and SA for over 20 years. He has extensive experience and knowledge of the complexities and challenges of delivering today’s health care. He has a strong interest in innovative service development, such as maximising the benefits of digital health. Tom is passionate about strong public involvement in the planning and delivery of health services, as an integral part of good clinical governance to ensure the highest quality care possible. Tom’s other roles include responsibilities for supporting the delivery of high quality health and medical teaching and research programs within the tertiary sector and he is currently the Strategic Research Services Manager at Flinders University. With a passion and keen interest in health workforce development, he serves as a community member of the South Australian Board of the Medical Board of Australia, the South Australian Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia and the Australian Medical Council.
The Board, CEO and staff of Adelaide PHN know that Dr Nick Vlachoulis will remain a staunch supporter and advocate for our organisation and we look forward to the next chapter under Tom Symonds’ leadership as Chair.