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Divisions of General Practice Network

The Divisions of General Practice Network consists currently of 118 Divisions, eight State Based Organisations and the national organisation AGPN. Divisions of General Practice are local networks of GPs, operating in defined geographical areas, which make a substantial contribution to the delivery of primary health care and the implementation of a broad range of Government policy . The Government response to the Divisions Review in 2004 stated that the Government aims to help Divisions to broaden their expertise through sharing of good practice and successful innovative programs. In this way excellence can be spread throughout the Network and the benefits of good practice applied across communities.

Researchers

Predominantly interested in primary health care research, PHC RIS is particularly focused on researchers located within the university departments and organisations that are involved with the Primary Health Care Research, Evaluation and Development strategy (PHCRED). Many who are involved in PHCRED are also associated with the Research Capacity Building Initiative (RCBI), which encompasses the departments of general practice and rural health in universities nationwide (22 departments in 2005) and currently includes the Researcher Development program.

Policy advisors

The third group of PHC RIS stakeholders consists of policy advisors. Broadly, this includes any people who are developing or implementing policies relating to primary health care, at local, regional, state or national level. More specifically, PHC RIS focuses on the policy advisors within the Primary Care Division of the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing who fund PHC RIS.