Market briefing: Request for information: Melton general practices interested in participating in NWMPHN’s Health Care Neighbourhood Project

NWMPHN will soon seek to commission three general practices to deliver the Health Care Neighbourhood Project in the Melton local government area.

The general practices will participate in the design and implementation of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) model of care, specific to patients in each area. 

Each successful applicant will receive $49,950 (excluding GST) over an 18-month period.

The request for information (RFI) is expected to be released on 16 January 2026, with submissions closing on 5 February 2026 at 3:00 PM AEDT.

What is the Health Care Neighbourhood Project?

As part of the Australian Government’s Strengthening Medicare reforms, primary health networks across the country are building multidisciplinary care teams to deliver high-quality continuity of care to address people’s health needs.

With funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, NWMPHN is commissioning multidisciplinary care from allied health professionals and general practices to improve the health of under-served patients.

Known as the Health Care Neighbourhood Project, this activity focuses on the Melton LGA, in which residents have high rates of complex and chronic conditions. 

NWMPHN is commissioning three general practices and a neighbourhood care team. Successful applicants will work together, and with patients and other community members, to co-design a multidisciplinary model of care that best suits each practice’s ways of working and patient cohort.

The Health Care Neighbourhood Project aims to:

• strengthen the capability of primary care providers to deliver multidisciplinary care
• improve patient care by designing and delivering multidisciplinary care in general practice. 

The intended long-term outcomes include:

• Participating GP practices and allied health clinicians develop capability, and sustain the model of care beyond the life cycle of the project. 
• Broader acceptance that the multidisciplinary model of care is a good way of working and is integrated into general practice.
• Improved chronic disease management, leading to better patient outcomes, reduced hospital admissions and improved integration. 

This funding will be used alongside MBS fee-for-service payments to enable an improved multidisciplinary service delivered at no cost to patients. Patients participating in the project must be bulk billed.

The neighbourhood care team

The neighbourhood care team – also commissioned by NWMPHN -- will comprise a clinical care coordinator and a social worker. 

It will be highly mobile and spend one day a week with each of the three participating general practices. It will assist staff in assessing patient need, delivering care, supporting patient self-management, and coordinating access to other allied health and support services in the local area. 

Eligibility and locations: Accredited general practices located within the Melton LGA are eligible to apply. Practices must have 2-4 GPs consulting at the practice and will need to nominate a lead GP, a practice nurse and an administrator for the project.

Applicants must demonstrate:

• Capacity to participate in co-design and implementation of the Health Care Neighbourhood Project. 
• Commitment to collaborate with NWMPHN, the neighbourhood care team, patients and other community members. 
• Agree to utilise supplementary funding to support the delivery of enhanced multidisciplinary care at no cost to patients. This funding is designed to cover services and activities that are not funded through standard MBS arrangements. All patients involved in the project must be bulk billed.

Please note: providers applying to participate in the project as a neighbourhood care team are not eligible to apply for this general practice funding component.