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Needs assessments gather data and engage key sectors to prioritise the health needs of the Northern Territory.
• Commission the right health services
• Lead and contribute to the reform of health services
• Advocate for the health needs of Territorians with National and Territory governments
• Ensure access to a quality, sustainable health workforce so Territorians receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
Needs assessments can involve identifying:
• Health and healthcare needs
• Quality of a patient’s experience
• Efficiency and effectiveness of services and systems
• Capacity and experience of the health workforce and service providers
• Understanding the factors influencing outcomes and the opportunities for improvement.
2025 RWA Needs Assessment
The 2025 HWNA presents the first comprehensive post-pandemic deep dive into the General Practitioner (GP) workforce across the Northern Territory. It explores current challenges in recruitment, retention and distribution, while identifying opportunities to strengthen primary care through targeted, place-based strategies.
2024 RWA Needs Assessment
The 2024 report evaluates healthcare staffing challenges across the Northern Territory, focusing on East Arnhem region while identifying priority needs for General Practitioner, Nursing, Allied Health and Aboriginal Health professionals in response to the critical decline in primary care services.
2023 RWA Needs Assessment
The 2023 report provides an update on the current and emerging needs of the workforce, with a specific focus on the Barkly region. The assessment identifies gaps in the primary care workforce and services and aims to highlight a region with high needs.
2019 RWA Needs Assessment
The 2019 report contributes to the ongoing development and implementation of evidence based activities to address national and specific priorities, relating to workforce needs and gaps in jurisdictions.
Care Finder Supplementary Needs Assessment
A one-off assessment aimed at providing information on additional NT PHN activities to identify local needs in relation to care finder support.
2024 – 2027 Program Needs Assessment
The Northern Territory Primary Health Network’s needs assessment examines primary healthcare delivery challenges with an emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health, social determinants and service accessibility in remote communities. This report incorporates local and national data for evidence-based healthcare planning.
Palliative Care Needs Assessment
We are pleased to share the NT PHN Palliative Care Needs Assessment for the Greater choice for at Home Palliative Care program. This paper presents an overview of palliative and end-of-life care needs in the Northern Territory for 2025 with a focus on identifying key needs and priority areas. It draws on local stakeholder consultations conducted in 2021, 2023 and 2025 as well as ABS and AIHW statistics, NT Government service data.