The PHN’s Sustainability and Viability Initiative (SAVI) receives overwhelming participation from General Practice

SAVI’s Viability Assessment Platform and Survey has been the most successful project launched by HNECC PHN for general practice businesses support. Phase one, the Assessment Platform and Survey, was open throughout the month of February where more than 50 per cent of general practices across the HNECC PHN region opted-in to participate.

The tremendous response indicates that SAVI is on target to support practices with what they need most, business viability and sustainability.

An initial review of survey results unveils a wealth of insights into the current landscape of General Practice. Confirming assumptions, the two resounding challenges plaguing General Practices are recruitment difficulties and financial viability.

Other key themes revealed:

• Many practices reported low levels of overall team morale.
• A significant number of practices are lacking processes that support the wellbeing and work-life balance of staff members.
• The survey highlighted a notable absence of succession planning in key roles within practices.
• Numerous practices are frequently operating at a quarterly financial loss, having significant trouble keeping up with bills and wages.
• More than 30% of practices have reported an annual staff turnover above 20%, indicating significant challenges with retention.
• A concerning number of practices do not seek guidance from mentors, analysts, or accountants which is associated with reduced viability.
• Several practices expressed uncertainty about their teams’ capacity or resources to improve their situation.

Comprehensive reports are being prepared and disseminated to participating practices in the coming weeks. These reports will provide a detailed analysis of the findings for the individual practice, highlighting specific areas for improvement and potential strategies for enhancement.

Practices will be given the opportunity to partner with the PHN and leveraging the support of a dedicated team to work intentionally to understand their unique challenges and aspirations, offering tailored guidance and support to facilitate meaningful progress.

A more detailed report presenting the findings across the region will be published.

While phase one has closed, practices who didn’t complete the survey but have concerns about the viability and sustainability of their practice, can contact SAVI Project Lead, Allison Bull via email to abull@thephn.com.au or 0417 914 577 for a confidential discussion.

The PHN would like to thank the practices who took the time to participate and contribute to SAVI.