Population health can be best described as the study of health and disease in defined populations.
Our approach to local population health planning is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in Sydney’s north by reducing inequity between specific population groups. This will be achieved by firstly identifying the unmet health and healthcare needs within our region. These identified gaps in service provision and health status are then used to inform and prioritise the design of subsequent health service planning, which will aim to address the identified needs. The process involves an epidemiological and qualitative approach to determining patient health priorities, balanced with clinical, ethical, and economic considerations of need – that is, what should be done, what can be done, and what can be afforded.
The Sydney North Health Network (SNHN) began scoping initial work on the Needs Assessment during 2015, post the initial establishment phase of the PHN.
The SNHN Needs Assessment, as a document has three core areas, which includes:
- General Health Needs Assessment analysing core public health areas of the region;
- Deep Dive areas of focused review: Mental Health, Urgent Care and Health of the Elderly;
- Service Mapping Analysis to assist SNHN in understanding the region’s services and health infrastructure relevant to its role within both the health system and the broader environment.
The SNHN team followed the approach to undertaking the Needs Assessment as directed by the PHN Needs Assessment Guide as outlined by the Department of Health.
This Needs Assessment will undergo regular review and continue to be updated with the latest data and information as it becomes available.