HNE region celebrates achievements in general practice, scooping 3 of 4 RACGP Awards.

The Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN) is in celebration mode following the impressive results of the region as awarded by the nation’s general practice regulatory body, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP).

The Hunter region took away three of the four NSW/ACT combined state awards including, General Practice of the Year, General Practice Supervisor of the Year and GP in Training of the Year at the RACGP annual awards ceremony.

The PHN Chief Executive Officer, Richard Nankervis said that the challenges encountered throughout the Hunter New England Region have been no match for the dedication and spirit shown by our primary care workforce. “These awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable contribution carried out by recipients over the past 12 months on the healthcare front line.”

“The PHN congratulates the recipients within our PHN region, as well as those from other regions, on their perseverance and devotion to primary care.”

General Practice of the Year was awarded to Tamworth’s Barton Lane Practice. Dr David Lockart, one of the principal GPs at Barton Lane Practice and current Deputy Chair of the PHN’s NENW Clinical Council said the award was a feather in the cap of all who work at the practice. “At Barton Lane Practice, we strive that everything we do is defined by excellence and we are thankful for the recognition we have received in this area.”

The practice has had a bumper year, receiving numerous awards including nominations and finalist in the region’s Quality Business Awards.

Dr Rohana Wanasinghe, from Bridge Medical Centre in Narrabri was awarded General Practice Supervisor of the Year following on from his 2021 award of Supervisor of the Year, Hunter New England/Northwest Region awarded by GP Synergy. Dr Wanasinghe says he is dedicated to improving health care access for rural NSW, which includes increasing the rural health workforce.

GP in Training of the Year was awarded to Dr Katie Fisher. Dr Fisher is currently completing an Advanced Academic term with the University of Newcastle – Discipline of General Practice and in a GPT3 term at Mayfield Medical Connection. Katie is also a Registrar Liaison Officer for the Hunter, Manning and Central Coast subregion.

The PHN sends best wishes to all finalists when the national RACGP award winners are selected from the cohort of state and territory winners and announced at GP22 on Sunday 27 November.

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For more information: Rebecca Brennan, Communications and Public Relations Manager rbrennan@thephn.com.au 0437 478 138