The Primary Health Network (PHN) National Improvement Network Collaborative (NINCO) was developed in response to an identified need within PHNs for consistent, high-quality CQI methodology, to support general practice improvement and evidence-based patient outcomes through the use of data. NINCO is committed to providing a nationally recognised and uniform approach to primary care quality improvement in general practice delivered through PHNs. Our membership’s objective is to empower PHNs and general practices in the adoption of evidence-based continuous quality improvement (CQI) strategies that cater to the distinctive needs of their regions and implement Department of Health Priorities and KPIs, such as the 10 Quality Improvement Measures (QIMs) and Strengthening Medicare Initiative. Through NINCo, we strive to unite PHN staff, fostering networking, skill development, and the sharing of our program and priorities. It is our endeavour to create a platform that encourages collaboration, innovation, capacity and capability enhancement, as well as the exchange of best practices in CQI.
NINCo is pivotal in supporting PHNs, and general practices to implement innovative, ongoing quality improvement strategies. This aims to enhance the health and well-being of populations, aligning with national healthcare goals.
NINCo is guided by the NINCo Primary advisory group composed of CEOs and senior executives of PHNs followed by the Steering Group Committee comprised of the workstream leads.
The workstreams established are focused on specific quality improvement areas. The workstreams consist of PHN staff with significant experience in developing and implementing CQI activities within general practices, from across the PHNs who collaborate to develop and implement strategies, share best practices, and drive improvement efforts.
Presenters:
Matthew Carrodus | CEO, Gold Coast Primary Health Network | LinkedIn
Matt is the Chief Executive Officer of Primary Care Gold Coast (since 2011) and formerly CEO of General Practice Gold Coast (2006-2011). With a background in senior roles at Uniting Care and Blue Care, Matt has led key initiatives, including the establishment of the Gold Coast Primary Health Network and the Primary Care Partnership Council to enhance sector integration. He has also played a pivotal role in hospital integration initiatives, improving GP satisfaction and patient outcomes, and managed significant projects such as the amalgamation of Uniting Care Disability Services and a major residential aged care building program at Blue Care.
Dr Walid Jammal | Principal GP, Hills Family General Practice | LinkedIn
Wally is a highly respected general practitioner and principal GP with a distinguished reputation both nationally and internationally. He has a special interest in high- performing primary healthcare, focusing on person-centred care, quality improvement, safety science, and achieving health improvements through the Quadruple Aim. As the owner of Hills Family General Practice, a Patient-Centred Medical Home (PCMH), his practice has been recognized as a leader in the Commonwealth’s Health Care Home Program and the NSW Integrated Care project. Wally is deeply involved in health and primary care reform, having co-chaired the Primary Health Care Reform Steering Group, which contributed to the development of the Future Focused Primary Health Care 10-Year Plan. He also serves as a key informant in the current Government’s Primary Health Care Strategic Reform Group, working on a national strategic plan for primary care and the mobilization of the Stronger Medicare budget.
Presenter:
Joanne Tester | Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Aged Care | LinkedIn
Jo took up the position of Assistant Secretary of the Primary Health Networks and Partnerships Branch in the Department of Health and Aged Care in May 2023. Prior to this, Jo has had stints in the office of the former Minister for Health and with a consultancy firm. Jo has long-term experience within the Department of Health and has worked on key policies and reforms in the health portfolio.
Session Highlights:
The keynote address will cover primary care policies and reforms being delivered through the Department of Health and Aged Care and the implications for Primary Health Networks.
Presenters:
Matthew Carrodus | CEO, Gold Coast Primary Health Network | LinkedIn
Session Highlights:
The NINCo update will provide an overview of the program, highlight progress made, showcase its benefits, and outline the path forward.
