Allied Health Reconnection Grants seek to enhance multidisciplinary care.

Among the many health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the disruption of access to healthcare was significant for many patients, particularly those with chronic conditions. In recognition of this, the PHN launched the Allied Health Reconnection Grants in March 2023 seeking to enhance opportunities for clinicians to work together in a multidisciplinary patient-centred approach. The grants aimed to encourage primary care Allied Health providers to implement ideas to re-engage or enhance care whilst promoting collaboration with other health providers.

The grants were in the amount of $20,000 to $50,000 and specified activities that placed the patient at the centre of Allied Health care. They required the grant recipient to work collectively with at least one other organisation and with a mix of health or social service providers, or allied health colleagues from different professions. Grant applications that focused on patients whose care was impacted by the pandemic were prioritised.

Emphasising the inherent value of Allied Health as a component of a multi-disciplinary team, the grants sought applications that included activities such as the implementation of new or enhanced models of care; team-based rehabilitation programs, social prescribing programs at a community level and place-based approaches that addressed the needs of priority population groups.

$100 000 was the total funding which was allocated to two recipients – Recovery Station and Early Start Speech Pathology.