Residents of Melbourne’s CBD, west and north are being urged to help improve health services in their areas by taking part in a unique survey.
The anonymous survey, conducted by North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN), asks locals to share their experiences of accessing health care services.
“We’d like to hear about what’s working and what’s not,” explained NWMPHN Chief Executive, Christopher Carter.
“We want to know about when the health care system isn’t functioning as well as it should. Are some things too costly? Are some services too far away, or too difficult to reach? If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes, can you get the help and advice you need?”
The survey is a key part of a major project being conducted by the West Metro Health Service Partnership. Health Service Partnerships (HSPs) were established by the State Government in 2021 to support enduring collaboration in the Victorian health system beyond the pandemic. Three HSPs cover metropolitan Melbourne with five across rural and regional Victoria.
The West Metro HSP is made up of NWMPHN, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, the Royal Women’s Hospital, Western Health, Mercy Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“By gathering this information, we and our partners will be able to see where new services are needed, or where existing services need to work more closely together,” said Mr Carter.
“By working together and with input from the community, we can can take real steps to improve the quality of care and service for everyone in the region – making us all healthier and happier.”
Responses to the survey will add valuable local-level detail to data already provided by organisations such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and can be found at nwmphn.org.au/west-metro-community-hna
The cut-off date for responses is Friday, 9 June 2023.
