National Multidisciplinary Primary Care
Research, Policy & Advocacy Consortium
The Consortium brings together over 100 leading researchers from universities across Australia, along with health consumers, peak representative organisations, and policy partners, to design and test new models of healthcare.
Vision Statement
We aim to improve healthcare for all Australians by bringing together researchers, health consumers and communities to create better ways of delivering primary care. Through research and real-world solutions, we are building a more accessible and connected healthcare system that puts people first.
Research & Impact
The Consortium generates research on optimal models of multidisciplinary team (MDT) – based primary care. This includes information on how these models work at local and regional levels, their critical elements and how they can be used across different settings to improve health outcomes for all.
THEME 1
What MDT-based primary care models optimise health outcomes, workforce satisfaction and experience of care?
THEME 2
What are the key components of high quality comprehensive, accessible and equitable MDT-based primary care?
THEME 3
What outcome measures, including change management measures, can be used to compare the effectiveness of different multidisciplinary models of care?
THEME 4
What is the cost effectiveness, feasibility, scalability, acceptability, and sustainability of different models of MDT-based care across different primary care settings?
THEME 5
What is the best approach to implementing the key components of model of care in different settings both locally and at scale?
Policy & Advocacy
The Consortium acts as a think tank on MDT-based primary care and works with the federal government’s Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to support national policy and program decision making.
Consumers are at the heart of the work of the Consortium. It is why we have partnered with the Consumers Health Forum of Australia to co-design our research. The Strategic Consumer and Community Group meets with our research team to ensure our work is responsive to consumer and community needs.
Publications
The Consortium has established an AI-enhanced Knowledge Bank as a central repository of leading research on MDT-based primary care,
enabling actionable insights for practice and policy.
Multidisciplinary primary care is essential for managing complex and chronic conditions but translating research into practice remains challenging. The literature is vast, fragmented across disciplines, and often difficult for clinicians to access or apply in real-world settings. Evidence gaps—particularly around coordinated, team-based care and patient-centred outcomes—limit the ability to inform practice improvement. Consequently, there is a need for approaches that integrate research knowledge with real-world insights to identify gaps, support decision-making, and enhance the quality and coordination of primary care services.
Annual Impact Report 2025
Annual Impact Report 2025
The Annual Impact Report outlines the Consortium’s key achievements in 2025 and our plans for 2026.
March Newsletter 2026
March Newsletter
The year has commenced with a strong focus on ensuring that our Consortium is planning to deliver research outcomes that will be relevant to government policy and decision making.
April Newsletter 2026
April Newsletter
Members of our Consortium were invited to attend the National Primary Care Conference convened by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing in Canberra. Professor Michael Kidd AO was joined at the conference by four of the heads of our five research centres, Associate Professor Margo Barr, and four of the MRFF-funded research fellows.
June Newsletter 2026
June Newsletter
The Consortium is introducing Affiliate Membership as a new way to expand our network and strengthen collaboration across research, policy and practice. Affiliate Membership provides a flexible pathway for individual researchers, clinicians, policymakers and organisations to engage with the Consortium and contribute to our shared goals.
July Newsletter 2026
July Newsletter
The Consortium welcomes the new members of our Strategic Consumer and Community Group who will be working with the Consumers Health Forum of Australia to ensure consumer voices are represented in our research. Members of this group held a workshop for our Consortium Research Fellows and other early career researchers following this year’s Think Tank.
September Newsletter 2026
September Newsletter
The Consortium welcomes the new members of our Strategic Consumer and Community Group who will be working with the Consumers Health Forum of Australia to ensure consumer voices are represented in our research. Members of this group held a workshop for our Consortium Research Fellows and other early career researchers following this year’s Think Tank.
We aim to improve healthcare for all Australians by bringing together researchers, health consumers and communities to create better ways of delivering primary care. Through research and real-world solutions, we are building a more accessible and connected healthcare system that puts people first.
Consortium Research Centres
The International Centre for Future Health Systems, University of NSW is a research, policy and advocacy centre that seeks to improve health systems to deliver more equitable, sustainable, and person-centred health care for all people.
NHMRC CRE in Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health in Primary Care (SPHERE): is a national research network that brings together GPs, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, researchers and consumers to improve sexual and reproductive health care in Australian primary care.
Promoting Responsive and Optimal Approaches for Collaborative Team-Based Care in the Prevention & Management of Chronic Conditions (PROACT): is a research group that focuses on improving how multidisciplinary teams work together in primary care, especially for preventing and managing chronic conditions.
NHMRC CRE for Strengthening Health Systems in Remote Australia (CRESTRA): focuses on strengthening multidisciplinary primary care in remote Australia by looking at how health systems actually work on the ground
Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia (ARIIA): supports better multidisciplinary care for older people by helping different health and aged care professionals work together more effectively
The Melbourne Alliance to implement Multidisciplinary Primary care (MAMP): for cancer, mental health, family violence prevention, and child and adolescent health focus is to embed lived-experience within all aspects of mental health research, implementation and translation
Governance
The Consortium Steering Group
overseas the research programs, communication initiatives and indicators for success of the Consortium
The Operational Group is responsible for implementing the research plan in relation to key performance indicators established by the Steering Group
The Strategic Primary Care Research Group reviews the progress of Consortium activities, identifies research opportunities and provides strategic input to the Consortium Steering Group
The Strategic Consumer and Community Group ensures informed consumer and community engagement across the Consortium
The Strategic Primary Care Peaks Group is made up of representatives across participating national organisations and identifies research priorities, new opportunities and supports the implementation of research into practice
News
Become an affiliate member
Join The Consortium
Join over 100 leading researchers and chief investigators from universities across Australia, along with health consumers, peak representative organisations, and policy partners, to contribute to designing and testing new models of healthcare.