This week, we were honoured to welcome Susan Pearce, Secretary of NSW Health, and Luke Sloan, Deputy Secretary for Regional Health, on their first visit to the Centre for Country Kids.
We had the opportunity to share the growing needs of country children and the challenges they face in accessing vital health and developmental services. Jacqui Emery, CEO of Royal Far West, Jade Thompson, Head of Child Health Services, alongside some of our multidisciplinary team leaders (Melissa Egan, Lydia Ling, Rosemary Allen and Sonia Gain) and Royal Far West School executive leadership team (Principal Sharon Smithies and Deputy Principal Marianne Aberline), showcased our unique clinical services, including how we work in schools, early years settings and directly with communities across rural and remote NSW.
We discussed our long-standing partnership with NSW Health through the Paediatric Developmental Program, and our evolving role within the broader NSW Health landscape. Key priorities we explored included:
- Streamlining referral pathways
- Expanding in-community visits
- Strengthening collaboration with Local Health Districts (LHDs)
- Tailoring services to meet the specific needs of each LHD
We also spoke openly about the increasing number of referrals and growing waitlists – and the opportunities we see to address these challenges together.
Thank you to Susan and Luke for taking the time to visit and engage so meaningfully with our work. We look forward to continuing this important collaboration to improve outcomes for country kids.