Who we are

About Eastern Melbourne PHN and our community

The Australian Government established Primary Health Networks (PHNs) to increase the efficiency of medical services, reduce fragmentation of care and improve health outcomes for everyone, especially for the most vulnerable. There are 31 Primary Health Networks in Australia and six in Victoria.

Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network (EMPHN) achieves this goal by improving access to existing services, commissioning services to improve health outcome and by supporting GPs and others to innovate and further improve local health care. We aim to improve the health of our community by ensuring people receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Our work is underpinned by our Commissioning Framework, our Clinical Governance Framework and our Business Ethics Statement, which guide and define how we work with providers to improve health outcomes for our community.


Our Values

  • Integrity – We speak the truth and operate with trust, respect, inclusion and professionalism
  • Working together – We foster partnerships by being inclusive and interacting as one team to achieve shared outcomes
  • Courage – We are agile, flexible and innovative in leading transformational change, and achieving our vision and mission


Our Code of Conduct

Our values are brought to life in how we work and what we do. Read the EMPHN Code of Conduct which explains the standard we hold ourselves accountable to.


Equity and Inclusion at EMPHN

Central to how we work with the community – and together within our organisation – equity and inclusion are valued, protected and promoted at EMPHN. Read our Equity and Inclusion Statement here.


What we do

Commissioning

By working closely with health professionals, consumers and carers and using health related data, we identify emerging community needs and gaps in the health care system. We develop our commissioning plans informed by our stakeholder engagement and the best evidence available in order to meet the diverse needs of our community. Increasingly we are ‘co-commissioning’ – working with partner organisations to develop new services that address these needs and gaps which we commission together. In all our work we are contributing to the evidence about what works to improve health experiences and outcomes. For the most part, we do not deliver services but, rather, provide funding for services.

Supporting general practice

EMPHN supports general practices with quality improvement, whether that be through professional development, providing practices with summary data reports, or helping practices become future-ready.

Digital health

We use technology to make the broader health system work more efficiently. This includes implementing electronic referral systems, supporting the rollout of My Health Record, and providing resources, such as HealthPathways Melbourne for practitioners to use.

Health priorities

EMPHN invests in a range of initiatives to make a difference in our priority areas including:

  • chronic disease
  • aged care
  • mental health
  • alcohol and other drugs
  • digital health
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health
  • immunisation
  • general practice support.

Annual Report

Read EMPHN's 2022-23 Annual Report

Latest Annual Report



Our Strategic Plan

Download EMPHN's Strategic Plan

EMPHN's refreshed Strategic Plan

Our Regional Plan

Download and view our Regional Mental Health and AOD Plan




In December 2018, EMPHN achieved full certification to an international standard for ISO 9001 Quality Management System.