The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) is hosting the second biennial World Health Care Networks (WHCN) Conference in 2012. WHCN was founded by the AGPN and General Practice New Zealand (GPNZ) in 2010 in recognition of the role that clinically–led and organised general practice and primary health care plays in health planning, resource allocation and health system development more broadly.
A number of countries across the globe are undergoing significant health reform; reform based on a shift from hospital-based care to comprehensive primary health care (PHC), with an emphasis on prevention and health promotion in community-based settings.
Building on strong organised general practice infrastructure, these reforms both entail and rely upon an expanding mandate and responsibility for the PHC sector, requiring in-particular increased engagement and integration between inter-disciplinary and cross-sectoral stakeholders. Through WHCN, an opportunity to share in knowledge, experience and innovation for the advancement of a comprehensive PHC reform agenda was identified.
The 2012 Conference will explore how health care networks are forming and maturing and, more importantly, the integrative and coordinating roles and functions they fulfill in creating a well-developed primary health care system.
WHCN 2012 fuses health and social care policy, research, program implementation and service development to explore the value of networks at the micro, ‘meso’ and macro levels. The Conference will examine the capacity of networks in improving health service delivery and outcomes; attracting health system managers, researchers, policy makers and clinical and community leaders from around the world.
