Wollondilly Health Alliance re-launches with fresh priorities for a growing shire
06 Feb 2024
The Alliance is a formal partnership between Wollondilly Shire
Council, South Western Sydney Local Health District and South
Western Sydney Primary Health Network. 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.
• Continue to embed the principles of health and wellbeing into
Council’s daily operations through joint training initiatives.
• Increasing awareness about the impacts that disasters have
on health and wellbeing and how communities can better
prepare themselves.
Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould said, “The Wollondilly Shire will face
significant challenges over the next few years due to our growing
population.”
“We will continue to strongly advocate for the health services we need
for our current and future communities.”
“I look forward to working collaboratively through the Wollondilly
Health Alliance to improve health outcomes for all our community
members.”
Sonia Marshall, Chief Executive of South Western Sydney Local
Health District, said the Alliance will 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 trialling innovative
approaches to shape the health care of the future.”
Dr Keith McDonald PhD, Chief Executive Officer of South Western
Sydney Primary Health Network, 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.”
