Abstract
PHNs are contracted by the Commonwealth to commission primary mental health care treatment and related services in a way that enhances regional service integration that “moves beyond traditional procurement methods” and achieves the best “collective” mental outcomes within the National Mental Health Commission specification of stepped care.
A key objective is to minimise differences in healthcare inequities within and between regions for a range of diverse population groups described variously as “vulnerable”, “hard to reach”, “underserviced”, “vulnerable” “disadvantaged”, or “at risk”. Thus, PHNs seek to act in ways that bear on the different drivers of horizontal and vertical equity and, in doing so, level out the competing objectives to the extent possible.
Much of the narrative around the work of PHNs focuses on targeting specific priority population groups equality of access to and through.
Yet, this leaves aside a crucial question on whether different population subgroups can benefit equally from the same interventions. To assume so and plan and commission services accordingly may risk masking existing inequities. The presentation will focus on measurement-based, planning-based, and intervention-generated inequalities in primary care. It will provide a conceptual schema that may help health service researchers, planners, and commissioners to include these factors within their decision making for integrated care.