RDN’s 2024-25 Annual Report now available

Rural Doctors Network (RDN) is pleased to announce to our readers, RDN members and all those who support our vision of health access for all, that the 2024-25 RDN Annual Report is now available to view.

The Annual Report aligns closely with RDN's Strategic Plan 2025-2028,  and includes an outline of RDN's Framework for Social Change (p.30), and a breakdown of RDN’s activities under the relevant RDN Health Access Pillars of Community Solutions, Workforce Solutions, Workforce Support, Health Systems, Health Organisation Support and Sector Advancement (pp 31-63).

RDN’s Patron, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales, delivers a message (p.5) and offers her congratulations to the Board, Executive and staff of RDN on “another successful 12 months of supporting rural health professionals to improve regional, rural and remote health programs, services and outcomes”.

RDN’s Chair, Professor Peter O'Mara (p.6) and RDN’s Chief Executive Officer, Richard Colbran (p.7) also reflect on the successes and challenges of the rural health landscape and how RDN works with communities to improve health access and community-centred social outcomes.

Some of the many highlights captured across the 2024-25 financial year include:

• RDN’s Health Access Services team worked in partnership with local organisations to provide more than 1119 Outreach services in 162 towns and rural and metropolitan communities in NSW and the ACT, delivering 212,916 Occasions of Service (OoS), including nearly 140,000 OoS for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• RDN and Rural Health Pro hosted 37 conferences and events attended by 2177 delegates. This included RDN’s flagship Rural GPs Conference which reached its highest ever attendance: 178 GPs – a 49% increase on last year; and the second annual National Rural and Remote Health Awards, which was attended by Her Excellency the Governor-General of Australia
• Rural Health Pro surpassed 13,300 members (36% growth this year)
• The NSW Rural Resident Medical Officer Cadetship Program celebrated its 35th year with the launch of the RDN Cadet Alumni Program
• RDN recruited or placed 222 GPs to NSW communities, a 46% increase on last year.
• RDN supported 165 medical, allied health and nursing clinicians to relocate, a 22% increase on last year
• The Care Partnership – Diabetes program has kept the NSW Western Region on track to increase Credentialled Diabetes Educators (CDEs), including three Aboriginal Health Practitioners to become among the first in Australia to pursue the Aboriginal Health Practitioner-to-CDE pathway
• Working in partnership and supported by the NSW Ministry of Health, RDN administered the Collaborative Care Program across five NSW communities to investigate needs and implement solutions to rural health access challenges
• International collaborations saw RDN sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Universitas of Pattimura, Indonesia  and RDN participate in a rural health knowledge exchange trip to British Columbia, Canada, hosted by the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia (RCCbc).

View and download the 2024-25 RDN Annual Report here.

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Related reading:

• RDN Strategic Plan 2025-28