Almost a quarter of the general practices in the North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) region completed the first round of the self-assessment tool, Practice Catalyst.
Data provided by 131 general practices is starting to paint a picture of practice maturity as well as emerging needs across primary care in our region.
Practice Catalyst evaluates practices across five domains:
- practice foundations
- practice management
- clinical operations and patient care
- community connection.
Results from this round show an average maturity score of 70/100, with practices performing strongest in clinical operations (81/100) and practice management (78.9/100).
The most significant opportunities for improvement lie in practice foundations (42.5/100), particularly around sustainability, governance, and digital readiness.
Some common challenges were evident. These included persistent workforce shortages, financial pressures driven by static Medicare rebates and rising costs, adapting to digital systems, and meeting increasing patient and community health needs.
Resource usage patterns highlighted a strong appetite for business improvement and structured quality frameworks.
Among the most access materials were module four of the RACGP business toolkit, which concerns practice finances, and this Brisbane South PHN QI toolkit.
High engagement with chronic disease management tools reflected demand for evidence-based care strategies. Practices are increasingly seeking clearer guidance, tailored PHN support, onsite coaching, and assistance with data access and interpretation.
Next steps
Participating practices will receive personalised reports in mid-March 2026. These will include maturity ratings, benchmarking to show where they scored on the five domains compared to others in the region, and refreshed Practice Catalyst action plans.
At the same time, NWMPHN primary care facilitators will offer targeted support to help practices prioritise actions, embed sustainable systems, and implement improvements.
At a regional level, practice insights will inform planning from March 2026, guiding engagement strategies and commissioning decisions for 2026–27.
The next round of Practice Catalyst assessments will open in October 2026, providing an opportunity to track changes and measure progress. If you missed out completing the self-assessment this round keep an eye on our newsletters for details.
To book an appointment with your primary care facilitator please click here or alternately contact us at primarycare@nwmphn.org.au with any queries.