Stream 1 – National Quality Improvement Approach and Evidence Base Development Stream Member – Raylea Sola | Eastern Melbourne PHN
Stream 2 – Workforce Capability Enhancement Stream Lead – Catherine Scardilli | Patient Centred Medical Neighourhood Program Lead, Central and Eastern Sydney PHN | LinkedIn
Catherine Scardilli is the Manager for Primary Care Workforce Partnership and Development at Nepean Blue Mountains PHN, with over 25 years of experience in the primary care sector. Throughout her career with Divisions of General Practice, Medicare Locals, and PHNs, Catherine has honed a strong skill set in team-building and capacity development to support quality improvement across primary care organizations. Having spent most of her career at CESPHN and the past four years at NBMPHN, her work spans quality improvement, general practice, workforce development, CPD, and education. A passionate advocate for building a highly skilled primary care workforce to advance healthcare reform, Catherine has been actively involved with NINCo since its inception, currently actively contributing to Stream 2.
Stream 3 – MyMedicare QI Stream Lead – Beverley Korn | Director, Primary Health Care, Gold Coast Primary Health Network | LinkedIn
Beverley Korn is the Director of Primary Health Care with extensive experience in leadership roles, including her time as Primary Health Care Program Manager at Gold Coast PHN from 2015 to 2023. She has led key initiatives such as the COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccine program for the Gold Coast, and managed the general practice Quality Improvement program, achieving a 93% participation rate. Beverley also served as the inaugural Chair of the PHN National Improvement Network Collaborative (NINCo), driving leadership in quality improvement across Primary Health Networks. Her career includes roles as a clinical educator and specialist, and she established both the medical and nursing student placement programs in Gold Coast General Practice.
Swasti Shree Khanna | Program Coordinator – National Improvement Network Collaborative, Gold Coast Primary Health Network | LinkedIn
Swasti, Program Coordinator for the National Improvement Network Collaborative, brings a rich background in quality improvement across healthcare as a consultant, strategist, digital health specialist, and dentist. She has led initiatives to streamline acute care processes from patient entry to exit, developed a cloud-based electronic health record to optimize primary care workflows, and managed international development teams. Swasti has also driven impactful mental health and workforce projects in primary care and has played a key role in setting, evaluating, and publishing quality benchmarks for Australian healthcare standards. With a thesis on “Clinical Governance” from UNSW and multiple Master’s degrees, her expertise is rooted in quality operations and healthcare system integration.
Presenters:
Dr Anthony Davidson | Industry Fellow, The University of Queensland | LinkedIn
Dr Anthony Davidson is an Industry Fellow at the University of Queensland Business School and a member of the Future of Health Initiative. He is also an accomplished strategy advisor with a proven track record in assisting healthcare organisations and teams to apply best practice frameworks and tools to find new and innovative ways to increase stakeholder and organisational value. Anthony is also actively involved in designing and facilitating MBA courses and development programs for executives, managers and team leaders.
Belinda Gavaghan | Researcher, The University of Queensland | LinkedIn
Dr Belinda Gavaghan is an experienced clinician, researcher and health services manager. Most recently, Belinda has held senior positions in the Queensland Department of Health focusing on allied heath workforce reform, redesign and clinical education and training. She has worked with government agencies, not-for- profit organisations, peak bodies and consumer groups to develop, implement and evaluate new and innovative models and services, undertake stakeholder engagement and build organisational capacity. Belinda also holds a research position at the Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, University of Queensland.
Dr Lily Cheung | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland | LinkedIn
Dr Lily Cheung is a Research Fellow at the University of Queensland Business School. Her academic research focuses on complex human systems with public health applications including chronic disease, aged care and disaster management. She has advised on social marketing and public health initiatives in the secondary and primary healthcare sectors throughout her career.
Session Highlights:
The masterclass will enable conference attendees to:
Presenter:
Anthony Elliott | General Manager National PHN MyMedicare Implementation Program, Brisbane North PHN | LinkedIn
Anthony is an experienced leader in primary healthcare, with a focus on rural and remote health, digital health, quality improvement, and workforce development. A passionate advocate for person-centred care and data-driven improvements, he previously chaired the PHN National Improvement Network Collaborative. As Chief Operations Officer at Northern Queensland PHN, Anthony led Australia’s largest opt-out pilot for My Health Record, which contributed to new legislation in 2018 and the establishment of the Australian Digital Health Agency.
