+61 2 4924 8000
About Rural Doctors Network (RDN)
NSW Rural Doctors Network Ltd, trading as "Rural Doctors Network" and known as "RDN", is a not-for-profit, non-government, charitable organisation that works to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in under-resourced communities. RDN supports the World Health Organisation’s goal of achieving a world in which “all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.”
RDN administers services, builds capacity and mobilises knowledge for communities. It works collaboratively within wide networks of stakeholders, including health professionals, service agencies, educational institutions, professional associations, corporate and philanthropic partners, Aboriginal health organisations, Local Health Districts (LHDs) and Primary Health Networks (PHNs), policy-makers and all tiers of government. It strives to grow and strengthen a capable health workforce for areas in need by supporting the capacity of health service organisations and contributing to rural health policy development and program administration.
RDN is privileged to act as the Australian Government’s designated Rural Workforce Agency for health in NSW, and as the NSW and ACT fundholder for health Outreach and associated service programs. RDN works closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, continually striving for engagement and reconciliation to improve health outcomes.
Jump to:
RDN Programs, Products and Services
RDN's Vision, goals, values and beliefs
A message from our Patron: Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales:
RDN Governance and Funding
The framework through which RDN operates is a Board of Directors. The RDN Executive team is responsible for implementing the policy and priorities of the organisation as determined by the Board of Directors.
RDN is a public company limited by guarantee under the Australian Corporations Act 2001. Download the 2025 RDN Constitution.
RDN receives program funding from the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing and the NSW Ministry of Health. Local governments, community and health sector organisations also contribute funding for RDN activities.
RDN Programs, Products and Services
To help build and sustain access to quality healthcare in remote, rural, regional and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, RDN delivers a range of services including:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement
- Academic partnerships
- Awards and recognition
- Care Partnership - Diabetes
- Career management support, scholarships and grants
- Collaborative Care
- Conferences, education and training
- Future workforce immersion programs
- GP orientation and career pathways
- Health Access Outreach Services
- Health Workforce Needs Assessments
- International collaborations
- NSW Rural Medical Training Forum
- Podcasting and publications
- Practice management support
- RDN Membership Program
- Recruitment support for GPs, locums, nurses, midwives and allied health professionals
- Rural Health Month
- Rural Health Pro — the online community for health care professionals
- Rural Medical and Indigenous cadetships
RDN also works with:
- Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs) to support Indigenous health
- rural NSW PHNs to support remote, rural and regional GPs and the health workforce
- local communities, governments and rural LHDs on medical workforce matters
- university medical faculties to promote rural medicine
- international rural health organisations to foster knowledge exchange.
History of RDN
RDN began in 1988 as an organisation supporting the recruitment and retention of rural General Practitioners (GPs). The organisation has evolved in response to the changing health landscape and there is now a greater need for solutions that support the broader multidisciplinary rural health workforce including GPs, rural resident and non-resident medical specialists, allied health practitioners, nurses, midwives, Aboriginal Health Practitioners and professionals, practice managers, carers and health administrators.
RDN also works closely with paramedics, pharmacists, oral health professionals and professionals working in other human services such as schools, aged care, disability and community services.
In 2023, RDN celebrated 35 years of serving rural communities. As a multidimensional and solution-oriented organisation, our work adapts and responds to contemporary issues and needs using evidence-informed approaches. We are acutely aware of the direct and indirect impacts of federal and state policy, changing population distribution, climate change, digital technologies, business governance and legislative requirements, health workforce demographics and life-balance expectations.
Today, RDN’s service streams navigate these and related issues to develop and provide workforce and practice support; sustainable practice business models; health Outreach services; grants and scholarship initiatives; education and training; future workforce programs; health policy and industry network coordination; and health workforce data and evidence translation.
In March 2024, RDN was honoured to receive the Vice Regal Patronage of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.
RDN's Vision, goals, values and beliefs
Vision
- Health acces for all
Goals
- Goal 1 - Community: Partner with under-resourced communities to identify, and implement, socially accountable responses tailored to their priority health access needs.
- Goal 2 - Workforce: Build and sustain workforces capable of delivering culturally responsive quality health and social care in response to local community health access needs.
- Goal 3 - The Sector: Enable health and social care systems to achieve health access outcomes for under-resourced communities
- Goal 4 - RDN: Continue RDN’s organisational development to strengthen its viability and enhance its ability to achieve its vision and impact: health access for all
Our values
We use our organisational values to guide our decision-making, actions and workplace behaviours.
- Accountability – We commit to being responsible for our actions.
- Adaptability – We are agile and responsive to changing needs to create solutions and make a positive difference for our stakeholders.
- Collaboration – We share and contribute to collective processes to create more effective practice and achieve specific goals and outcomes.
- Excellence – We strive to achieve and maintain high quality standards in our relationships and services.
- Integrity – We live and work by a set of ethical standards and behaviours.
Our beliefs
We believe:
- That equity in health access is a fundamental human right and a building block for achieving the better health outcomes necessary for community and national prosperity.
- In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander selfdetermination, and we acknowledge the ongoing impact of colonisation on Indigenous people in Australia and globally, and the importance of culturally responsive health service provision.
- That the underpinning strengths of under-resourced communities should be honoured and recognised for their contribution to social and economic progress.
- In supporting a system that provides a lifetime of coordinated and comprehensive health access that responds to individual community need.