Primary Health Awards 2024 a major success 

Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network hosted the 2024 Primary Health Awards to celebrate and acknowledge primary health care excellence in the central and eastern Sydney region. 

The Primary Health Awards specifically recognise the work of general practice and allied health and community organisations that have provided exceptional service, or an outstanding contribution, to primary health care in the region in the past year. 

Four categories drew a large amount of interest with submissions surpassing expectations and at the cocktail ceremony at Centennial Park Homestead, Central and Eastern Sydney Primary Health Network CEO, Nathalie Hansen made a point of acknowledging all nominees for their continued caring and progressive work in health care.  

The winners are: 

Excellence in General Practice  

• WINNER: Earlwood Medical Centre 

Excellence in Allied Health Practice 

• WINNER: Sydney City Psychology 

Excellence in Community Service Delivery 

• WINNER: Survivors Teaching Students 

Excellence in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Achievement  

• WINNER: PhysiCo City 

The winners received a $2,000 grant toward furthering their work. 

Earlwood Medical Centre, winner of the Excellence in General Practice award, is a leading multi-disciplinary GP practice. In the past year, the team launched an innovative Victim Services Support Program, demonstrating exceptional commitment to community care.

This free domestic violence and crime counselling service provides comprehensive support, financial assistance, and trauma-informed care to victim-survivors. Complementing the centre’s primary, secondary, and allied health offerings, the program ensures accessibility through bulk-billed services and collaboration with the Department of Justice, addressing critical community needs.

Allied Health Excellence winner, Sydney City Psychology, introduced a keystone intervention – the Adults with ADHD online group. This impactful 10-week group program increases participants’ understanding of what it means to have ADHD and how to overcome many common difficulties. 

Survivors Teaching Students was awarded Excellence in Community Service Delivery for its ground-breaking, community-based volunteer program that links ovarian cancer survivors and caregivers to students in the health professions. The purpose is to raise awareness of this “silent and ignored killer”, promote early detection, and thus increase long term survival. 

PhysiCo City was represented by Tom Wyer who accepted the Excellence in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing Achievement Award. He said: “Being a physiotherapist located in Redfern, the key factors to our success are demonstrating respect, building sustained and inclusive relationships, and creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”. 

Keynote speaker, OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn AO, inspired with her speech based on her experience  of helping others. 

Congratulations are also shared with the finalists who continue to make outstanding contributions to health care in the central and eastern Sydney region. 

Nominations will be shared for next year’s awards in April 2025.