Session Highlights:
Presenter:
Michelle Quinn | Executive Director – Strategic Commissioning and Insights, Western Sydney PHN | LinkedIn
Michelle has worked across health, wellbeing, social care and academic sectors in the UK and Australia. Her current role crosses mental health, commissioning, data, digital, quality, governance, risk and projects, making it all about joining components and systems together.
As the proof of concept for the General Practice Operational Data Store (GP ODS) has shown, PHNs are on the cusp of being able to aggregate their general practice datasets from various extractor tools, opening the opportunity to work more seamlessly with partner organisations, with other aggregated datasets, and support the move to person-centric storytelling. Michelle is on a mission to share the opportunities and find answers to the myriad of questions.
Session Highlights:
The Digital Intelligence Program aims to enhance healthcare delivery through its vision and overall approach, including the introduction of the General Practice Operational Data Set (GP ODS). This initiative will support PHN Quality Improvement (QI) initiatives by providing valuable insights and tools that drive better health outcomes through effective reporting. Additionally, the program will showcase current and future use cases, illustrating its potential for collaboration and impact within the healthcare landscape.
Presenter:
Conan Liu | Head, PIPQI, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare | LinkedIn
Conan Liu has a Masters in Medical Laboratory Science, and has held positions in government as a communicable disease epidemiologist at the Commonwealth Dept of Health And Age Care, and prior to that, worked as a research pharmacologist developing drugs for treating metabolic disease and glycaemic control in Type II diabetes. For the past 12 years at the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Conan has established and enhanced data collections including the National Perinatal Data Collection, Perinatal and Maternal Mortality collections, and child and youth indicator development.
Session Highlights:
As the National Data Custodian for the Practice Incentives Program Eligible Data Set, Conan shares his team’s 5-year experience in establishing, managing, overcoming challenges, and reporting from Australia’s largest GP data collection, and discusses the opportunities for quality improvement from within this data collection.
Presenters:
Dr Paresh Dawda | Founder, Director & Principal, Prestantia Health | LinkedIn
Paresh is a practicing GP and business owner with extensive experience in clinical service delivery systems in Australia and the UK, alongside deep knowledge of healthcare systems in the US and New Zealand. He blends active clinical practice with leadership, academic, and consulting roles, creating synergies across all levels of the healthcare system. Paresh has authored influential papers, including for the King’s Fund, and co-edited the MJA supplement on person-centred primary care. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the BMJ International Journal on Healthcare Integration and has led large-scale leadership and quality improvement programs in the UK and Australia. As Director of Prestantia Health and Next Practice Deakin, Paresh provides healthcare consultancy services and leads innovation in value-based healthcare. Passionate about human-centered care, he also advises NSW’s Agency for Clinical Innovation and eHealth.
Kate Bones | Director, Asia Pacific Team, Institute of Healthcare Improvement | LinkedIn
Kate Bones, MSW is the Director and Improvement Advisor at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), where she advises and teaches on improvement methods across key projects in the Asia Pacific region. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare improvement, Kate was first with IHI from 2000 to 2013, focusing on collaborative improvement programs in chronic disease management, primary care, and care transitions. After gaining experience in primary care, hospital settings, and mental health services, she moved to New Zealand, serving as teaching faculty with Ko Awatea and the NZ Health Quality and Safety Commission before returning to IHI in 2021. A trained social worker, Kate began her career working with mental health service consumers, and she is part of IHI’s Improvement Science and Methods team, dedicated to evolving improvement science methods based on field learning.
Session Highlights:
This fun interactive session aims to reinforce the role of the ‘system’ in quality, the importance of small incremental tests of process change that drive both quality and efficiency.
