It’s an honour to reflect on all we have achieved as a team this year. Since stepping into the CEO role in July, I have been inspired by the passion and expertise of our staff, partners and community; who have consistently come together to support the health and wellbeing of our region.
Together, we have taken meaningful steps to strengthen our partnerships and improve health outcomes across Western Sydney. We began the year with the opening of a new Neighbourhood Health Hub at Rooty Hill in February, which has become a vital point of care and connection within our community. Our work to support the uptake of MyMedicare has also been a significant achievement, with over 88% of eligible practices in our region now registered – an encouraging milestone that demonstrates our region’s commitment to accessible, high quality and connected care.
Our continued focus on placed-based initiatives, including the Cumberland and Mount Druitt Health Care Neighbourhood Networking events, have fostered invaluable connections among health professionals and community. Through these targeted events, we have built upon the collaborative approach needed to advance health and social outcomes across our communities. It is exciting to see this develop into the establishment of the Cumberland Health Care Association in 2025.
Our Strategic Plan Refresh: The Road to 2027 sets out our goals, which are centred on achieving health equity in Western Sydney. In July, we launched our Western Sydney Citizens’ Assembly following the success of our Citizens’ Juries in 2023, a clear example of working towards an equitable health system. This year also marked 10 years of Western Sydney Diabetes, a collaborative initiative which has successfully introduced the 2kg challenge to our region, a known hotspot for type 2 diabetes.
We hosted our Impact West Summit in September, an event that united our primary care community in Western Sydney. The Summit was filled with inspiring discussions and insights from remarkable speakers on topics essential to the future of health care in our region. Discussions focussed on supporting our most vulnerable populations, providing culturally-appropriate care, tackling chronic and complex conditions and building a workforce equipped to meet future needs. We held our Western Sydney Primary Health Provider Forum in November, connecting providers together to hear a collective perspective on service needs, foster connections between providers and gain insights that will shape future initiatives in Western Sydney.
Healthy Western Sydney, a free service directory for health professionals and community was launched in April, and we developed the Western Sydney Dementia Handbooks. Our team have continued to support 350 general practices, 1,400 GPs over 6,500 aged care staff, and allied health professionals to ensure health outcomes are optimised. We also recently sponsored the 2024 WSYD Moving Symposium, an important initiative we are proud to partner with in tacking inactivity and inequity in Western Sydney.
On behalf of our team, I would also like to express our gratitude to the dedicated Board, under the leadership of Conjoint Professor Diana O’Halloran AO, who completed 16 years as Chair before stepping down. In November, we were pleased to welcome Dr Anne-Marie Feyer as the new Board Chair.
This is just a snapshot of what we have achieved in the past year. As we look to the year ahead, I am filled with excitement for what we can achieve together. The partnerships we have built remind us of the strength we have when we work in unison. Let us continue fostering these connections, supporting one another and striving to create an even stronger health community in 2025.
Thank you for the part you play for our wonderful Western Sydney community. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season.
Warm regards,
Andrew Newton
CEO, WentWest
Information is correct as of 12 December 2024