Through the Primary Care Enhancement Program, Western Victoria Primary Health Network (WVPHN) is supporting health practitioners improve how primary health care services are delivered for meeting the needs of people with an intellectual disability.
The program is an initiative of the Australian Government as part of the National Roadmap for Improving the Health of People with Intellectual Disability. Phase one of the program involved the Supporting People with Intellectual Disability to Access Health (SPIDAH) project. PCEP Phase Two, which commenced in August 2025 with the Intellectual Disability Quality Improvement in General Practice program, will focus on embedding training and support resources for quality improvement in primary care and mental health services, to enhance inclusive care for people with intellectual disability, their families and carers.
What is the Primary Care Enhancement Program
WVPHN is one of four Primary Health Networks (PHNs) chosen to pilot the Primary Care Enhancement Program (PCEP) with the aims to:
- increase the skills and ability of GPs and other health professionals to deliver effective health care for people with intellectual disability and
- improve the health literacy of people with intellectual disability.
The pilot was original funded for four years until from 2020 to 2024. As part of the Australian Government Response to the Disability Royal Commission, the Australian Government provided funds to continue the pilot for a further two years until the end of June 2026.
The funding supports PHNs to deliver training and develop tailored resources for health professionals, as well as people with intellectual disability, their families, carers, and support workers.
For more details on the background of PCEP, see Primary Care Enhancement Program for people with intellectual disability | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
Dual disability
A person with a dual disability has an intellectual disability and a mental illness. The PCEP program includes education on dual disability and inclusive practice resources to build capacity of mental health service providers, general practitioners and practice nurses in being able to elicit accurate indicators of mental health in people with disability. This will support organisations in delivering equitable services and to appropriately refer to specialist services.
For more information on support for people with dual disability, see Dual disability | Victorian Government Department of Health
Intellectual Disability Quality Improvement in General Practice
The Intellectual Disability Quality Improvement in General Practice program, aims to improve the physical and mental health of people with intellectual disability by enhancing access to inclusive, high-quality primary care.
Building on the work from PCEP phase one, this program involves:
- strengthening the capacity of general practice teams by enhancing their knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide safe, person-centred care
- promoting stronger integration between primary care and disability services to ensure coordinated, long-term support
- introducing Specialist Intellectual Disability (SID) Integrators to facilitate delivery of a flexible training and support package.
The specialist integrators are tasked with:
- delivering content for people with lived experience, carers, and clinicians
- engaging across all levels of general practice staff
- embedding quality improvement approaches and
- promoting accessible training formats to encourage broad participation.
More information
Participating organisations will complete specified activities to promote inclusive, person-centred care for people with intellectual disability and strengthen links with specialist disability services. You can learn more by reading the Intellectual Disability in General Practice program flyer (PDF 144KB).
For further information, please contact our Primary Care Projects Team via email [email protected]