Duncan Brown | Founder and Director, Culture Craft | LinkedIn
After 20+ years of operations and organisational development experience in financial services, Duncan embarked on a rewarding journey as the CEO of ADHD Australia and started his doctorate in organisational culture. He is passionate about embracing our uniqueness and contributes as best he can to fostering an inclusive society as a non-executive director of the Multi-Cultural Communities Council of Illawarra and a sessional lecturer in ‘Difference and Leadership’ with Charles Sturt University. On 23rd August 2022, Duncan’s life was shattered with the tragic death of his 18-year-old son Kuan, from a series of cultural and systemic failures in the health system. Managing to harness his grief as a powerful source of motivation, he has found purpose and meaning, which he sees as a gift from Kuan. He truly believes that to enhance patient safety and improve the quality of care in a meaningful way, we first have to have to take greater care of health professionals and their environment.
Session Highlights:
Duncan will share his powerful story as a catalyst for leaders to drive whole system improvements.
Presenters:
Joanne Tester | Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Aged Care | LinkedIn
Steph Davis | Senior Medical Advisor, Department of Health and Aged Care | Bio
Dr Paresh Dawda | Founder, Director & Principal, Prestantia Health | LinkedIn
Dr Walid Jammal | Principal GP, Hills Family General Practice | LinkedIn
Dr James Martin | GP, Pebble Beach Medical Centre | GP Liaison Officer, BNPHN and Metro North Hospital and Health Service
Duncan Brown | Founder and Director, Culture Craft | LinkedIn
Matthew Carrodus | CEO, Gold Coast Primary Health Network | LinkedIn
Presenter:
Bernie Harrison | Associate Professor, Australian Council of Health Care Standards | LinkedIn
A/Prof Bernie Harrison is a healthcare expert with over 30 years of experience as a clinician, researcher, and leader in quality and safety. An authority on Root Cause Analysis and Quality Improvement, she has trained professionals across Australia and regularly leads system reviews that improve patient outcomes. A Fulbright Scholar trained in the USA, she co-authored the Quality in Australian Health Care Study (MJA 1995), the most cited paper in the journal’s history. Bernie has held senior roles, including Executive Director of Hospital Performance at the National Health Performance Authority, with clinical expertise in maternity, paediatrics, and neurosurgical intensive care.
Session Highlights:
Leading successful teams requires a high level of collaboration. Learn the essentials to enhance your personal effectiveness. This workshop will focus on the theories, practices and importance of collaboration and collaborative leadership styles in the workplace. It will identify those projects where collaboration is essential when change is required at scale and pace. The workshop will challenge you to think about your own workplace and how to apply these principles locally.
Objectives:
Presenters:
Community of Practice Initiative
ISIA Projects
Presenters:
Dr Paresh Dawda | Founder, Director & Principal, Prestantia Health | LinkedIn
Dr Walid Jammal | Principal GP, Hills Family General Practice | LinkedIn
Angelene True | Principal Consultant Prestantia Health | LinkedIn
Angelene is Principal Consultant at Prestantia Health. She has a diverse background across executive level positions in health, higher education and social care, and experience of working in community advocacy, legislative and health service review, health service system redesign and commissioning, academia and local government policy and partnerships. She has provided health service advisory services to micro, meso and macro-level organisations in the UK and Australia. She is passionate about higher-performing primary health care as the foundation of a safe, equitable and sustainable healthcare system. She was the National Facilitator on the Health Care Home trial and continues to support health systems and service providers improve service quality and integration through the co-design, development and delivery of innovative models of person-centered and value-based health care.
Session Highlights:
This session will build on learnings and insights from Day 1 to consider how we improve quality improvement in primary care and the wider health system and where next.
Session format: Presentation
Stream: Population
Foundations of Improvement: Leadership Insights for Primary Care
In this interactive session we will explore the fundamental principles underpinning the science of improvement and review strategies leaders can utilise to achieve impactful results. Participants will gain practical insights they can apply back in their organisations to engage their teams in designing and delivering sustainable improvements.
Lloyd Provost IHI; USA
Paresh Dawda Prestantia Health; Australia
Session format: Presentation
Stream: tbc
Understanding Variation to inform improvements – Masterclass
Lloyd Provost Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI); USA
Data provides the insights to understand how systems are performing, develop improvement strategies, build energy to keep improvement efforts going, and evaluate the impact of the improvement work. But often data are not presented in a way which does not promote the greatest understanding. This session will explore effective data analysis and graphical methods to describe present the story that you want to tell.
