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Hunter Primary Care

Community insights for healthcare evolution

Hunter Primary Care is a healthcare provider in the Hunter Region. Providing primary health and mental health services, they are also the provider of GP Access After Hours, an after hours GP service.

To ensure their model remains sustainable and responsive to the changing healthcare environment, they recognised that sustainable healthcare requires alignment with the changing needs of the workforce and the local community.
Hunter Primary Care partnered with McCrindle on a multi-phase study designed to future-proof their service model, workforce planning, inform strategic decision-making and support future planning.

The Solution

Focus groups with GPs

McCrindle conducted 4 focus groups with GPs from their network to gain insights regarding the current service model and the future of care. Discussion topics were workshopped in partnership with Hunter Primary Care to develop a moderator guide to ask the right questions that get them the insights they need.

Insights from Hunter Region residents

To gain an understanding of consumer perspectives a survey of 1,000 residents in the Hunter Region was conducted. This captured the voices of the broader community to identify gaps in GP Access After Hours, understand patient preferences, and gauge financial capacity to seek appropriate after hours care. The survey was crafted to explore preferences for model changes, including the integration of virtual care and nurse-led clinics as well as identifying the core factors that influence how and why patients choose various healthcare providers.

It was great to work with McCrindle on this study to capture the voices of our GPs and residents across the Hunter Region. The insights and the depth in which they were delivered provided us with the strategic clarity needed to evolve our GP Access After Hours model. McCrindle took their time to understand our industry and partnered with us to ensure our service evolution is grounded in workforce and community preferences.

－ Ashley Summers

Deliverables

For both elements of the study Hunter Primary Care were provided with a report in slide-deck format with a McCrindle Researcher providing a presentation of the insights to unpack the data. The reports included an executive summary, easy to read commentary, data visualisations and key recommendations.

The impact

By partnering with McCrindle, Hunter Primary Care gained a clearer picture of their local healthcare landscape. The project provided the evidence-based foundation required to refine their service offering and ensure that their model of care, workforce planning and future initiatives are directly informed by the workforce and patient voice. The insights driven approach allowed them to evolve their service model with confidence, ensuring it continues to meet the preferences and care expectations of the community it serves.