Communities in remote, rural and regional (RRR) New South Wales (NSW) continue to face significant challenges in accessing health services, especially rural primary care and maternity services. This report finds that rural and remote primary care is in crisis. It examines cross-jurisdictional health reform, collaboration and government consultation with local communities. It sets out a recommended pathway forward to facilitate reform and ensure that the health needs of rural and regional communities are appropriately addressed. 

The report is structured into three chapters. It presents 12 findings and 18 recommendations. It recommends measures to improve shared governance arrangements and the development of a new long-term funding model for rural and remote primary care. It also considers the need to support the implementation of innovative, multidisciplinary models of health service delivery that are responsive to local community needs. 

The implementation of recommendations in this report, including mechanisms for ongoing oversight, will help to ensure that RRR health remains a priority into the future. 

Chapters

• Chapter One examines cross-jurisdictional health reform, with a focus on rural and remote primary care and collaboration between Local Health Districts and Primary Health Networks.
• Chapter Two examines issues around government consultation and engagement with rural and regional communities, including through the Local Health Advisory Committee model.
• Chapter Three looks back at some of the persistent, unresolved issues that the Committee has observed over the course of its three inquiries, which lie at the core of NSW's overburdened RRR health system.