Local Area Needs Assessment 2022
Our first Local Area Needs Assessment (LANA) was completed during 2022 to identify initial areas for action and to serve as a baseline for future years.
South West Hospital and Health Service Local Area Needs Assessment
[PDF 8561.71 KB]
What is a Local Area Needs Assessment?
A health needs assessment is informed by data analysis, service profiling and supporting consultation to inform specific health needs of a local population.
This allows for the identification of priorities to further inform future service and funding requirements.
Key findings
Based on the data analysis and consultation findings, the following three priority health needs have been identified for initial progression:
- Encouraging and enabling healthy behaviours
- Improving mental health services
- Improving primary and specialist healthcare.
The following enablers were also identified to help address these priorities, and to also support wider service delivery:
- Further development of a sustainable and well supported health workforce for the delivery of high quality and accessible healthcare services.
- Partnerships and collaboration with our partners, based on mutually agreed priorities.
- Further promotion of continuity of care between providers, including information sharing to support clinical decision making and providing consistent care and advice to patients.
Next steps
Working with key partners across our diverse region, and with further staff, consumer and community input, a range of initiatives are currently underway as part of a broader approach towards addressing historic health inequalities and outcomes.
The LANA data and insights will also support further workforce and other strategic planning initiatives, including model of care development, for the wider benefit of the South West community.
Where identified needs fall outside of the scope of our remit, we will seek to further advocate on behalf of local communities and our wider partners in support of improved health outcomes.
Wider LANA findings and stakeholder insights are also consistent with feedback from our communities, stakeholders and staff to inform:
- Our Way – Together, South West HHS’s First Nations Health Equity Strategy 2022-2025
- Strategic Plan 2022-2026
- Consumer and Community Engagement Strategy 2022-2026.
Progress update
The following commentary provides an overview of LANA progression to date and anticipated next steps.
If you’d like more information about the LANA process, please contact: SWHHS_Board@health.qld.gov.au