Executive General Manager's foreword

As we head towards the end of the year, it’s an ideal time to reflect on the collective impact over the past year as we work towards achieving health equity.

For WA Primary Health Alliance (WAPHA) this year was defined by strategic alignment, collaborative partnerships, and a focus on inclusion and data-driven decision-making in the context of the ambitious Australian Government primary health care reform priorities. 

I’m proud to share WAPHA’s Year in Review 2024-2025. Some of the highlights include:

• More than $233 million invested and 290 services funded to improve the health and wellbeing of Western Australians.
• 27,655 clients received mental health support from commissioned services through 199,880 occasions of service. 57 per cent of all clients with a valid clinical tool at start and end of episode demonstrated significant improvement in non-specific psychological distress scores.
• 2,326 Aboriginal clients received support from commissioned mental health services through 19,500 occasions of service, including assessments, therapy sessions, referrals, follow-ups, and other forms of support. 53 percent of Aboriginal clients accessing mental health services demonstrated significant improvement in non-specific psychological distress scores.
• 3,399 clients received support from commissioned alcohol and other drugs services through 21,375 occasions of service. Support included screening and assessment, counselling and therapeutic interventions, harm reduction support, referral and care coordination and follow-up and monitoring. 34 percent of all clients with a valid clinical tool at start and end of episode reported a reduction in primary drug of concern use.
• Over the last year, we supported more than 570 health professionals to upskill in managing and treating depression and suicidality and funded 185 community training courses in suicide prevention. 
• 5,516 Aboriginal clients accessed Integrated Team Care through 68,490 occasions of service, including care coordination, health system navigation and access to services such as allied health. 
• 363 patients were supported across WA’s two pelvic pain and endometriosis clinics in Murdoch and Albany, ensuring patients receive holistic care under one roof, reducing fragmentation and improving continuity of care.

Primary Health Networks work within a complex landscape of diverse stakeholders, often with competing priorities, in thin market areas where service delivery is challenging. Added to this is a rapidly evolving policy environment that demands strong leadership and a commitment to cultural change. Navigating this complexity, fostering collaboration, and bringing agencies and providers together, is central to how WAPHA is making a difference and delivering better health outcomes for West Australians.

For an ‘at a glance’ summary of these achievements, read our Activity Snapshot 2024-2025, and Cultural Competency, Equity and Inclusion Snapshot 2024-2025.

Thank you for your continued focus and collaboration.

Kind regards,

Mark Cockayne

Executive General Manager – Commissioned Services

General information

Clinical governance - Notifiable incidents 

Clinical governance is about the connections and responsibilities that link regulators, funders, health care workers, and patients. For commissioned providers, it means embedding robust safety and quality systems into your everyday practice, ensuring that care is not only effective but also accountable and continuously improving.

Embedding strong governance processes with practical safety and quality initiatives is the most effective way to manage and enhance the services delivered. This approach supports in meeting contractual obligations, achieving better outcomes, and fostering a culture of transparency and improvement.

A key component of WAPHA's clinical governance is oversight and monitoring of notifiable incidents reported by service providers. Most providers are contractually required to report incidents that occur in WAPHA-funded services.

Reportable notifiable incidents are an incident ‘where harm or death is, or could have been (Near Miss), specifically caused (or suspected to be caused) by the Clinical Services rather than the underlying condition or illness or the person receiving the Clinical Services.’ It also includes any ‘reportable death’, as defined in the Coroners Act 1996.

On 21 November 2025, we’ll update our notifiable incident reporting systems to improve our internal management of notifiable incidents. This change will have minimal impact on providers:

• No change to how you report incidents or the information required.
• The submission form and its link will be updated.

Commissioned service provider reporting obligations remain the same. The updated link will be available through WAPHA’s service provider information pages here. Relevant links will be updated on 21 November 2025.

Mental health reporting: An explainer 

As part of WAPHA’s Commissioning for Better Health program, we have developed a practical guide to help providers better understand and meet their reporting requirements for mental health services. It outlines what data needs to be submitted, how and when to report it and where to access performance and data quality reports. The guide is available here.

