About Us
Our Catchment Geography Population Socio-economic Status Health StatusOur CatchmentThe Grampians Pyrenees Primary Care Partnership covers the 3 local government areas of Northern Grampians Shire, Ararat Rural City and the Pyrenees Shire. GeographyRemoteness is a defining characteristic for many smaller communities in Northern Grampians and Pyrenees Shires. The many individuals and families living on farms and in very small communities experience greater difficulties in accessing services of all types. Air quality is generally good, but water quality is currently variable across the region, and frequent drought over the last decade has intensified water supply and quality problems. Extensive development of treatment plants is progressively addressing quality issues in towns in Grampians Pyrenees. Farm injury is a concern in the region, although there is now a considerable network of farm safety organisations, preventive campaigns and safety training resources available, and the most common cause of farm deaths - tractor roll-over - has been addressed by legislation. PopulationThe Grampians Pyrenees region has an ageing population with a high proportion of people aged over 75 years. There has been an increase in older age-groups and a decline in children under school age and young adults, aged 15 -34, although the proportion of children aged 5 -14 years is somewhat higher than the state proportion. The majority of the region's residents were born in Australia with few languages other than English being spoken in homes. A small but growing indigenous population is based largely at Halls Gap in the Shire of Northern Grampians. Socio-economic StatusThe region has a substantial proportion of people on low weekly incomes and the socio-economic disadvantage index is relatively high, particularly in Ararat Rural City and Pyrenees Shire. There are high proportions of health care card holders and aged and disability pensioners. Agriculture (including viticulture) continues to be the dominant economic activity in the area, with tourism, mining and manufacturing also contributing to the sub-regional economy. Structural change in the agricultural and manufacturing sector, globalisation of commodity markets and an ageing population pose a long-term challenge to the economic and social viability of smaller communities in the region. Our consultations and service mapping suggest however that there is a strong sense of resilience in local communities and a great deal of current development of community infrastructure and capacity. Health StatusLife expectancy for men and women in Grampians Pyrenees is markedly lower than the rest of Victoria, with men lowest. Burden of disease data for the Grampians region as a whole shows poorer health than other parts of the state, and suggests specific health inequalities in the Grampians Pyrenees region. The major causes of death in the Grampians Pyrenees sub-region are cardiovascular disease, cancer and injuries, reflecting both state and national patterns. The top ranked diseases contributing to the disability burden are heart disease, dementia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, diabetes and depression. The disease profile is consistent with an ageing population, but rates of CVD for men and women, and cancer rates for women, are of particular concern. Physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and low dietary intake of fruit and vegetables are significant risk factors for ill health in the Grampians region for both men and women. Male smoking rates in the region are high. Aboriginal health status in the Grampians Pyrenees area is reported by service providers to be lower than that of non-indigenous residents, again consistent with state and national profiles.
GeographyRemoteness is a defining characteristic for many smaller communities in Northern Grampians and Pyrenees Shires. The many individuals and families living on farms and in very small communities experience greater difficulties in accessing services of all types. Air quality is generally good, but water quality is currently variable across the region, and frequent drought over the last decade has intensified water supply and quality problems. Extensive development of treatment plants is progressively addressing quality issues in towns in Grampians Pyrenees. Farm injury is a concern in the region, although there is now a considerable network of farm safety organisations, preventive campaigns and safety training resources available, and the most common cause of farm deaths - tractor roll-over - has been addressed by legislation. PopulationThe Grampians Pyrenees region has an ageing population with a high proportion of people aged over 75 years. There has been an increase in older age-groups and a decline in children under school age and young adults, aged 15 -34, although the proportion of children aged 5 -14 years is somewhat higher than the state proportion. The majority of the region's residents were born in Australia with few languages other than English being spoken in homes. A small but growing indigenous population is based largely at Halls Gap in the Shire of Northern Grampians. Socio-economic StatusThe region has a substantial proportion of people on low weekly incomes and the socio-economic disadvantage index is relatively high, particularly in Ararat Rural City and Pyrenees Shire. There are high proportions of health care card holders and aged and disability pensioners. Agriculture (including viticulture) continues to be the dominant economic activity in the area, with tourism, mining and manufacturing also contributing to the sub-regional economy. Structural change in the agricultural and manufacturing sector, globalisation of commodity markets and an ageing population pose a long-term challenge to the economic and social viability of smaller communities in the region. Our consultations and service mapping suggest however that there is a strong sense of resilience in local communities and a great deal of current development of community infrastructure and capacity. Health StatusLife expectancy for men and women in Grampians Pyrenees is markedly lower than the rest of Victoria, with men lowest. Burden of disease data for the Grampians region as a whole shows poorer health than other parts of the state, and suggests specific health inequalities in the Grampians Pyrenees region. The major causes of death in the Grampians Pyrenees sub-region are cardiovascular disease, cancer and injuries, reflecting both state and national patterns. The top ranked diseases contributing to the disability burden are heart disease, dementia, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancers, diabetes and depression. The disease profile is consistent with an ageing population, but rates of CVD for men and women, and cancer rates for women, are of particular concern. Physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and low dietary intake of fruit and vegetables are significant risk factors for ill health in the Grampians region for both men and women. Male smoking rates in the region are high. Aboriginal health status in the Grampians Pyrenees area is reported by service providers to be lower than that of non-indigenous residents, again consistent with state and national profiles.