Information about the Regional Health Advisory Councils - advisory bodies, advising the Minister on health issues related to specific groups or regions.
Eyre and Far North LHN - About Us
The Eyre and Far North Local Health Network (EFNLHN) is part of SA Health and the local provider of hospital, aged care, community health, disability, and mental health services to a resident population of 41,000, plus tourists, who flock to this part of the South Australia, particularly in summer.
The Eyre and Far North is one of the State’s premier travel destinations, famous for its untamed beauty, a multitude of landscapes, magnificent beaches, immersive wildlife experiences, cultural connection, and one of Australia’s prime seafood hubs.
EFNLHN looks after people from Cowell on the eastern Eyre Peninsula to Port Lincoln across to the West Australian border and up to the Northern Territory border.
The population is incredibly diverse, with residents who identify as Aboriginal making up more than 11 per cent of the population, compared to the South Australian average of 2 per cent.
Services and facilities
Port Lincoln Hospital, with 48 beds, is the clinical hub for the 10 health sites based in the main towns, which combine hospital and residential aged care services.
Country Health Connect is our community health service, which delivers more care each year than the acute and residential aged care facilities combined.
The LHN also owns three medical practices covering most of the communities in the Eyre and Far North, and runs a remote area clinic at Oodnadatta and the Amata Family Wellbeing Centre.
Services include acute care, medical, accident and emergency, surgery, birthing, and midwifery facilities complemented by specialist consultancy, renal dialysis, chemotherapy, transfusion, and community nursing services.
The LHN also provides rehabilitation and residential services, community aged care, respite care, transitional and palliative care packages along with Aboriginal, mental, allied and community health support packages including home modifications.
Regional partnerships
Most General Practitioners (GPs) are contracted on a Fee for Service (FFS) basis, rather than directly employed, and provide a range of inpatient and specialist GP medical services, including obstetrics and anaesthetics.
In 2023, the first cohort of salaried junior doctors start their training at Port Lincoln Hospital, and will rotate through other LHN sites over the course of their training.
EFNLHN relies on relationships and partnerships with medical practitioners and a range of stakeholders to improve access to care and services.
The EFNLHN Strategic Plan 2020 – 2025 sets out the LHN’s purpose, vision, values, strategic priorities and the enablers to support the achievement of those priorities.