When the name Dr Patrick Oakley is mentioned to health practitioners, doctors in training and patients around the Newcastle and Hunter New England Health District, it can quickly be concluded that ‘revered’ would be an understatement to describe the regard in which he is held. A hugely impactful yet unassuming and humble doctor who has devoted his life to improving the lives of others, Dr Oakley recently spoke to RDN Health about the importance of offering Outreach clinics, and what’s kept him coming back to the same communities for so many years.

Outreach service planning for 2026–27 is well underway, with RDN Health engaging key partners across NSW and the ACT in a series of collaborative planning discussions. This process is designed to ensure services remain relevant, cost-effective, well utilised, culturally safe, and responsive to the highest priority community needs.

Congratulations to Kamilaroi woman, Adjunct professor Nicole Turner who was announced ‘NSW Aboriginal Woman of the Year’ at the NSW Women of the Year Awards ceremony on Thursday as part of NSW Women's Week 2026 (2-8 March).

In 1986, the Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service (WAMS) opened, driven by local Elders seeking cultural and community-based comprehensive primary health care for the town. 40 years on, the hard work and dedication of the service has made an impactful contribution to the health and wellbeing of the wider region.

For the last ten years, RDN has secured funding under the Rural Health Outreach Fund (RHOF) to contract the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) for the delivery of a female GP Outreach service.

With ADHD prescribing reforms here, 41 GPs took part in the ‘Managing ADHD across the lifespan’ workshop (which is the first of two ADHD workshops being offered in the first half of the year by RDN Health, with another workshop planned in South Western Sydney in May to be hosted by RDN Health).

Earlier this month, a workshop led by RDN Health’s Community Project Officer, Maryann Iannelli and hosted by the Leeton Collaborative Care Project in Leeton, saw local healthcare providers, community representatives, and representatives from the NSW Ministry of Health come together to discuss healthcare in the Leeton Shire.

The results of a health services survey in Eden, which was conducted by the Collaborative Care Program, have been released and found 78% of respondents have difficulty accessing the healthcare they need.

In February, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese delivered the latest Closing the Gap report on the 18th anniversary of the Apology to the Stolen Generations.