Inala Primary Care named a Medicare Champion at the 2024 Stronger Medicare Awards
Stronger Medicare Award Recipients 2024
On 27 November 2024, our team travelled to Parliament House in Canberra for the inaugural Stronger Medicare Awards- a national celebration of clinics and primary-care professionals whose work is strengthening Medicare as it turns 40. Out of more than 700 nominations, just 20 finalists were declared “Medicare Champions.” We are thrilled (and a little humbled!) to share that Inala Primary Care was one of only ten health-service teams recognised as “Medicare Champions” across Australia.
Why the judges chose Inala Primary Care:
Delivering critical care to Queensland’s most disadvantaged patients
- We serve one of the state’s poorest postcodes; 60 % of our patients speak a language other than English and 35 % live with multiple chronic conditions.
- Our practice was praised for making high-quality, bulk-billed care truly accessible while still offering extended 20-minute consults to address complexity.
Innovating at the front line of general practice
- Nurse-led chronic-disease and refugee-health programs that have since been replicated across Queensland and interstate.
- “Beacon” clinics that embed hospital specialists, pharmacists and social-prescribing link-workers inside the GP setting to keep people well and out of hospital.
Whole-community impact
- Judges noted our readiness to share research, software and co-design toolkits so that other practices can adopt proven models of care – amplifying the benefit far beyond Inala.
A word from our CEO, Tracey Johnson:
“This award belongs to every member of the Inala Primary Care family – clinicians, admin team, partners and, of course, the patients who trust us with their stories every day. It shows that a small not-for-profit clinic in the suburbs can lead national reform when we stay curious, courageous and community-minded.”
What the recognition means for our patients and partners:
For patients: You’re in award-winning hands. We’ll keep refining our services – from diabetes and chronic-pain programs to women’s-health and healthy-ageing clinics – so you can live your best life close to home.
For referrers & partners: The accolade validates collaborative, place-based care. We look forward to deepening our work with Brisbane South PHN, Metro South HHS, Mater and others to scale what works.
For policymakers: Our data-driven results show that properly funded, team-based general practice saves the system money and improves equity – lessons we are eager to share.
Read more about our win here:
