Australia and New Zealand, like many other countries, are undergoing significant health care reform. These reforms are based on a shift from hospital based care to community based services, with a pivotal and expanding role of clinically led networks based in community settings.

Both Australia and NZ have a strong infrastructure of primary health care general practice based networks, upon which current health reforms are building. We are aware that similar trends are evident in many other countries, and this provides the potential for valuable sharing and networking between us.

We have founded World Health Care Networks (WHCN) as a new international health care coalition that aims to bring together clinically led networked organisations from around the world with a commitment to lead and drive transformational change which helps to improve the health and wellbeing of the world’s population. Australia and New Zealand are founding countries, with other countries being invited to join as the WHCN concept evolves.