10 Year Impact Series: 2018-19 Population Health Highlights
Home / News & Opportunities / Latest news / Current post
October 29, 2025
2018-19 was a stand-out year for South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health network (SEMPHN), with practical ideas delivering important ways to help our community across south east Melbourne live healthier lives.
Some of these ideas included:
- Early detection: a mobile clinic brought breast screening to 1,000 women who might otherwise have missed out.
- Immunisation push: more than 1,500 free flu and whooping cough vaccines reached people at highest risk.
- Community coverage: Greater Dandenong recorded 95.77% herd immunity for children aged 12-15 months.
- Smarter after-hours care: one program averted more than 10,000 hospital admissions, saving $5.5 million, representing a 353% return on investment (ROI).
- A second after-hours project prevented 12,000 emergency department visits, saving $6.2 million – a 379% ROI.
- Cultural safety: 60 health professionals completed training accredited by the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners to strengthen care for First Nations people.
These results show how targeted investment, frontline partnerships and data-driven planning turn resources into measurable impact.
Latest news
The Victorian and Tasmanian Primary Health Network Alliance (VTPHNA) is now the PHN Southern Alliance, following the welcome admission of Adelaide Primary Health Network. The Alliance now comprises eight PHNs operating across three states.
Childhood vaccination coverage is rising, with the latest National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) influenza data reporting a national increase of children vaccinated with at least one influenza vaccine.
In Victoria, cases of influenza (flu) and COVID-19 are increasing, while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases remain high after peaking in July. Health service visits for respiratory illnesses have also been increasing.
