Western Sydney’s primary care-led approach to cardiovascular health has attracted international attention, with a Singapore cardiology delegation visiting the region to examine local models of prevention, early detection and integrated care.
The clinical case for action is clear. Cardiovascular disease is the second-leading cause of death in Western Sydney. In 2022, the region recorded 117 cardiovascular deaths per 100,000 people. In 2022–23, cardiovascular hospitalisations reached 1,649.1 per 100,000. Stroke hospitalisations were 280 per 100,000, compared with 259.2 across NSW, and the cardiovascular hospitalisation rate for males was 68% higher than for females.
Western Sydney is responding by moving care upstream. Through Western Sydney Cardiology, WentWest, Western Sydney Local Health District, the Heart Foundation and primary care are connecting general practice with specialists, pharmacists, local pathways, patient education and digital monitoring. The aim is to make risk identification, Heart Health Checks and coordinated follow-up part of everyday primary care, before, between and after specialist or hospital care.
The delegation also visited Hills Family General Practice, where practice managers learned directly from practice managers and nurses exchanged experience with nurses. As Scott Walters described it, this was a true international multidisciplinary learning exchange.
This is what world-leading primary care looks like in practice: strong local relationships, data-led improvement, multidisciplinary teams and a shared commitment to preventing avoidable illness. The exchange was not about comparing which system is better. It was about learning across systems and accelerating better cardiovascular outcomes for both communities.