Don't ignore the black puppy: Why small signs of depression deserve big attention 

WAPHA has recently launched the ‘Depression starts small’ consumer campaign, designed to promote help seeking behaviours in those experiencing mild and moderate depression symptoms. 

It portrays a young man grappling to understand the nature of his depressive symptoms, which are highlighted by an omnipresent black puppy. Watch the Depression starts small hero video. 

The campaign's dedicated website has further information and resources for people to delve into.

While many communities across WA will see and benefit from this campaign, we have focused special attention on two population groups and six locations where we have identified that people are at greater risk of poorer health outcomes generally. The target audiences are youth and men in the Swan, Armadale, Goldfields, Bunbury, Manjimup, Goldfields and Esperance regions.

The multi-award-winning campaign will run during the last quarter of 2025 and into early 2026, then again toward the middle of 2026 across a mix of media channels, including digital, television, cinema, outdoor and general practice waiting rooms. 

As a result of the campaign, you may experience an increase in presentations to your service of people with symptoms they feel are linked to depression.

We encourage you to promote the campaign to spread further awareness through content that best suits your style and audience via our downloadable campaign supporter kit.

Read more

Youth Mental Health Models of Care advice and consultation reports

Between January and June 2025, Orygen led a consortium of youth mental health organisations to provide advice to the Australian Government on the current system of mental health services for young people aged 12 to 25, and on potential new or refined youth mental health models of care. The work was commissioned by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

Read the reports

Medicare Mental Health phone service campaign 

A national campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the Medicare Mental Health phone service, 1800 595 212. The objective is to build on previous awareness efforts and drive increased recognition, access and use of the recently re-branded service (previously Head to Health). This will comprise a national digital campaign, using search and display adverts, that went live on 12 November.

Locally, each PHN is amplifying the campaign. In WA, this is via WAPHA’s social media channels. The campaign, that went live in mid-November, is targeting the whole of WA, noting the phone service is available to all Western Australians.

New edition of the Australian Digital Mental Health Director for Health Practitioners 

The Australian Digital Mental Health Directory for Health Practitioners directory is a comprehensive list of safe, evidence-based Australian digital mental health services designed to help health practitioners quickly find high-quality digital tools to support all Australians.The latest edition features all the latest service updates, new services, and insights on how to use digital mental health in practice.

Integrated Team Care Program - Survey 

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing (DHDA) is working with the First Nations health sector to determine a path to transition funding arrangements for the Integrated Team Care (ITC) program to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled sector.

DHDA would like to hear from First Nations organisations and stakeholders of the ITC program about the proposed approach and timeline for transition to the First Nations community-controlled sector. They encourage participation from organisations, groups or alliances with relevant experience or a vested interest in taking leadership of ITC in future models.

Survey closes 8 December 2025.

Have your say

News and media

Advance care planning: Benefits for general practice and patients 

Embedding advance care planning (ACP) in the general practice setting facilitates the integration of proactive ACP discussions, which, in turn, enable earlier, values-based conversations, improve alignment of care with patient goals and reduce family stress during acute episodes.

Read more

Empowering regional clinicians to support patients with end-of-life care  

Navigating complex legal, ethical, and emotional decision making while supporting patients with end-of-life care can be challenging. Recent End of Life Law for Clinicians workshops in Kalgoorlie and Karratha brought together clinicians, educators, and health system leaders to explore the legal components of end-of-life decision-making in clinical practice. This training aims to boost confidence and improve decision-making at the end of life, ultimately enhancing patient care.

Read more

Futureproofing general practice 

At two recent events held by WA Primary Health Alliance, GPs and practice teams heard how their peers are implementing innovative ways of working, practical strategies and tools, and guidance on embedding Strengthening Medicare measures that can help them improve patient care and operational sustainability.

Read more  

Procurement and contracting

Training and events

Resources