Session format: Presentation
Stream: tbc
Seeking humanity: a health informed approach to homelessness to drive impactful change
Homelessness affects everybody – directly or indirectly. Urgency, hope and new models of care are mandatory if we are to recognise the scale of homelessness in Australia that is both preventable and solvable. In this session we will hear from leaders in the field – change makers and those with a lived experience of homelessness working collaboratively to systemically end homelessness. Experts will include staff from: Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH) – an independent champion for preventing and ending homelessness in Australia. Micah Projects – a not-for-profit organisation committed to providing services and opportunities in the community to create justice and respond to injustice.
Alex Lebret Australia Alliance End Homelessness; Australia
Leanne Papas Micah Projects; Australia
Daniel Hullick Micah Projects; Australia
Session format: Networking
Stream: n/a
This interactive session will provide a opportunity to share ideas and collaborate with the Primary Health Network where you will participate in 30-minute group discussions to create a personalised “Agenda for Action.” This session offers a unique opportunity to continue the conversation, exchange ideas, and build meaningful connections with other participants.
Paresh Dawda Prestantia Health; Australia
Emporium Hotel South Bank is located on the corner of Grey and Tribune Street in South Brisbane.
Emporium Hotel South Bank is located on the corner of Grey and Tribune Street in South Brisbane.
Take Victoria Bridge from Brisbane City to the South Bank area. Turn left on to Grey Street and follow this until Tribune Street is on your right. Turn right on to Tribune Street and the hotel driveway will be on the left before the overpass.
Follow Airport Drive to the Gateway Motorway roundabout and follow the road, bearing left becomes the ‘Links Avenue’ off ramp. Turn left onto Kingsford Smith Drive. Follow Kingsford Smith Drive. Take Breakfast Creek Road exit. Continue along Breakfast Creek Road which becomes Ann Street. Follow Ann Street and take the Story Bridge exit. Go over the Story Bridge and turn right on to the River Terrace. Follow this to on to Leopard Street, before turning right on to Stanley Street. Follow Stanley Street past the Mater Hospital on your left, and turn right on to Grey Street. Take your next left on to Tribune Street and the hotel driveway will be on the left before the overpass.
South Bank Train Station and South Bank Bus Station is just behind Emporium Hotel South Bank.
Valet Car Parking
The guests can park casually utilising the Emporium Hotel South Bank valet car parking. This is charged at $60.00 per vehicle.
Street Parking
There is street parking available on a lot of the streets surrounding the Emporium Hotel South Bank. Please ensure to read the meter signs and note conditions of parking.
Secure Car Parking
Emporium Hotel South Bank is located within close proximity to a few secure car parking options. Please follow the links below for details on these options: South Bank Parklands Parking – Open from 5:00am – 1:00am, with online bookings required.
Southpoint Car Parking – Access via hotel driveway, parking is limited. Please note that a lock out fee of $125.00 will apply if you exit after 9:00pm
To locate the Bathrooms, continue out to the Ballroom foyer and turn right, the bathrooms are located between the two elevators, opposite the staircase on your right. There is male, female and accessible toilet on this level.
Emporium Hotel South Bank is a non smoking hotel.
Please exit the hotel either via the barrel doors on to Grey Street, or via the port cochere and move to the footpath at least 4 metres from hotel entry.
We have a two-tone evacuation alarm system. The first alarm is a preparation alarm (BEEP BEEP BEEP) and the second alarm is the evacuation tone (WHOOP WHOOP). In the event of an alarm and guests needing to be evacuated from the venue, please remain in the room until directions provided by Emporium Hotel staff. There is a fire stairwell located at the end of the Ballroom corridor, or alternatively, please take the grand staircase to the lobby and out the barrel doors on Grey Street if this is the closer option and is safe to do so. The meeting point is located across Grey Street, on to the grassed area in the South Bank Parklands behind the South Bank Parklands car park entry.
Emporium Hotel South Bank WiFi
For more information, please email: ninco@gcphn.com.au
