IMPACT is a five year research program that will provide an opportunity to build upon Local Innovation Partnerships (LIPs) and research to co-create models of care that enhance access for vulnerable populations. LIPs represent communities with complex challenges to the delivery of Primary Health Care (PHC). Set in 3 Australian states (New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria) and 3 Canadian provinces (Alberta, Ontario and Québec), IMPACT will begin by creating learning networks of decision makers, researchers, clinicians and members of the vulnerable communities in the 6 local health regions. A LIP is a community of stakeholders who share a common concern around vulnerable populations that are at increased risk due to limited access-to-care.

Through this program, we aim to transform PHC organisational structures to improve access to appropriate care for vulnerable populations resulting in reduced unmet need, avoidable emergency department visits and avoidable hospitalisations for vulnerable populations. Our program has four main objectives:

1. To develop a network of partnerships between decision makers, researchers, clinicians and members of the vulnerable communities to support the improvement of access to PHC for vulnerable populations;

2. To identify organisational, system level PHC interventions designed to improve access to appropriate care for vulnerable populations, and establish the effectiveness and scalability of the most promising organisational innovations;

3. To support the selection, adaptation and implementation of organisational innovations that align with our regional partners local populations’ needs and priorities; and

4. To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency and further scalability of these organisational innovations.

It is supported through a joint funding from the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé.