Barrier Division of General Practice Merges with Riverina

The Barrier Division of General Practice has secured its future by joining forces with Riverina Division of General Practice and Primary Health Ltd who is recognized as one of the State’s leading Divisions. Divisions of General Practice were established throughout Australia in 1992 to improve health outcomes for patients by encouraging GPs to work together and link with other health professionals in order to improve the quality of health service delivery at the local level.

Over recent years there have been a number of amalgamations of Divisions in an effort to improve efficiency and expand the range of programs and activities being provided

The Board of the Barrier Division has been considering possible options for their future operations since 2006 and following considerable discussion with stakeholders it was agreed that the future development of the Division would be best achieved by amalgamation or merger with another Division.  Formal discussions between Barrier Division and Riverina Division commenced in March 2008 and culminated in the merger of the two Divisions from1 July 2008.

The area now covered by the expanded Riverina Division is 150,000 square kilometers and has a population of 134,000 people with 106 general practitioners working in the area.

Nancye Piercy, Chief Executive of the Riverina Division of General & Primary Health acknowledged that the sheer size of the area to be covered and the  isolation of some of the communities will pose many challenges however these will be offset by the significant benefits which will flow from the merger . We are already talking to key stakeholders regarding funding opportunities which could facilitate improvements in aged care services, after hour’s services and health education programs.
   
Mrs Piercy indicated that although the majority of business operations will be from the Wagga office, there will be a strong emphasis on maintaining the local identity of Barrier Division with services continuing from the  Broken Hill office to ensure local needs are identified and appropriate programs and services provided which contribute to improving the health of the local communities. Eureka van der Merwe will be continuing in her senior role with the Division.   

Nancye Piercy
Chief Executive Officer
16 July 2008

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