Rural Primary Health Services (RPHS) program

What it does

The RPHS program funds a range of organisations such asstate health entities, local government, indigenous health services, Medicare Locals and other non-government organisations, to provide supplementary primary and allied health care services in rural and remote communities. The actual services delivered depend on the identified needs of the target communities.

The aim of the RPHS program is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in rural and remote Australia. The program works to provide and maintain access to supplementary allied health and primary care services, including mental health, social work, community nursing, Aboriginal health, family health, and community health education, promotion and prevention.

In 2010, the Australian Government commissioned a review of the administrative arrangements in the Health and Ageing portfolio. As a result of this review, the Government decided to implement a range of changes that will result in a more efficient portfolio with a more flexible approach to the funding of health and ageing priorities.

One of the changes, effective progressively from 1 July 2011, is the consolidation of 159 existing health and ageing programs into 18 larger, flexible funds, one of which is the Regionally Tailored Primary Health Care Initiatives through Medicare Locals Fund (the MLs Fund). The MLs Fund will reduce red tape by simplifying and streamlining administration processes, and provide greater policy flexibility to respond to emerging issues and anticipate change.

In addition, many of the Department’s programs will increasingly be delivered through Medicare Locals, including redirection of program funding previously provided to Divisions of General Practice such as the RPHS program funding (which progressively ceased by 30 June 2012). RPHS funding to non-Division of General Practice organisations will cease on
30 June 2013.

These changes will assist Medicare Locals to improve the regional planning and coordination of primary health care services and drive more efficient use of health resources to address the health needs and priorities of their local communities. Medicare Locals will work collaboratively with service providers and the community to identify service gaps, and have the flexibility to address those gaps through coordinating and funding service delivery. .

What it achieves

The program provides additional primary and allied health care services in rural and remote communities.

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